General

 A Collectors Guide to Prints

Dr. Rosemary Smith, Art Historian

This lecture provides a brief history of the development of several widely used printmaking techniques and a detailed explanation of each process. A more thorough understanding of just how complex and difficult printmaking is allows the audience to appreciate more fully this often-underestimated form of art.

Bare Essentials: the Representation of the Nude Form in Art History   New 

Alison Frew, Fine Arts Research Assistant, VMFA Library

Paintings of women lounging on couches casually undressed, statues of men standing tall and strong in nothing but sandals – why have artists chosen to display people this way? Since ancient Greece, concentrating on the nude form has remained an important tradition in artistic training and in artistic production. This lecture will provide a history of the nude in art while exploring the American and European artists who have kept this tradition alive since 1800. 

 Careers in Art   New  

 Jessica Bauserman, Youth and Family Programs Event Coordinator, VMFA

Identify various careers in the art world. Achieve a better understanding of a specific profession’s job duties. Learn the necessary academic paths and experience needed to earn a career of your interest. Get a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of the inner workings of a fine arts museum.

(This lecture is intended for high school and college level participants)
 

 Collecting Photography for Beginners   New 

 Frank Saunders, Photographer, Instructor, and Studio School Administrative Assistant, VMFA

Photography is one of the most popular art forms today making it easy and rewarding to collect. Learn about the various formats of photography and how to source photographs for your own collection. The speaker will bring examples from his own collection to share, give you tips on how the photo market works, and discuss methods of caring and displaying photographs. Whether you spend a few dollars, or a million, there are photographs waiting to be found that can beautify your home.
 

 Faking it – a Look at the History of Art Forgery

 Dr. Donald Schrader, Adjunct Professor of Art History, Mary Washington University

The motives behind forging art are simple. Art objects are often worth a great deal of money, and those who want to buy them can’t always recognize the difference between an original and an imitation. Some of the most interesting and outrageous episodes in the history of collecting art have been instigated by forgers and their victims. This lecture outlines forgery from ancient Rome until modern times. Recounted are scandals involving artists as famous as Michelangelo, and stories of forgers who bested some of the great collectors and museums of modern times.

 Reclaimed: Nazi Looted Art

 Karen Daly, Senior Assistant Registrar and Administrator of Provenance Research, VMFA

Issues of looted art and restitution, particularly of art misappropriated during the Nazi-era, continue to be very prevalent topics in art news coverage and remain important concerns for museums worldwide. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Karen Daly provides an overview of what the Museum has worked towards in the area of Nazi-era provenance research, as well as a discussion of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts experiences in resolving two Nazi-era restitution claims.

 Stranger than Fiction: Great Art Heists in History

 Anne Kenny-Urban, Budget Services Manager, VMFA

Discover what Japanese gangsters, bear spray and daring boat getaways have in common with noteworthy art thefts. In this lecture, you will travel the globe learning why museums from Amsterdam to Zimbabwe have been targets for thieves and what tools they used to elude detection. Find out who got caught…and who did not

 The Ever Changing Figure   New

 Rachel Sawan White, Art and Design Faculty, Orchard House School

Explore the use of the figure throughout various movements of art. Concentrating on art from Impressionism, Expressionism, Realism and other movements, we will take an in-depth look at the treatment of the figure, its meaning, and shifting roles in art. Artists and art lovers alike will enjoy this approach to a survey of art history.

 What a Relief: How Prints are Made   New

 Mary Holland, Thomas C. Gordon Jr. Director of the VMFA Studio School

Join artist and the Thomas C. Gordon Jr. Director of the VMFA Studio School Mary Holland as she shares examples of original relief prints from her extensive print collection. She will also show the step-by-step process of image design, transfer, carving the plate, inking the plate, and printing. The history of relief prints, the oldest method of the printmaking processes, will be covered. This is a great lecture/demonstration for students, artists, and people who want to learn more about how art is created.

Enrollment limit: 20

 Worth the White

 Margaret Hancock, Art and Design Educator 

The color white remains a significant, yet often overlooked, color in art. White serves to highlight, delineate, enhance, and emphasize within a multitude of mediums. This visual presentation examines the invaluable use of white in a variety of works – from quilts to Rothko.