Men Laid Bare
Homosexual Bodies and Homophobic History
June 23, 2021 • 6p
Guest Curator Eric Birkle
Free and open to the public.
This talk takes as its premise the double entendre of the phrase “to lay bare,” which is used to refer at once to the archetype of the nude in art history (or the idea of bodily exposure) and to reveal the extent to which homosexual subject matter and gay artists of the last century have been repressed and trivialized. It examines a selection of the works on view in Political and Personal: Images of Gay Identity, as well as works by several other artists in order to establish a context for conversations about where “gay art” has been, where it’s headed, and what it has always endured.
Eric Birkle hails from Lapeer, Michigan, USA, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Art History, Visual Culture, and Curatorial Practice at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He obtained a B.A. in French & Art from Saginaw Valley State University in 2015, and an M.A. in Art History & Museum Studies from Ohio University in 2019. From 2014 to 2017, he held several positions at the Saginaw Art Museum, culminating with Associate Curator. Birkle curated this exhibition in the summer of 2018 as part of a Curatorial Internship Program grant awarded to the FIA by the IFPDA Foundation.
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To view the lecture or participate in the live Q & A with EricBirkle via Zoom, click here to register.
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The Greatest Bible Ever Written
Kennicott no. 1, La Coruña, Spain, 1476
July 14 • Online @ 6:00 pm
Guest Lecturer Dr. Gary Rendsburg
Hosted by FIA Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Tracee Glab
Free and open to the public.
The Kennicott Bible is the crown jewel of all medieval Hebrew manuscripts, expertly written by a skillful scribe and beautifully illuminated by an ingenious artist. What makes the manuscript even more remarkable is the fact that it was written in 1476, just 16 years prior to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, in the wake of the Alhambra Decree of Ferdinand and Isabella. In addition, printing (movable type) had just been invented, and in fact, the Hebrew font was created just a few years earlier, sometime between 1470 and 1475, in northern Italy (though such technology had not yet reached Spain). Prof. Rendsburg will present a general background of Hebrew Bible manuscripts from before the age of printing and then will focus on the Kennicott Bible, its layout, format, biblical text, and beautiful illuminations.
Gary A. Rendsburg serves as the Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History in the Department of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University. His Ph.D. and M.A. are from N.Y.U. Prof. Rendsburg is the author of seven books and about 190 articles; his most recent book is How the Bible Is Written.
How do I view the lecture?
To view the lecture or participate in the live Q & A with Dr. Lindsay Cook via Zoom, click here to register.
To watch live via YouTube, click here.
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Media Sponsor
The Sheppy Dog Fund Lecture has been established to address the topics of art, religion, and history prior to the 19th century, and is funded by the Sheppy Dog Fund, Dr. Alan Klein, Advisor.
Sheppy Dog Fund Lectures
| 2020/2021 | |
|---|---|
Notre-Dame of Paris: In the Light of the Fire Guest Lecturer Dr. Lindsay Cook Hosted by FIA Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Tracee Glab In this illustrated talk, Dr. Lindsay S. Cook discusses the past, present, and likely future of the cathedral of Paris through its material remains, graphic traces, and digital doubles—including the laser scans produced of the building before and after the fire. | |
To the House Without Exit Part Two: The Flowering of the Afterlife Guest Lecturer: Dr. Justin Sledge Dr. Sledge’s second lecture focuses on the flowering of the afterlife in the centuries forged by early Christianity, rabbinical Judaism, and Islam. Here the concept of heaven and hell is simultaneously organized yet continues to shift and evolve. | To the House Without Exit Part One: The Origins of the Afterlife Guest Lecturer: Dr. Justin Sledge Dr. Sledge introduces major historical moments and philosophical afterlife beliefs, exploring the early origins of the concept among the ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Canaanites/Israelites, Greeks, and Persians. Do all cultures develop similar afterlives? |
The Silk Road Made Visible: Asian Influence on Medieval European Art Guest Lecturer: Dr. Mark Cruse This presentation discusses the influence of Asian art and materials on the design, production, and collecting of art in Europe in the late Middle Ages. Dr. Cruse examines the presence of Asian objects in European collections, and the ways in which contact with the East transformed manuscript illumination, monumental painting, sculpture, and other artistic media in Europe. | Houdini Guest Lecturer: Dr. Taylor Hagood The immigrant son of a Hungarian rabbi, Harry Houdini remains the most famous magician and greatest escape artist the world has known. From his fabulous escapes to his mysterious death, Houdini's life is itself a kind of grand magic illusion filled with a multitude of secrets and still-unsolved mysteries. |
Medieval Matters: Curating the Middle Ages at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Guest Lecturer: Dr. C. Griffith Mann This talk will explore the history of these two collections, and consider a selection of outstanding works of art that bring the medieval period compellingly to life. | A Discovery of Witchcraft: Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Magical Practice in Early Modern Europe Guest Lecturer: Dr. Justin Sledge It has been argued that the “witch craze”—stretching from roughly the mid-15th to the mid-17th centuries and claiming the lives of over 50,000 people, overwhelmingly women—was the first concerted and thus truly pan-European cultural undertaking since the eclipse of the western Roman Empire. |
| The Sheppy Dog Fund Lecture has been established to address the topics of art, religion, and history prior to the 19th century, and is funded by The Sheppy Dog Fund, Dr. Alan Klein, Advisor. | For more Sheppy Dog Fund lectures, click here. |
Exhibition Lectures
| 2020 | |
|---|---|
Alexis Rockman – Artist Talk Guest Lecturer: Alexis Rockman Artist Alexis Rockman will talk about the making of The Great Lakes Cycle, from his initial research trip around the lakes to the making of the work. This talk will be followed by a q-and-a with Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Tracee Glab. | Black Matters – Q & A Guest Lecturer: Matthew Owen Wead Artist Matthew Owen Wead and Tracee Glab, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, discuss Wead's exhibition Black Matters, featuring woodblock prints based on real individuals killed by police officers or armed vigilantes. |
