Bray Lecture
Adults
Bray Series are made possible by the Viola E. Bray Charitable Trust.
Learn MoreThis presentation explores how photographic memory is central to the exploration of imaging the Black body by examining contemporary perspectives and historical representations in art and photography from the 19th century until now. Interweaving narratives on self-representation and desire, this lecture will deconstruct the gaze and contextualize the myriad portrayals of the Black body from cross-cultural encounters and artistic productions shaped by identity, racial politics, migration, beauty, and power.
Deborah Willis, Ph.D, is University Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and has an affiliated appointment with the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Social & Cultural Analysis, Africana Studies, where she teaches courses on Photography & Imaging, iconicity, and cultural histories visualizing the Black body, women, and gender.
Free and open to the public.
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. In this live online lecture, Professor Taylor Hagood unravels the twists and turns of Houdini’s career, reflects on Houdini’s place in American entertainment history, and explores the role of magic as Houdini promoted it in everyday life. Hagood will also discuss magic in Michigan, the site of Houdini’s death but also home to one of the greatest magicians to follow in Houdini’s footsteps and one of the top magic manufacturers in the world.
Taylor Hagood is Professor of American Literature at Florida Atlantic University. He is one of the world’s leading scholars on the writing of William Faulkner. In addition to his scholarship on Faulkner, he has published books and articles on African American women playwrights, Walt Whitman, and various topics in southern United States literature and culture. The child of a magician, Hagood is both a practitioner and historian of magic.
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.
To view the lecture or participate in the live Q & A with Dr. Hagood via Zoom, click here to register. To watch live via YouTube, click here.
Free and open to the public.
This presentation will discuss the influence of Asian art and materials on the design, production, and collecting of art in Europe in the late Middle Ages. Dr. Cruse will examine 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.
Mark Cruse is Associate Professor of French in the School of International Letters and Cultures at Arizona State University. His research focuses on the relationship between literature and visual culture in medieval Europe. His publications have examined the legend of Alexander the Great, manuscript illumination, heraldry, the Louvre, and medieval theater, among other subjects. He is currently writing a book on relations between France and Asia in the late Middle Ages.
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.
Check back soon for links to the lecture.
Image: French. A Knight of the d’Aluye Family, after 1248–by 1267. Limestone, 13 x 33 1/2 × 83 1/2 inches. The Cloisters Collection, 1925. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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![]() Lecture Date: September 16, 2020 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. |
![]() Lecture Date: August 19, 2020 Guest Lecturer: Matthew Owen Wead Artist Matthew Owen Wead and Tracee Glab, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, as they discuss Wead's exhibition Black Matters, featuring woodblock prints based on real individuals killed by police officers or armed vigilantes. |