The Sheppy Dog Fund Lecture

A Discovery of Witchcraft

Witches, Witch-Hunting and Magical Practice in Early Modern Europe

October 28  •  6:00p  •  Online @ flintarts.org 

Guest Lecturer: Dr. Justin Sledge 

Free and open to the public.

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. From colonial North and South America, to Iceland, through western and central Europe, to the gates of Moscow, the witch trials of this period are marked by their historical, cultural, and religious complexity. What precipitated this continent-wide outbreak of violence? What did a witch-trial look like? How did called “witch-hunters” operate? Did witches even exist? How were these trials depicted in early printing? What did sorcery and magical practice actually look like in the medieval and early-modern European context? Join Dr. Justin Sledge as we explore these questions to better discover witchcraft together.

Past Exhibition Lectures

Black Matters – Q & A 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.

Past Sheppy Dog Fund Lectures

Irish Folk Tales and Halloween Legends Lecture Date: October 23, 2019 Storyteller: Mark Ó Géaráin  Irish Storyteller Mark Ó Géaráin presents the origins of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) through shadowy, twisted stories marking the beginning of the dark half of the year.

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel… 507 Years Lecture Date: April 9, 2019  Guest Lecturer: Dr. William E. Wallace  Professor Wallace, a world authority on Michelangelo, will illuminate this masterpiece and help you see it with fresh eyes.

Sublime Transmutation: The Art and Science of Alchemy Lecture Date: March 13, 2019 Guest Lecturer: Dr. Justin Sledge  Justin Sledge's presentation is grounded in the history of alchemical art and symbolism. The topic will appeal to everyone from Harry Potter fans, to those interested in the history of science, as well as people interested in the esoteric/occult mysteries of spiritual transmutation.

Unveiling Ancient Beauty: The Hidden Art of Restoration in the Vatican Museums Lecture Date: November 27, 2018 Guest Lecturer: Fr. Kevin Lixey The International Director of the Patron of the Arts in the Vatican Museums will offer an inside view to the fascinating world of art restoration that is carried out on a daily basis in the Vatican Museum’s six on-site restoration laboratories.

Piecing Together the Past: A Curatorial View of Mosaics in Israel Lecture Date: November 14 Guest Lecturer: Tracee J. Glab In Piecing Together the Past, FIA Curator Tracee Glab offers a unique perspective on mosaics she visited during a recent trip to Israel.

Rembrandt’s Representations of Biblical Scenes Lecture Date: August 8, 2018 Guest Lecturer: Dr. Shelley Perlove Dr. Shelley Perlove offers special insights into the trials, passions, temptations, and tragic losses endured by Rembrandt's biblical figures, who were heroic and bigger than life, yet also eminently human and flawed.

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.

Past Bray Lectures

African Art Making and Use and Western Collectors Lecture Date: March 2, 2019 Guest Lecturer: Nii O. Quarcoopome, Ph.D. This illustrated lecture reflects on the complexities in African art’s creation and use, to its ultimate commodification in the West.