Behind-the-scenes Manhattan Art Tours, a free lecture on global influences on the Italian Renaissance and the popular "See The Masters With The Experts" series highlight the engaging opportunities that University College at Fairfield University is offering art lovers this fall.

With its exciting new exhibits, fall is a wonderful time to take in New York City's art scene. Join tour guide Joyce Zimmerman on five Wednesdays from September 14 through November 16, or Thursdays from September 22 through November 10, for "Manhattan Art Tours," an exploration of fine, decorative and antique art galleries in Manhattan. The behind-the-scenes method of viewing makes a great learning experience for both the novice and educated art and interior design enthusiast. Each session consists of visits to galleries for morning and afternoon tours and talks by in-house experts.

The tours, which run two per day, will include visits to the Bill Hodges Gallery, which features work by African-American artists, and the Chambers Hotel, which boasts an eclectic contemporary art collection in a David Rockwell building designed to combine downtown flair with uptown chic. The tours will also explore the art, history and architecture of Rockefeller Center, a treasure trove of sculpture, murals and public paintings both outdoors and indoors. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Museum, a premier venue for the presentation of contemporary art exploring Jewish identity and themes, as well as the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators and the newly opened home of The Ukrainian Museum, are also on the itinerary.

"I love the challenge of planning itineraries that please and pique the interest of the participants of Manhattan Art Tours," said Zimmerman, who has run the tours for University College for more than 10 years. The cost for the series is $295.

"The Italian Renaissance in Global Context," is a free lecture on Wednesday, October 19, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. by Jonathan Woolfson, the academic advisor for University College's Fairfield Florence Program. Although the Renaissance has traditionally been regarded as an Italian or European phenomenon, today's historians are increasingly looking beyond Europe in order to explore the ramifications of the Renaissance movement in America, Asia, and Africa. St. Francis Xavier's missionary travels to India and China provide one example. From architecture to the decorative arts to history, geography, and natural philosophy, this talk, which is presented in conjunction with the College of Arts and Sciences' programs in Art History and Italian Studies at Fairfield University, will range across Renaissance culture in an attempt to assess the value of the Italian Renaissance in a global perspective.

University College's "See The Masters With The Experts" series returns on Wednesday, November 9, with Fairfield University Art History Professor Philip Eliasoph, Ph.D. The 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. lecture will consider Fra Angelico, a Dominican monk who painted the celebrated and radiantly simple frescoes in San Marco in Florence. Guido Di Pietro, or "Beato Angelico" as he later came to be known, was one of the most celebrated artists of the early Italian Renaissance. The first-ever retrospective of his paintings, drawings, and manuscript illuminations to come to our shores can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this fall. Dr. Eliasoph, an expert on the Italian Renaissance, will introduce participants to Fra Angelico and make their visit a very memorable one. Classes are held on campus and students visit New York at their leisure. The cost for the lecture is $20.

"When art historians read the catalogue published in Florence for the last world celebration of Fra Angelico back in 1955, it creates goosebumps to think that 75 works by this beloved master are coming to New York," Dr. Eliasoph said.

"With his unsurpassed technical skill and devotional authority, Fra Angelico charted a new path for the culture of Florentine humanism tinted with an exquisitely spiritual palette," said Dr. Eliasoph, who is currently teaching a course on "Italian Art of the Renaissance," in Fairfield's impressive art history program in the Department of Visual & Performing Arts.

For more information on any of the art tours or other personal enrichment courses at University College, call (203) 254-4307.

Posted On: 09-09-2005 10:09 AM

Volume: 38 Number: 31