More Treasures from
the Farnsworth Art Museum
Instructor: Carter Jones Meyer, Christopher Williamson
Tuesdays • 8 classes • 9/28-11/16 • 10:15 AM-12:15 PM
Class size 5-60 students
26 seats remaining
Location: Zoom
Docents Chris Williamson and Carter Jones Meyer will take participants on another virtual tour of more art treasures from Rockland’s Farnsworth Art Museum. Each session will focus on specific artists who have worked in Maine and important themes that have emerged in their art. Participants will be encouraged to engage with the works and the class via a combination of “chat” and real-time conversation. The continuing goal will be to expand our ability to engage with art, consider the historical context in which it is produced, develop our ability to notice, improve our visual vocabulary, and perhaps to reconnect with some favorite artists/works or to discover new ones. classroom
VIRTUAL TOURS BY WEEK:
“Betsy’s Gift”
This eponymous exhibit showcases the 27 works from Betsy Wyeth’s 2020 bequest to the Farnsworth Museum. We will focus on the art of N.C .and Jamie, saving the two Andrew Wyeth paintings in the exhibition for week two. We will, however, honor Betsy by also looking at a few of Andrew’s works in the Betsy Wyeth: Partner and Muse exhibition.
Andrew Wyeth, the Olsons
and the Olson House
As much as Betsy was Andrew’s muse, so too were Christina Olson and the Olson House itself. As a result of Andrew’s interest (he painted there for over 30 years — hundreds of drawings, watercolors and temperas), several photographers have explored the same environment with interesting results.
Portrayals of the Maine Woods.
Thoreau’s The Maine Woods is a natural jumping off place for an exploration of the Farnsworth’s collection of Maine woods artwork.
Seascapes
Having looked extensively at Fitz Henry Lane last semester, we will remind ourselves of his work before we branch out and consider other seascapes to discover what they reveal about the history of Maine.
Focus on Photography
Art certainly has had to respond to and in some ways redefine itself with the advent of photography. At the same time, photography has sought to be recognized as an art form. We will be particularly interested in the Farnsworth’s collection of Berenice Abbott, George Tice, Eliot Porter, Kosti Ruohomaa, Paul Caponigro, Joyce Tenneson, and Bradbury Prescott.
Case Studies in Abstraction:
Marsden Hartley and Robert Indiana
We will use the current exhibition of the Indiana Hartley Elegies as the catalyst for a look at the work of Marsden Hartley, Robert Indiana, and a few additional artists in the Farnsworth collection who work in an abstract style.
Fascinating Finds at the Farnsworth
Among the “docent choices” for this session will be landscape artists Alva and Jonathan Fisher, Charles Lewis Fox, and landscape and figural artist William Burpee.
Working in Maine
Not only have the artists in the Farnsworth collection worked in Maine, but a number of them portray the wide variety of work experience in the state. We will explore these depictions and consider if attitudes toward the various types of work have changed over time – and also take note of the changes in art that these pieces reveal.
Carter Jones Meyer
Carter Jones Meyer is Professor Emerita of History at Ramapo College of New Jersey. She received a B.A. in American Studies from Skidmore College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and earned both the M.A. and Ph.D. in American Studies at Brown University. Carter specializes in and has published widely in the fields of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century American cultural history, the history of the American West, and American Indian history. At Ramapo, she served as chair of both the History and American Studies programs, and received awards for excellence in teaching and for significant contributions to the development of the College. In retirement she continues to pursue her interests in history, art, and culture, not only as a docent at the Farnsworth Art Museum, but also as a student and collector of Native art. Most recently she served as a judge at Santa Fe Indian Market, the largest juried Native art show in the world.
Christopher Williamson
A retired educator, including 23 years as a Head of School in two independent schools, Chris Williamson has been a docent at the Farnsworth Art Museum since 2015, returning to his early interest in the arts. He graduated from Williams College with honors in history in 1970, earned a master’s degree in English from The University of New Hampshire in 1975, and took graduate courses at Boston University in education and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in drama. After teaching, directing plays, coaching, and serving as arts chair, he took on various administrative roles prior to becoming head of school. Chris has presented at regional and national conferences, has served on several Boards, and has had articles published in professional journals. In addition to his ongoing docent volunteering and training at the Farnsworth, Chris is taking the National Gallery of Art’s Teaching Critical Thinking Through Art course.