Hire me to present an Art History Lecture at your next event.
Looking for an art historian to speak at your next event? I have 40+ years of public speaking about art history.
History of Public Art Lecture, Topsfield Town Library.
Garden paintings in the History of Art, Boxford Town Library.
What you will get when you hire me:
What I have learned from my many years of teaching art history is that we want to learn new things. We crave new information, an expansion of our understanding, and the respect an educator shows us as they share their hard-earned knowledge with us.
After graduating with an MFA in studio art in 1989, I taught my first art history lecture that same year. Realizing there was much more about the subject I wanted to learn, I earned a PhD in art education in 2000 and went on to become the chair of art education at Salem State University.
In 2012, I added architecture history to my lineup of historical research and teaching.
After 40+ years of teaching and researching art history, I am as enthusiastic as ever about this subject and love sharing my extensive knowledge with new audiences.
How long are your lectures?
Most lectures go for 60-70 minutes with a 15-20 question and answer session at the end.
How far will you travel for a lecture?
I will travel any distance. An additional fee of 2.00 per miles is required for travel over 40 miles from my Topsfield, MA. home. Most lectures are in the evening or on weekends.
What is your speaking fee for a lecture?
I charge a rate of 250.00 U.S. dollars for each lecture. Average audience numbers range from 25-200 people.
How do I contact you about giving a lecture to my organization?
Please take a moment to complete the enclosed contact form. I will contact you once I receive your inquiry.
A sampling of my Tabloid Art History Blog posts.
Watch my Art History videos on my YouTube Channel.
164. Did Adolf Loos’ Ornament and Crime kill the artist/architect relationship?
In his 1908 manifesto Ornament and Crime, Adolf Loos laments the use of ornament as a means of architectural decoration at the expense of simple lines and plain white walls-walls he associates with Zion, the holy city (reprinted in K. Smith, Introducing Architectural...
163. The picturesque comes to America, and George Washington gets in on the act
Thomas Gainsborough, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, c. 1750, oil on canvas, 69.8 x 119.4 cm (The National Gallery, London). George Washington arrives home to Mount Vernon, Virginia. Despite overthrowing the British Government in the Revolutionary War, early settlers such...
161. Ha-ha! The picturesque movement enters the 18th century.
By the 18th century, the picturesque movement had taken hold in England and Germany as people grew weary of the more rational ideas associated with the enlightenment. Picturesque inspired paintings, sculpture, and landscape design featured asymmetrical compositions,...
160. The Picturesque Movement gets its start with Ursula and 11,000 of her closest friends.
Claude Lorrain (1641). Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula. Oil On canvas, National Gallery, London. St. Ursula, a British princess (in yellow), who refuses to marry a pagan king, holds the flag with her emblem. She is returning to...
158. Massachusetts Cultural Council Award, 2020. Connecting the picturesque in England with the local landscape of Topsfield.
I am pleased to announce I will be offering a lecture in the Topsfield Town Library this coming spring in conjunction with my award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The focus of this year's lecture will be connecting the picturesque movement in England with...
151. Dear Claude Monet, you won’t believe what your painting just sold for!
Claude Monet is famous for painting many subjects, water lilies, cathedral facades, footbridges, and of course, hay stacks. It is his hay stack painting, Meules, that captured a huge sum of money at auction recently 110 million dollars to be exact. What makes these...
150. Chiaroscuro, River Road, and Caravaggio: a painterly connection.
Early morning, River Road, Topsfield. The light in this photo has a dramatic quality that reminds me of one of my favorite artists, Caravaggio. Caravaggio placed light colors against dark to create a dramatic effect in his work, known as chiaroscuro in Latin. The...
141. How does the Cult of Bacchus Fresco compare with Autumn, River Road proposal?
This stage like portion of the mural from the Cult of Bacchus fresco shows a young satyr being offered a bowl of wine by Silenus, companion to Bacchus, while behind him, another satyr holds up a frightening mask which the drinking satyr sees, along with his reflection...
135. Where did the phrase “that will cost you an arm and a leg” come from . . . ?
Historical fun fact: The phrase, “That will cost you an arm and a leg” came from art commissions that charged for additional the body parts. If you wanted more than your face in the painting, you had to paid for it. (below, (2014) Transitions, commissioned by the...
134. The sound of Falling Water: the relationship between the Kauffmann’s and Frank lloyd Wright
This essay looks at the relationship between the Kauffmann’s and Frank lloyd Wright, who built their famous house, known as Falling Water.
Testimonials
Hi Meg, thank you for intro to art in the gardens 101. It was fascinating and makes me want to learn more about the meanings of things found in paintings over the centuries.
Carol, President, North Shore Horticultural Society,
Outstanding! You are such a gifted speaker. Your knowledge, enthusiasm and sense of humor come through with every slide. I could have listened to you all night.
Jen, lecture attendee, Walker Hancock and the Monument’s Men lecture
Do you have an event that would benefit from an art history lecture? Contact me and let’s talk.
Email Us
Address
Topsfield, MA. Just north of Boston.
