Events

Art Talk: Whistler Retrospective Aug 13th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

The Tate Modern Retrospective of Whistler

A Virtual Art Talk

Join Mary Vahey on Zoom to experience the captivating world of rule-breaking American artist

James McNeill Whistler re-wrote the rules of what it meant to be an artist. He pioneered new and innovative techniques, creating astonishingly beautiful, ethereal visions of modern life that would earn him a place as one of the most influential artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.

This retrospective – the first major European exhibition of Whistler’s work in 30 years – brings together the artist’s world-famous paintings alongside rarely, or never seen, works. It includes exquisite portraits, drawings, prints, and designs, from as early as his teens in St. Petersburg to the enigmatic late self-portraits. His paintings, etchings, and pastels epitomize the modern penchant for creating “art for art’s sake”; an axiom celebrated by Whistler and others in the Aesthetic movement. They also represent one one of the earliest shifts from traditional representational art to abstraction that is at the heart of much of modern art.

Presenter: Mary Vahey.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

Art Talk: Henri Matisse Aug 26th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Henri Matisse: Master of Color, Magician of Modernism

A Virtual Art Talk

The remarkable career of Henri Matisse, one of the most influential artists of the Twentieth Century, fundamentally altered the course of modern art. Spanning six and a half decades, his vast creative output encompassed painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic arts, and paper cutouts. This talk will examine his extraordinary life and many of his important works. His friend and sometime rival Pablo Picasso once said,” All things considered, there is only Matisse.”

Presented by Janet Mandel.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

Art Talk: Frida Kahlo Sep 10th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Frida Kahlo: The Making of an Icon

A Virtual Art Talk

Join Mary Vahey to discover the extraordinary story of how Frida Kahlo became one of the most influential artists of all time, a cultural phenomenon, and an internationally recognized commercial icon.

Frida Kahlo typically uses the visual symbolism of physical pain in a long-standing attempt to better understand emotional suffering. Prior to Kahlo’s efforts, the language of loss, death, and selfhood, had been relatively well investigated by some male artists (including Albrecht Dürer, Francisco Goya, and Edvard Munch), but had not yet been significantly dissected by a woman. Indeed not only did Kahlo enter into an existing language, but she also expanded it and made it her own.

Presenter: Mary Vahey.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

Art Talk: Maxfield Parrish Sep 15th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Maxfield Parrish & the Golden Age of American Illustration

A Virtual Art Talk

Maxfield Parrish was one of the most popular and commercially successful artists of his day. His illustrations often graced the covers and pages of well-known magazines such as Harper’s and Collier’s. His ethereal figures inhabiting dreamlike, Neoclassical settings were practically ubiquitous in early 20th-century America. In the 1920s, it was estimated that one out of every four homes in the United States had a print of his famous painting, Daybreak.

Mallory Mortillaro, our speaker, spent a portion of her childhood living in the sleepy New England town that Parrish loved, lived in, and drew inspiration from. This program examines the life and work of the renowned artist and his enduring impact on American culture.

Presenter: Mallory Mortillaro is an art historian and educator. As a researcher, she consults for private collectors, museums, and organizations in the New York metropolitan area, with a primary focus on provenance research. Her discoveries in the art world have garnered her international attention. A popular lecturer, she has presented more than 400 art history lectures to audiences around the country. She studied at Drew University. Mallory resides in New Jersey with her husband and daughter. You can reach her at mallorymortillaro@gmail.com.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

Virtual SAT Mock Exam Sep 19th, 10:00am to 12:30pm

Online, proctored SAT mock testing experience for students in grades 9 to 11

This mock testing program pairs a fully proctored testing experience with a highly diagnostic score report built to guide a student’s next steps. It breaks down performance by skill and question type, providing realistic score projections based on targeted preparation. Families gain clarity not only on current performance, but on where improvement is most attainable and what progress can realistically look like over time.

This exam is fully proctored via Zoom, closely simulating official testing conditions from the comfort of your home.

Presented by Sefia Tutors, a New Jersey–based academic support organization that works with families across multiple school districts through structured assessment and online instruction. Our work is centered on helping students approach standardized testing with clarity, strategy, and realistic expectations.

Art Talk: Suzanne Valadon Sep 28th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Suzanne Valadon and the Parisian Demi-Monde

A Virtual Art Talk

Suzanne Valadon was the illegitimate daughter of a sewing maid whose formal education ended at age eleven. She worked as a circus acrobat and artists’ model and gleaned what she could about painting by watching and listening to the men who put her image on canvas. Toulouse-Lautrec and Degas were her most important artistic influences. Under their tutelage she began to paint and created powerful, unconventional images, principally of women. Although mostly unknown today, she is regarded by scholars as an important chronicler of women’s experiences. Her paintings remain fresh and modern, cementing her legacy as a significant figure in the history of art.

