CFI

Art, Society and the Millennium: The Future of Public Art

What is the social value of art? Should some art be publicly funded? How should publicly-funded art be chosen? These questions and more will be considered when the Center for Free Inquiry presents: Art, Society and the Millennium: The Future of Public Art November 1-3, 1999 (plus Earl Robinson a film by B. J. Bullert will be shown on October 28 at 7:00 p.m. in Classic 102.)

All civilizations are judged by their art. Classical Greece and Renaissance Italy live on in our imagination because of their extraordinarily rich artistic legacies. Art in these times played a vibrant role in people's lives, adorning public places and ceremonies, and expressing common convictions about society and God. Art was a sacrament, allowing the individual to partake of a wider world of meaning.

Times have changed. The role of art in the modern post-industrial world is not so clear. We have become used to seeing art as the expression of an individual, rather than a collective, consciousness. Society's embrace of cultural pluralism raises questions about the very possibility of a common artistic vision akin to that of earlier ages.

The coming of a new millennium offers a useful vantage point from which to explore the future of public art in America. We will address the question of whether or not a genuinely "public" art is possible in the United States. We will also examine the related issue of public funding for the arts. The approach will be interdisciplinary, drawing upon insights from across the liberal arts.

Art and Society: Opening Conversation
at The Speed Art Museum

September 22, 1999
5:30 p.m.

John Martin, Ph.D. An assistant Professor of Art History at Hanover College, Martin's specialty is 19th-century art. His art classes cover a spectrum of European art from ancient to contemporary as well as American and Asian art. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Louisville and is currently Curator of an exhibit entitled: The Ties that Bind: The Plight of Women in Victorian England at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. His talk this evening is entitled: "Burne-Jones's Legend of St. George."

Jay Kloner, Ph.D. A Professor of Art History, Kloner joined the faculty of the University of Louisville in the late 1960's after earning a Ph.D in art history from Columbia University in 1968. His research centers around Modern and Contemporary Art. His talk this evening is: "The Albert Memorial, London."

In addition to Chair of the Art Department at Hanover College, John Martin is also the Curator of The Ties That Bind: The Plight of Woman in Victorian England, an exhibition that highlights two early works by Edward Burne-Jones (June 15 - December 12, 1999). The two paintings, from the collection of Hanover College and currently on tour, were recently featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as part of a retrospective of Burne-Jones' work. Jay Kloner is professor of fine arts at the University of Louisville.

"The Petition to the King" and "Princess Sabra Drawing the Lot"

These two paintings are the second and third in a seven-scene series on The Legend of St. George and the Dragon by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and were gifts to Hanover College in 1939 from William Henry Donner. They are currently on loan to the Speed Art Museum. Burne-Jones is considered by most historians to be one of England's finest artists of the last quarter of the nineteenth century. As a youth he was a member of the Pre-Raphaelites, artists who used a naturalistic style to promote moralistic themes. The St. George series is among Burne-Jones's first works in oil, his earlier creations consisted largely of water color paintings and pen-and-ink drawings.

Special Showing: Earl Robinson: Ballad of an American (1994)
Produced and Directed by B. J. Bullert
Thursday, October 28, 1999 - 7:00 p.m. in Classic 102.

EARL ROBINSON: BALLAD OF AN AMERICAN, tells the story of singer, songwriter, and American-activist, Earl Robinson's musical career which spanned six decades. From the early 1930's union organization period through the New Deal, WWII, Vietnam, peace/love, and, finally New Age, Robinson composed music to inspire the people in their efforts to bring about change in America. B.J. Bullert's documentary film about his life draws the audience into the turmoil of the times and of the man himself.

Participants

B.J. Bullert brings the perspective of an independent filmmaker to the question of public art. Her film credits include: Earl Robinson, and God and Plenty. In addition to being Assistant Professor of Communications at American University in Washington D.C., Professor Bullert is currently a fellow at The Joan Shorenstein Center, at Harvard. Her book, Public Television: Politics and the Battle over Documentary Film takes the reader inside the world of PBS programming and its relationship to government funding and corporate sponsorship. Her current film project is entitled Chief Seattle. The title of her formal presentation is: Art and Outrage: The 'Sensation' Controversy at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. (Familiarize yourself with the controversy.)

Hilton Kramer is the Editor of The New Criterion. In addition to a distinguished career as an art critic in The New York Observer and on PBS television, he is the author of such books as Twilight of the Intellectuals: Culture and Politics in the Era of the Cold War and Against the Grain: The New Criterion on Art and Intellect at the End of the Twentieth Century (Editor). The title of his formal presentation is: Public Art in a Divided Society.

Alice Goldfarb Marquis is a visiting scholar in history at the University of California, San Diego. She is a cultural historian whose works include: Hopes and Ashes and The Art Biz. Her book, Art Lessons: Learning from the Rise and Fall of Public Arts Funding has been called "a fresh look at how Americans fund the arts and why." Art Lessons goes beyond identifying the failures of the present system, and offers a plan for fixing it. Her current project is entitled: Marcel Duchamp: Pied Piper of the Avant Garde. The title for her formal presentation is: The Fine Art of Funding the Arts.

Jed Perl is the art editor and columnist for The New Republic. In addition to his work as an art critic and commentator, Mr. Perl is the author of numerous books, including Gallery Going: Four Seasons in the Art World and Paris Without End: On French Art Since World War I. The title of his formal presentation is: Private Acts in Public Places.

Schedule

Monday 11/1/99

11:00 a.m. - Roundtable - CC Board Rm - Open Discussion
4:00 p.m. - Alice Marquis - Horner 102 The Fine Art of Funding the Arts
7:30 p.m. - Hilton Kramer - CFA Recital Hall Public Art in a Divided Society.
(Reception following lecture)

Tuesday 11/2/99

11:00 a.m. - Roundtable - CC Board Rm - Open Discussion
4:00 p.m. - B. J. Bullert - Horner 102 Art and Outrage: The 'Sensation' Controversy at the Brooklyn Museum of Art
7:30 p.m. - Jed Perl - Private Acts in Public Places - CFA Recital Hall (Reception following lecture)

Wednesday 11/3/99

11:00 a.m. - Roundtable - CC Board Rm - Open Discussion
12:00 p.m. - Symposium Ends

To request a brochure or for more information about the Center for Free Inquiry, contact us at cfi@hanover.edu or call at (812) 866-6848.