Fairfield University's Open VISIONS Forum presents New York Times chief art critic Michael Kimmelman Sunday, January 30 | Press Releases

Image: Michael Kimmelman Fairfield University's popular lecture series, Open VISIONS Forum (OVF), welcomes Michael Kimmelman, chief art critic and columnist for The New York Times , Sunday, Jan. 30 at 3 p.m. at the Quick Center for the Arts. Kimmelman will speak about "How Culture Explains (Almost) Everything." Tickets are $45. The OVF audience is invited to attend a post lecture reception in Fairfield University's recently opened Bellarmine Museum of Art in Bellarmine Hall on campus. This Arts & Minds presentation is part of Fairfield University's yearlong focus on Global Citizenship.

Moderating the event is OVF director Dr. Philip Eliasoph. Joining him and Kimmelman for a discussion prior to opening the event up to the audience will be three students from Fairfield University's department of visual and performing arts.

Based in Berlin since fall 2007, Kimmelman writes the Abroad column on culture and society across Europe, covering, among other things, the crackdown on cultural freedom in Putin's Russia, the resurgence of negritude in France and the arts under Hamas in Gaza. He also writes frequently for The New York Times Magazine and is a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books.

A pianist, he has hosted various television features and has appeared prominently in the 2007 documentary film "My Kid Could Paint That." His book "The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa," was a national bestseller, described by Time magazine as a "transcendent experience." Another Kimmelman book, "Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and Elsewhere," was named as a notable book of the year by The Washington Post and The New York Times and a best book of the year by Publisher's Weekly

The community partner for this lecture is the Pequot Library and the media sponsor is Venü magazine. Bus transportation will be provided from the Quick Center for the Arts to Bellarmine Hall for audience wishing to attend the post lecture reception.

Tickets are available at fairfield.edu/quick or by calling the Box Office at (203) 254-4010. The toll free number is 1-877-ARTS-396. Special offers and discounts are available through the Quick Center's e-mail list. Join by sending an e-mail to boxoffice@quickcenter.com . In addition, become a fan of the Quick Center for the Arts on Facebook and keep up-to-date with the latest performance news, plus special offers and discounts. Find the Quick Center at www.facebook.com/FairfieldQuickCenter.

Directions: Fairfield University is located off I-95, exit 22 at 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. Easy access to the Quick Center for the Arts is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Special Note: From Oct. 4, 2010 through June 30, 2012, the southern end of North Benson Road (Rt. 135) will be closed to traffic on nights and weekends. Round Hill Road intersects with Barlow and provides access to the Quick Center for the Arts.