A screen will replace the gallery and museum vitrines. The History of the Beer Can will not have a physical tour. It will be a virtual talk presented by The Field Library on Wednesday, March 25. The event, which will be streamed online through a library link, will begin at 7 p.m., will last one hour and will feature an expert addressing the historical weight of the beer can.
The focus is not the beverage. It is the container. The can as an industrial object, as a graphic surface, as a record. The presentation begins with a fixed point: 1935, when canned beer entered the United States market. From there, the narrative follows a sequence of technical adjustments, design decisions and shifts in consumption.
Organizers shared the invitation and noted that the talk takes place in the context of National Beer Day, which commemorates April 7, 1933, the date when the Cullen-Harrison Act allowed the sale of beer again after Prohibition. The event serves as a historical review ahead of that date.
The session will be presented by Kevin Logan, curator of the Beer Can Museum. His collection exceeds 5,000 items. It includes some of the earliest cans produced, along with later variations that document changes in materials, opening methods and distribution. Logan will address the challenges and innovations that made the canning of beer possible after 1933.
The presentation moves through early can formats. Cone-top cans, shaped similarly to a bottle, adapted to existing bottling lines. Flat-top cans followed, fully sealed and requiring an external opener. Later, the incorporation of opening mechanisms into the can itself removed that dependency and altered consumption practices.
Images sustain the presentation. Pieces from the museum archive will be shown: early commercial cans, uncommon models, collectible items, folk art and related objects. Cross references with visual culture also appear: artworks, television and film props, decorative objects and graphic variations. The artwork Still Life with Skull (2019) by Tom Sanford will also function as a visual element.
The talk will follow a standard format: presentation and a question-and-answer segment. To participate, prior registration is required at the link below. Organizers recommend joining the event on time and ensuring a stable internet connection. For more information, contact (914) 737-1212.
