April 10 - May 15, 2024

1-3 pm

Bower's Museum, Kershaw Auditorium

Lecturer: Kristin Mihaylovich

Cost: $195

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In this six-week session, Kristin Mihaylovich will discuss the forming of American identities through a multicultural lens on art. This series focuses on an inclusive view of lesser-known artists and media that address the very idea of what we consider to be American art. We will discuss how the past informs our present and how these visual representations surrounding identity are still with us today. Beginning with an examination of the early encounters between indigenous peoples and European colonial powers, she will explore how paintings, engravings, and other art forms demonstrate the merging of these various ethnic traditions. Native American artworks will also be discussed along with their subsequent presentation in European collections. Colonial America will be explored through the work of John Singleton Copley and Benjamin West with a focus on how such works helped to form modern day stereotypes as well as mainstream American identity. The Hudson River School and the impact of Manifest Destiny will highlight the contributions of female artists within the movement. Genre scenes and images of the West will be contrasted with work produced by 19th century Native Americans. The series concludes with an examination of race and representation in the 19th century works by artists such as Winslow Homer and Henry Ossawa Tanner.