Join us as we welcome guest speaker, Brandon W. Brooks, curator of the John L. Wehle Gallery at Genesee Country Village & Museum, to explore the world of 19th-century American mourning fashions for men, women, and children. How did we participate in the public institution of mourning, and what did we wear to honor and remember the dead?  How did the American Rural Cemetery Movement contribute to the cult of mourning, and how do we mourn today?  This talk features images from the latest exhibition at Genesee Country Village & Museum, “Everybody’s Going to be There! The American Rural Cemetery Movement” on view through November, 2025.

Brandon W. Brooks works as curator of the John L. Wehle Gallery at Genesee Country Village & Museum. Serving in this role since 2020, Brandon has the pleasure of curating over 400 years of European and American sporting and wildlife art, as well as over 300 years of fashion and textile history. In addition to curation, Brandon creates and hosts innovative programming and speaking events at the Gallery itself as well as at annual conferences, often related to fashion, textile, or art history. Brandon’s current role also involves managing a small staff of gallery docents, collaboration between sister museums and historical institutions across the State of New York, serving as a peer leader on the DEAI (diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion) committee, and the creation and expansion of a free, publicly-accessible historic pattern database, reverse-engineered from historic extant originals. Outside of Genesee Country Village & Museum, Brandon serves a board member for Rochester’s Rainbow Union (formally Out Alliance), as well as for the1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum. Brooks has also worked in the mental health counselling field for over ten years working with DePaul Community Services. Brandon received his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Adelphi University’s Honors College program.

All proceeds benefit the Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation. Seating is limited and registration is required.

Address: Forest Lawn Cemetery, 1990 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14208

Event Location: This event takes place at the Margaret L. Wendt Center located at the address above. Ample parking and restrooms are available.
Questions: Please call us at (716) 427-0727 or email Amizetta Haj, Director of Community Engagement, at ahaj@forest-lawn.com.