{"id":245839,"date":"2013-02-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-15T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/melding-art-with-historical-insight\/"},"modified":"2013-02-15T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-02-15T08:00:00","slug":"melding-art-with-historical-insight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/melding-art-with-historical-insight\/","title":{"rendered":"Melding art with historical insight"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>Museum of Art\u2019s Friday morning docent-led lectures, tours a longstanding tradition<\/p>\n

Por Dave Fidlin | Reportero SDUN<\/p>\n

A monthly event aimed at melding art with scholarly insight has been a longstanding tradition at the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA). The program was born out of a desire to give attendees a close-up look at the museum\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n

\"Melding
\u201cBernardita\u201d by Robert Henri (Courtesy San Diego Museum of Art)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since its inception in 1970, SDMA\u2019s docent lecture and tour series has tapped the resources of art scholars throughout San Diego, as well as across the globe.<\/p>\n

While the topics vary widely from one program to the next, Ruth Broudy, manager of docent programs, said the overarching goal is the same: to provide greater insight into SDMA\u2019s permanent collections.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever the topic, [the lecture] is an opportunity to make art more visible and understandable so there\u2019s a greater appreciation,\u201d Broudy said. \u201cThe more you know about it, the more you learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

SDMA\u2019s docent lecture and tour series is well under way for the 2012-13 season. In recent months, programs have focused on such topics as German expressionist art, the origins of modern American portraiture and the meaning behind art and relics from Buddhist traditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is to enrich and enhance as lecturers give their presentations,\u201d Broudy said. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for people to make a full connection with what\u2019s on view in the museum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upcoming programs will feature guest lectures from staff at SDMA and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, and touch topics including continuities in modern art and paintings from Spanish and Italian culture.<\/p>\n

In March, SDMA will host a Toronto-based curator, Elizabeth Semmelhack, who works out of the Bata Shoe Museum in Canada\u2019s largest city. Semmelhack will delve into gender fashions from 1550 to 1650.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Broudy said that the lecture and tour series has drawn on insight from docents from a wide variety of backgrounds. Case in point: she said lecturers have spoken seven different languages outside English, including American Sign Language, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe composition of the docent community is definitely very versatile and reflects all parts of the world,\u201d Broudy said.<\/p>\n

The longevity of SDMA\u2019s lecture and tour series could, perhaps, be traced to a historically large turnout. Broudy said it is not uncommon for a Friday morning session to draw a large crowd that frequently includes people from disparate walks of life, including various arts groups and school teachers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the most well attended of all our lecture series,\u201d Broudy said. \u201cThere\u2019s a desire for people to better understand the meaning behind a particular art exhibition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Broudy said an extensive amount of planning goes into crafting each year\u2019s docent lecture and tour series, including putting out feelers to art scholars and historians interested in speaking and ensuring prospective speakers are connected to a piece of SDMA\u2019s vast collection.<\/p>\n

While the lecture and tour series has a long history, SMDA\u2019s origins go back even further. The impetus for the organization began in 1915, during the Panama-California International Exhibition at Balboa Park. Planning for the museum itself began in earnest in 1922 with the financial backing of Appleton S. Bridges, a San Diego business and civic leader.<\/p>\n

Construction got under way in 1924 and was completed two years later as the then-known Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego officially opened its doors. In 1978, the operation\u2019s name was changed to SDMA.<\/p>\n

AT A GLANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHAT: San Diego Museum of Art\u2019s Friday morning docent lecture and tour series<\/p>\n

WHEN: third Friday of each month through May; lecture at 10 a.m., tour at 11:30 a.m.<\/p>\n

WHERE: James S. Copley Auditorium inside Balboa Park, 1450 El Prado<\/p>\n

COST: $8 for students, $12 for members, $15 for nonmembers<\/p>\n

INFORMATION: thesandiegomuseumofart.org, 619-232-7931<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Upcoming Friday morning docent lectures and tours<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feb. 15 \u2013 \u201cBehind the Picture: Looking in Depth at Paintings from the Spanish and Italian Collections of the San Diego Museum of Art\u201d (with Nigel McGilchrist, art historian)<\/p>\n

March 15 \u2013 \u201cRenaissance Chopines and Baroque Heels: Fashion Gender from 1550-1650\u201d (with Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto)<\/p>\n

April 19 \u2013 \u201cPurchasing Piranesi: Buying Art on the Grand Tour\u201d (with John Marciari, curator of European art and head of provenance research at SDMA)<\/p>\n

May 17 \u2013 \u201cThe More Things Change: Continuities in Modern Art\u201d (with Kathryn Kanjo, chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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