Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia
February 24, 6 PM EST
From elaborate table settings that included spoons specifically used for certain jellies to the 20th-century invention of the TV dinner, it is safe to say that the way we dine in the Western world has changed drastically. The Chrysler Museum of Art is hosting a virtual program, The Post-Revolution Evolution of Dining in America and Great Britain, during which Colonial Williamsburg’s senior curator of metals Janine Skerry will take attendees on a journey through time that traces the evolution from “service à la Française” to “service à la Russe”. The event, which is free to all, must be accessed through a Zoom link which you can sign up to receive in your email inbox here.
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
February 26, 1–2 PM
As Black History Month comes to a close, we can celebrate from the comfort of home through the NGA virtual event The Art of Looking: Archibald John Motley Jr.’s Portrait of My Grandmother. The NGA program series The Art of Looking encourages engagement with art through collaborative sessions led by gallery educators. This particular session focuses on a piece by the modernist painter Archibald Motley, one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance. The event is free however, you must register in advance. You can find the registration here.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
This season MFA, Boston is hosting an exhibition entitled Cézanne: In and Out of Time. The exhibition highlights not only 12 of Cézanne’s works but also features the works of other artists who were his contemporaries, such as Degas and Renoir. In conversation with these other artists, Cézanne’s work shines through to reveal what sets him apart. As noted by James Gardner in his article Cézanne Reconsidered, the artist’s work merits contemplation. Sadly, however, it has come time for us all to say goodbye to the show this week. In order to see the exhibition before it closes on the 28th, check here to reserve your tickets.
Homewood Museum, Baltimore, Maryland
March 1, 12–1 PM EST
The new Netflix series Bridgerton has taken the public by storm since its release early this year, but the question remains: just how historically accurate are the dazzling costumes and ornate ballrooms? This is whats Michelle Fitzgerald, curator at the Johns Hopkins University Museums, seeks to explore in an upcoming event hosted by Homewood Museum. The lecture, Regency Aesthetics: The Costumes, Locations, and Décor of Bridgerton will discuss the material culture of the early nineteenth-century. Make sure to join Fitzgerald in her exploration, for free! Check here in order to register in advance.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania
March 3, 5:30–6:30 pm EST
After the emergence of photography, portraiture became an artistic form less about depicting physical fact than about exploring life’s deeper meanings. The exhibition Painting Identity highlights the work of fifteen American artists – including Edith Neff and Jacob Lawrence – and how each of them used portraiture to frame their perceptions of the world and the people in it and experiment with style and technique. If you’re unable to make it to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in person, the museum is hosting an online event entitled The Modern Portrait. Curator Jessica T. Smith and associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw discuss the themes of this exhibition and enrich the dialogue that has been set up. The talk is free (yay!) but please make sure to register beforehand here.
