SUMMIT — Although the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is perhaps best known for its studio facilities and art classes and workshops, there are also many opportunities to learn about contemporary art.
The Lifelong Learning Series is an ideal class for art enthusiasts to investigate the intersection among the visual arts, society and culture. Each semester this five-week class is led by a different noted scholar or professional. This winter Montclair State University’s Tiger Roholt, assistant professor of philosophy, will examine how five leading European philosophers looked at art.
“I look forward to explaining the core claims about art put forward by a handful of seminal European philosophers, and even more, to hearing what students think about these striking and unusual theories of art. These views are eye-opening and will provide ample grist for thinking differently about art,” notes Roholt.
“Lifelong Learning Series: European Philosophers on Art” will be held on Tuesdays from 7:30-9 p.m., Feb. 7-March 6. The cost is $170 ($140 for members). To register, call 1-908-273-9121 or go online at www.artcenternj.org.
Now in its fifth season, the Thursday Evening Salon Series is another way to explore how contemporary art is related to other disciplines such as film, drama and literature. Held in an informal setting within our galleries, The Salon Series enables guests to enjoy a soft drink or wine while discussing current topics in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
It is not necessary to know anything about art to attend the lectures. All programs are held in the Main Gallery at the Art Center from 7:30- 9 p.m. and are free to the public. Call 1-908-273-9121 or go online at www.artcenternj.org to make your reservations as seating is limited for each event.
2012 Thursday Evening Salon Series Schedule:
Jan. 12: Prison Art/Public Culture
Presented by Nicole Fleetwood, Associate Professor of American Studies, Rutgers University
Jan. 26: Fashioning the Grotesque Body
Presented by Francesca Granata, Assistant Professor of Fashion Studies, School of Art and Design History and Theory, Parsons The New School for Design
Feb. 9: A Tale of Two Louies: Interpreting an Archetypal American Musical Icon
Presented by Christopher Doll, Professor of Composition and Theory, Rutgers University
Feb. 23: Encounters with Beauty through Poetry
Presented by Lynne McEniry, Academic Affairs Division Coordinator, College of Saint Elizabeth
March 8: The Duke and the Tiger
Presented by Dan Morgenstern, Former Director, Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University
March 22: The Body and Psyche in Modern and Contemporary Art
Presented by Anne Swartz, Professor of Art History, Savannah College of Art and Design
April 5: Dreads: A Photo History of Dreadlocks
Presented by Francesco Mastalia, Internationally Published Documentary Photographer
April 26: Hope and Resiliency in Film
Presented by Laura Winters, Professor of English, College of St. Elizabeth
May 3:You Gotta Have Good Design…
Presented by Mark Hoebee, Artistic Director, Paper Mill Playhouse
May 17: Artist/Curator Dialogue
Presented by Mary Birmingham, Curator and John Goodyear, Spring/Summer solo exhibiting artist
