Washington College Magazine
Visitors to the American Pictures Lecture Series at the Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture in DC can explore the Kogod Courtyard.
Anna Deavere Smith concludes the series on May 10 with a discussion of a photograph by Ruth Orkin.
Smithsonian, WC Host American Pictures Series
To commemorate the 225th anniversary of the College's founding, several departments have created distinctive new programs that would showcase the institution, uphold its tradition of innovation in the liberal arts, and enhance the undergraduate experience for years to come. The American Pictures Distinguished Lecture Series is one of several anniversary signature events that promises to enhance the school's national visibility.
Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, and Donald McColl, associate professor of art, hatched the idea for a lecture series that would pair great works of art with leading figures of contemporary American culture. The series would take place in the nation's capital, through a partnership among Washington College, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Each American Pictures lecture features an eminent writer, thinker, historian or artist who unravels the meaning behind a single, powerful image. In the process, he or she also explores how works of art reflect American identity or provide a window into our shared history. Most importantly, the series reveals how artworks inspire creative minds in many different fields.
"The most exciting thing for me," notes Goodheart, "is that we are not just asking these speakers to deliver the usual pre-canned talk. We are, in effect, commissioning a brand-new work from each of them."
The inaugural series features novelist Allan Gurganus on March 8, performance artist Laurie Anderson on March 15, author Garry Wills on April 26 and actress/playwright Anna Deavere Smith on May 1.
For students, this is an opportunity to enjoy a day in the city, tour the museums and listen to great intellectuals and artists of our day talk about art.
"At a time when images pervade our lives in ways difficult to imagine even a decade ago, and leading colleges and universities are rethinking their curricula in terms of visual as well as written 'literacy,' a series like American Pictures is especially valuable," says McColl. "We in the Department of Art and Art History are pleased to strengthen our longstanding partnership with the Starr Center, even as we embark on an exciting new relationship with both the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the extraordinary speakers involved."
For a full listing of American Series lectures, visit starrcenter.washcoll.edu.
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