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Assistant Professor of Religion Marc Epstein discusses works in the FLLAC collection. |
Artful Dodger Lecture Series
November marked this school year’s return of the Artful Dodger Lecture Series at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center (FLLAC). To be an “artful dodger” at the FLLAC does not mean to lead a gang of child criminals in a Dickens novel, but rather to duck out of the office to attend an informal lunchtime lecture. The talks are held in the galleries on Wednesdays at noon and feature a Vassar faculty member who is not an art historian. The featured professor discusses a work or group of works that he or she finds inspiring and shares personal experiences and interpretations that draw from that work.
The idea for the Artful Dodger came from the museum’s Anne Hendricks Bass Director James Mundy ’74, who listened to a BBC radio program called “Men of Mark” while he was living in London. The program hosted public figures (diplomats, authors without a formal background in music) who told their life stories through music. He and the Office College Relations adapted the idea for the setting of the FLLAC. “The goal is to have a professor from outside of the art department share their personal reflections of a work of art in the collection,” said Coordinator of Public Education and Information Nicole Roylance. “It is an opportunity to leave the formality of the classroom and see the collection and a member of the faculty in a new light.” Personal reactions and experiences with art are rarely vocalized in a gallery setting, so the lectures give listeners a chance to consider a new perspective on a work of art.
The Artful Dodger draws loyal campus employees, faculty, and students, and each professor draws his or her own fan base. This month’s series will be kicked off by Assistant Professor of Education Colette Cann on December 3.