Presented by Janet Mandel.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

Art Talk: Pierre-Auguste Renoir Oct 19th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Painting the Joys of Life

A Virtual Art Talk

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s philosophy can be summed up in this quote: “A picture must be an amiable thing, joyous and pretty– yes, pretty! There are enough troublesome things in life without inventing others.” Renoir’s joie de vivre made him one of the most beloved Impressionist painters, although he harbored a dark side to his veneer of amiability. This talk will examine his long and productive life with all its contradictions and survey his voluptuous nudes, luxurious flowers, pretty children, bustling Parisian streets, and sunny outdoor scenes that are full of people and fun.

Presented by Janet Mandel.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

Art Talk: Augustus Saint-Gaudens Oct 20th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

A Monumental Man: An Introduction to Augustus Saint-Gaudens

A Virtual Art Talk

Discover the remarkable world of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the sculptor whose masterpieces have transformed America’s public spaces and memorials!

The work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens helps celebrate and reflect many of America’s most important values and course-altering moments. In this lecture, we will examine the art of this American Renaissance sculptor and discuss his lingering impact on today’s society. Some of the highlights we will discuss are his ground-breaking Robert Gould-Shaw Memorial, a colossal bronze relief honoring the first all black volunteer regiment in the Civil War, his impressive standing sculpture of Lincoln, as well as the 1907 Double Eagle coin he designed at the request of Teddy Roosevelt; a coin often lauded as the most beautiful piece of American currency ever made.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

The Life and Works of Normal Rockwell Nov 10th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Picturing the People: The Life and Works of Norman Rockwell

A Virtual Art Talk

Step into the world of Norman Rockwell, the beloved illustrator whose artwork captured the humor, warmth, and complexity of everyday American life.

This lecture explores the stories behind Rockwell’s most iconic images, from his memorable Saturday Evening Post covers to his powerful later works addressing social change. You can look forward to hearing about many of Rockwell’s most beloved works, such as Rosie the Riveter, The Problem We All Live With, and Freedom from Want (also referred to as The Thanksgiving Picture). Utilizing fascinating anecdotes and beautiful illustrations, we will discuss how Rockwell’s work continues to shape our understanding of American culture, history, and the human experience.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

Art Talk: John Singer Sargent Part 1 Nov 23rd, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

John Singer Sargent: Romance, Drama, and the Visual World Part 1

A Virtual Art Talk in Two Parts

John Singer Sargent was an American artist who spent most of his life in Europe. He painted two United States Presidents, the aristocracy of Europe, the uber-wealthy of America, and mythological heroes. But he also painted gypsies, tramps, street children, hard-working laborers, as well as the horrors of war. And he created dazzling landscapes—a visual chronicle of the places he visited.

Part 1 of this talk will feature many works from his early career in Paris when his infamous portrait Madame X caused a scandal at the Paris Salon.

Part 2 will reveal how Sargent recovered from near ruin by gaining popularity as a portraitist among wealthy and prominent families in England and America. He then reinvented himself as a muralist, creating cycles of classical and allegorical subjects for public buildings.

Sargent’s creative versatility had a lasting impact on the art world, and in this talk, we will experience many of his brilliant paintings, luminous watercolors, and monumental murals.

Presented by Janet Mandel.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

Art Talk: John Singer Sargent Part 2 Dec 7th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

John Singer Sargent: Romance, Drama, and the Visual World Part 2

A Virtual Art Talk in Two Parts

Part 1 of this talk will feature many works from his early career in Paris when his infamous portrait Madame X caused a scandal at the Paris Salon.

Sargent’s creative versatility had a lasting impact on the art world, and in this talk, we will experience many of his brilliant paintings, luminous watercolors, and monumental murals.

Presented by Janet Mandel.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library

A History of the Santa Claus Image Dec 8th, 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Is That You, Santa Claus?: A History of the Santa Claus Image

A Virtual Art Talk

Who is more iconic than Santa Claus? Over time, the image of Santa Claus has undergone a remarkable transformation. This lecture traces the evolution of Santa through art, literature, advertising, and popular culture, revealing how history, folklore, and commerce shaped one of the world’s most beloved holiday icons. Along the way, we will discuss the surprising origins of familiar Christmas traditions and gain a deeper appreciation for the rich cultural history behind the beloved face of Santa Claus.

Hosted by the Kemmerer Library