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All upcoming Seminars

All upcoming Seminars

Programs 1 to 8 of 8
Saturday, November 16, 2024 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET

The Arts and Crafts Movement was a dominant influence in visual and decorative arts and architecture in the decades leading up to and after the turn of the 20th century, offering an artistic and philosophical reaction to the florid, overdecorated, and industrialized designs of the high-Victorian era. Art historian Bonita Billman explores the rich flowering of the movement in Britain and America, as well as its enduring legacy. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)


Tuesday, November 19, 2024 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET

Frederic Church, America’s preeminent landscape artist of the 19th century, spent 40 years creating Olana in Hudson, New York, a 250-acre designed landscape in which his family residence and farm were sited and whose panoramic views of the Hudson River Valley and Catskills are integral elements. Carolyn Keogh, director of education and public programs at the Olana Partnership, leads a detailed exploration of the life, career, and inspirations that motivated Church to create this masterwork. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Saturday, December 7, 2024 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET

Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude consistently makes the lists of the “best novels of the 20th century.” With Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, explore the novel’s depiction of the colonial experience, its use of magical realism, the role of the supernatural in the narrative, and the qualities that give the book’s language its beauty and inventiveness.


Saturday, January 11, 2025 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET

Art historian Sophia D’Addio of Columbia University follows up her 2023 exploration of Italian cathedrals and basilicas in several major cities by going off the beaten path. In a splendidly illustrated full-day seminar, she focuses on four sites of great importance located in the regions of Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, and Le Marche: the churches of Assisi, Orvieto, Parma, and Loreto, which represent some of Italy’s greatest repositories of sacred art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)


Saturday, January 25, 2025 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET

Henry James’ The Portrait of a Lady from 1880–81 is considered one of the greatest works in American literature, though its American-born author, Henry James, lived for long stretches in Europe, particularly England. Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, examines James’ gorgeous use of language, his profound understanding of human psychology, and his keen insights into differences in national and cultural traditions.


Saturday, January 25, 2025 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET

Florence and Venice were both rich, confident, and magnificently beautiful cities—powerhouses of Renaissance creativity. Yet they were vastly different in their character and artistic, intellectual, and political aspirations. Art historian Nigel McGilchrist explores the tale of these two cities and the artists they nurtured, in particular the contrasting geniuses of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Titian. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)


Saturday, February 1, 2025 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET

Ever since its origins in an ancient civilization along the Indus River, the complex culture of South Asia has given rise to some of the world’s most remarkable artistic creations. Robert DeCaroli, professor in the department of history and art history at George Mason University, highlights the artistic traditions and historical changes in the Indian subcontinent from the earliest archaeological evidence to the onset of colonialism. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)


Saturday, February 8, 2025 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET

Were all of Egypt’s kings and queens guided by the divine wisdom and justice that their devoted subjects believed them to possess? Not quite, especially when their reigns were marked by civil wars, a pyramid complex, mass graves of forced laborers, and political sabotage by PR offensive. Egyptologist Jacquelyn Williamson draws from the most recent archaeological evidence to examine four of Egypt’s most influential rulers and the impact­—and darker sides—of their reigns.