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.
132. Terra Cotta Army at the Virginia Museum of Art, Richmond.
What a thrill to see members of the Terra Cotta Army at the Virginia Museum of Art last week. I had no idea they were on exhibition-made my trip to Virginia and DC all the more memorable.
129. A Walk through Walden Woods in search of Thoreau’s Cabin.
I spent last Saturday walking through Walden Woods in search of inspiration for my #caredimenisons commission. The new Care Dimensions building is located in Waltham, MA. not far from Walden Pond. The commission features three paintings inspired by the natural...
120. WAR IS THE ENEMY OF BEAUTY
Carl Frederick Schinkel's excellent Altes Museum, Berlin, is an outstanding example of Neo-Classical architecture for which I had the pleasure of visiting last week. Upon closer inspection however, one can see, even in this distant photograph, that something is not...
119. Thomas Jefferson and early American Architecture.
I visited Virginia over Memorial Weekend in search of Thomas Jefferson and his philosophy about architecture as symbolic of a democratic society. The Virginia State Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson after the Maison Carree, an ancient Roman Temple in Nimes,...
112. The story behind the Care Dimensions Painting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYnb6YIl0do
97. John, Paul, George and Ringo: The day I became an Artist
It was 1979 and Jimmy Carter is the President of the United States. It will be a year before John Lennon is murdered outside the Dakota Apartment building in New York City. I am a freshly minted high school senior and I have taken all of the "important" classes I will...
96. Plato, Aristotle and the power of energy
(Left) Raphael, (1509-1511) Plato and Aristotle, (detail), The School of Athens, Vatican. (Right) Meg Black (2015) Energy Wall Relief, maquette for Call for Proposals. As an artist and art historian, I find inspiration in...
95. Art History Survey: Would you pardon this artist for Murder?
On May 29, 1606, in Rome, during a brawl over a disputed score in a game of tennis, Caravaggio killed his opponent, Ranuccio Tomassoni. He then fled to Malta to avoid probable execution for his crime, but sent his painting of David holding the head of Goliath to the...
94. Art History “Survey”: Which Artist Paints it Better?
(Left) Artemisia Gentileschi Judith and her maidservant with the head of Holofernes (1625) Oil on canvas, 6’ x 4’ 7” Detroit Institute of Art. (Right) Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes. 1598. Oil on canvas, 5’ 9” x 7’ 7”. Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome....
92. Art historical inspirations for a new commission.
Here are some of the paintings I was inspired by as I worked on a commissioned painting Parker River, Newbury, MA. 1. David Hockney, (1997). Oil on canvas, 12 x 9.2. Inspired by a drive to visit a dying friend: The Road Across the Wolds. Tate Gallery, London. ...
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.
