The Durango Art Center’s annual winter lecture series will begin Thursday.
Now in its fourth year, the free series of one-hour lectures followed by discussion will take a new direction. Titled “Art in Context,” the six-part series will be interdisciplinary in nature and team-taught by Judith Reynolds and Katherine Burgess. The presenters will look at the history and ideas of five cultural periods: Ancient Greece and Rome, the Italian Renaissance, the Baroque and the modern era. Selected artworks will be chosen to illuminate the prevailing ideas of the time.
The DAC’s winter series started in 2014. Presented by Reynolds, art historian and Durango Herald arts journalist, the discussions consistently drew interested crowds, especially on issues such as protest art. Reynolds has taught art history as an adjunct at Fort Lewis College and at the State University of New York. She began the DAC project with “Art as a Matter of Life and Death” and continued with “A is for Art, B is for Bernini,” followed last winter by “Art Genres.”
This year, humanities scholar Burgess joins Reynolds in a more conversational format. Burgess holds a doctorate in the humanities and has taught history, literature and philosophy at the college level. She also spent 15 years abroad with the U.S. Foreign Service and currently owns a travel company, CTCVoyages.
Burgess and Reynolds will open with an introductory conversation about the difficulties defining and judging art. Thereafter, Burgess will begin each session with a historical summary underscored by key ideas and political trends. Reynolds will follow with case studies from the world of sculpture, painting and architecture.
“Our goal is to enrich everyone’s experience of major Western artworks by placing them in context,” Burgess said.
“And,” Reynolds added, “we plan to link deep historic trends to art in our area. We hope people will leave each presentation with new eyes.”
Burgess and Reynolds are donating their time as a gift to DAC. The series is made possible by generous donations from Bud and Jeani Poe and other DAC supporters.
For more information, visit www.durangoarts.org or call 259-2606.
If you go
What: ‘Art in Context,’ a free, six-part lecture series presented by Judith Reynolds and Katherine Burgess.
When: 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursdays beginning Feb. 16, (“Introduction: The Trouble with Art”), Feb. 23 (“The Golden Age of Greece”), March 2 (“The Roman Legacy”), March 9 (“Renaissance Rebirth”), March 23 (“Baroque Expansion”) and concluding Tuesday, March 28 (“The Modern Era”).
Where: Durango Arts Center, 802 East Second Ave.
More information: Call 259-2606 or visit www.durangoarts.org.
