Looking in the Mirror: Seeing Ourselves in Art

SAA is excited to present three free lectures this fall by local Art History teacher Philip Nickel.

Synopsis: When you look in the mirror, you see a reflection of yourself, but not an exact replica. You appear reversed, and while you possess consciousness, your image does not. In much the same way, art is a reflection, not an exact copy, but one of perception or imagination. And just as we might alter our appearance by studying our reflection, we can shape the image we project through art, influencing how we are seen from the outside. These talks are not about portraiture though. Through symbolism, analogy, metaphor, and narrative, they examine identity as something both deeply personal and broadly social or national.

Session 1: Wednesday, October 15 from 6-7pm
History and Memory – Projecting the Present on the Past

Our memory of the past or the constructed meaning of the past is often used to define the present. In this session we will look at works of history (history as subject) that define or glorify the past, and, by constructing a narrative of the past, comment on the contemporary world in which they were made.

Session 2: Wednesday, November 12 from 6-7pm
Fight the Patriarchy – Women as Subjects, Patrons, Artists

While there is no such thing as women's art per se, there is much to be discussed about the way women have used art to comment on the lives of women. As artists, patrons, and subjects, women artists have reflected the experience of objectification, commercialization, maternity, and possession, but also the ideas of strength, power, resistance, and agency.

Session 3: Wednesday, December 10 from 6-7pm
Where is Home – Cultural Diffusion in the Modern World

Who we are in a mirror is a blending of multiple identities, a combination of genetics, culture, and choice smoothed out in our reflection. While the reflected image may appear singular, the internal identity of the subject may be fractured, blended, homogeneous or wildly diverse. How we depict our identities, how we project our identities through art is the subject for this session. We will consider the intersections of identity and describe the various ways artists have sought to express these different strands.

Hosted by the Salem Art Association at the Bush Barn Art Center & Annex.

Enter through the Bush Barn Art Center Main Entrance.

Come a few minutes early and enjoy the artwork in the galleries! The talk will begin promptly at 6pm.

Questions? Contact laura@salemart.org

RSVPs are not required but are requested so that we set up enough chairs. Thank you!

We are continuing our adult programming with this three-part art history lecture series. You may register for one or all of the sessions.

As you know, we have expenses and thus plan to charge a modest fee moving forward and SAA-members will receive special discounts.

For this series we are going to offer it for free, but ask you to consider making a small donation to the Art Fair Future Fund.

About the presenter: Philip Nickel has been teaching Art History for the last 22 years at Sprague High School. He describes his experience with developing an art history program at Sprague as a unique opportunity that's been incredibly rewarding, adding that, "Having been dragged to museums from the time I could walk, I discovered that art history was a natural outgrowth of my political, literary, and cultural interests."