Love in the art of the ancient régime (or Love in the Art of 18th Century France)

Soon after ascending the throne at age 13, King Louis XV of France decided to abandon governance in favor of a life of sensual pleasures, to be enjoyed with his wife, mistresses official and unofficial, and countless encounters with young adventuresses brought to him from many parts of his country.  The formalities and complexities of…

Request Program

Passion and Violence in a Most Unassuming Art: The Wonders of Greek Vase Painting

We see Greek vases standing in quiet dignity in museum galleries, their lovely shapes designed for service and display.  But more than any other art form, the decorations on them give us a most vivid insight into the lives and character of the ancient Greeks.  Painted with the greatest artistry, often by artists who signed…

Request Program

From Photographs to Fabric Patterns

Biology, art and activism merge in this presentation.  Dawn Flores, Creative Director for The Forest Project, tells the story of how she collaborated with other artists to document a 60-acre urban forest clear-cut for development.  Dawn has created over 1,000 fabric patterns from photographs she took, of the now clear-cut property, and works with quiltmakers…

Request Program

Depictions of the American Landscape

Although activists often pinpoint its genesis in the 1960s, the environmental movement in the United States has roots in 19th-century American landscape painting. Beginning with the Hudson River School, artists, predominately painters, have depicted the environment as an allusion to such disparate ideologies as manifest destiny, environmental concerns, gendered places, or literary devices. Looking at…

Request Program

Sally Mann’s Photographs

A nearly lifelong resident of Rockbridge County, Virginia, photographer and writer Sally Mann developed her first photograph in April 1969. During the 1970s, Mann took photographs of women, the Virginia countryside, still lives, and nudes. In 1983, Mann turned her camera almost exclusively to adolescent girls and then began taking photographs of her own children in…

Request Program

The Agecroft Story

Come hear the extraordinary story of how Agecroft Hall moved from Lancashire, England to Richmond, Virginia! Agecroft Hall started life as a rural estate in the 16th century, but several hundred years later, the Industrial Revolution was rapidly encroaching on the bucolic manor.  Learn why T.C. Williams, Jr. chose the house to become the centerpiece of…

Request Program

Modern Art: Native American Style

Mid-century modern art is exemplified by an abstract aesthetic that emphasizes the materiality of the work. Numerous Native American artists, such as Kay Walkingstick, engaged with the rhetoric surrounding modern art but their self-identity as a Native American has overshadowed their contribution to modern art. This talk will examine the way mid-century Native American modern…

Request Program