Lectures and Gallery Talks

Gain new insight on the art and culture of Philadelphia with Woodmere’s engaging lectures and gallery talks. Hear from artists, art historians, professors, curators, and writers who offer new perspectives on the Museum’s collection, exhibitions, and related topics. 

Art Dive: Visits to Philadelphia Artist Studios
$30 ($25 members) per visit
Visit the studios of contemporary artists with art historian Jennifer Zarro, PhD. Studio visits and discussions with the artists will lead to a deeper appreciation and understanding of their art. Light refreshments will be served. 
Address and details will be provided upon registration. Contact Woodmere’s Education department at education@woodmereartmuseum.org or 215-247-0948.

Bill Scott 
Thursday, October 6, 2016, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
In conjunction with Arthur B. Carles and His Expanding Circle: An Exhibition in Honor of Frances M. Maguire
Bill Scott’s canvases radiate with color and luscious applications of paint. He began his career studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts but considers his longer periods of working informally with painters Jane Piper—a student of Arthur B. Carles—and Joan Mitchell to have been the pivotal influences on his art. Scott has exhibited widely, and his work is in many public and private collections. He is represented by Hollis Taggart Galleries in New York City.

Ron Tarver 
Thursday, November 3, 2016, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
In conjunction with A Million Faces: The Photography of John W. Mosley
Ron Tarver has had a distinguished career in photography. He was a staff photographer at the Philadelphia Inquirer for more than thirty years, and he shares its 2012 Pulitzer Prize for his work on a series documenting violence in the Philadelphia public school system. Tarver’s photography has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is included in many private, corporate, and museum collections. He currently teaches at Swarthmore University.

Harry Bertoia’s Monotypes and Plant Forms: A Daughter’s Reflections
Saturday, October 8, 2016, 1:00 p.m. 
$15 ($10 members) 
Lecturer: Celia Bertoia, director, Harry Bertoia Foundation

Celia Bertoia, daughter of Harry Bertoia, describes why her father valued the monotype process above any other. She shares childhood memories of the design and creation of Free Interpretation of Plant Forms and other personal anecdotes about her father.

Black Philadelphia and the Spirit of Unity: Art and Culture
Saturday, October 15, 2016, 3:00 p.m. 
$15 ($10 members) 
Lecturer: Diane D. Turner, PhD, curator, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, Temple University

The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection inherited a rich visual history from photojournalist John W. Mosley. Curator Diane D. Turner illustrates how Mosley’s images chronicle the spirit of both known and little-known individuals and art and cultural organizations and institutions. 

A Literary Lens on the Photography of John W. Mosley
Monday, October 17, 1:30 p.m. 
$15 ($10 members) 
Lecturer: Crystal J. Lucky, PhD, associate professor, Department of English, Villanova University

Crystal Lucky presents a literary lens through which to understand the imagery and social content of the work of John W. Mosley. She will focus on Ann Petry’s The Street (1946), an illuminating novel about urban life in the black community of the 1940s; and Ralph Ellison’s landmark novel, Invisible Man (1952), a searing exploration of race and identity.  

The Unbroken Circle: The Expressive Colors of Philadelphia Painters 
Saturday, November 12, 2016, 1:00 p.m. 
$15 ($10 members) 
Lecturer: Bill Scott, artist

Bill Scott shares insights about the teaching methods and inspiration of Arthur B. Carles, whose legacy has resonated with generations of past and present Philadelphia artists. Carles’s practice and philosophies about color, line, and the distortion of spatial relations were passed along by his students Jane Piper, Morris Blackburn, and Quita Brodhead, who all went on to teach classes at prominent art institutions or from their homes. Scott also discusses the parallel presence and convergence of ideas with the Albert C. Barnes Foundation, where many of Carles’s students also studied.

Charles L. Blockson on the Photographs of John W. Mosley
Sunday, January 15, 2017, 2:00 p.m. 
$15 ($10 members) 

Participants: Charles L. Blockson,  educator, historian, author, and founder of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, Temple University Libraries; Leslie Willis-Lowry, Archivist, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection; Deborah Willis, PhD., University Professor Chair, Department of Photography & Imaging, New York University - Tisch School of the Art

Join Charles L. Blockson for an informal discussion about the photographs of John W. Mosley and his life-long passion for collecting items that document the African-American experience and contributions  to history. Charles L. Blockson has created one of the nation's leading research facilities for the study of the history and culture of people of African descent. His enormous collection has materials on the global black experience including prints, photographs, slave narratives, manuscripts, letters, books, journals, newspapers, posters , taped interviews and radio programs, and rare ephemera.