Featured Events in Forbes in May, 2025 (August Updated)

We are happy to welcome local author Jonathan Auxier back to our store to talk about the third installment in his Vanished Kingdom series, The War of the Maps. This is a popular middle grade series, but people of all ages are welcome! Please RSVP one ticket for each person in attendance. Following the author talk, we will have a time for Q&A with the audience followed by book signing. Want to pre-order your copy of the book? You can do so here. About the book: This epic middle-grade adventure—companion to Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes and Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard—will take readers to the very ends of the earth . . . and beyond. From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Night Gardener and Sweep. The War of the Maps is a breathtaking fantasy in the vein of His Dark Materials and The Last Battle that dares to give new answers to age-old questions—inviting readers of all ages to sail beyond the edges of the map into a world of magic, myth, and boundless adventure. Since time before time, two opposing forces have been locked in an endless battle: It is the war between magic and reason—between what if and what is. And the victor will not just shape the future but the very nature of reality. Peter Nimble and Sophie Quire have spent the last four years fighting to protect a world of magic from the insidious, unstoppable forces of “progress.” But, every day, the wonders that once surrounded them are vanishing. Lurking behind this transformation is a mysterious group called The League of Maps that seems to hold the answers. As Peter and Sophie fight to untangle this mystery, they find themselves thrown into opposing sides of a vast war that stretches from the very beginning of humanity and into our present age. About the author: JonathanAuxier is the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author of The Vanished Kingdom series, The Night Gardener, Sweep, and The Fabled Stables series. He lives with his family in Pittsburgh, PA. Information Source: Riverstone Books | eventbrite

Dr Chelsea Lehmann is the interim Head of Drawing at the National Art School. Join her ‘in conversation’ with NAS curator Lucy Latella and exhibition finalists for a discussion surrounding the artists’ practices and the nature of drawing in contemporary art. Image credit: Toshiko Oiyama, Far Ago Sea II, 2024, ink and graphite on paper, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Louis Taurian Information Source: National Art School | eventbrite

Dr Ben Denham is a Drawing Lecturer at the National Art School and is a sound and installation artist working with expanded practices across kinetics, robotics and synthesizers. Join him for an ‘in conversation’ with selected exhibition finalists for a discussion posed by the questions of ‘What can drawing be?’ and the expanded field of drawing in contemporary art. Image credit: Shonah Trescott, Red Gold, 2024, installation view, Red Gold, Maitland Regional Gallery, 2024, red cedar (Toona ciliata) tree seeds, image courtesy the artist and Cassandra Bird, Sydney © the artist, photograph: Osvaldo Budet Information Source: National Art School | eventbrite

Hear from art historian and NAS Undergraduate Coordinator Dr Lorraine Kypiotis and discover more about the extraordinary life and work of Sir William Dobell. Image credit: Panel judging works for CRTS exhibition in Hyde Park, including Douglas Dundas, Hal Missingham, Bill Dobell and Wallace Thornton, National Art School, 1949, photograph: Robert Mitchell. Information Source: National Art School | eventbrite

Hear from art historian and NAS Undergraduate Coordinator Lorraine Kypiotis and discover more about the extraordinary life and work of Sir William Dobell. Image credit: Panel judging works for CRTS exhibition in Hyde Park, including Douglas Dundas, Hal Missingham, Bill Dobell and Wallace Thornton, National Art School, 1949, photograph: Robert Mitchell. Information Source: National Art School | eventbrite