Philadelphia Museum of Art - Calendar & Events : Adult Programs : Art History Courses

Gain even further insight into a favorite subject and share your own observations with other art lovers in one of the Museum's Art History courses. Classes meet for either four Thursday or two Saturday lectures, and focus on a variety of different artists, genres, and themes of artistic importance. See how geography and history have shaped the development of the visual arts through the ages—with one of the nation's most respected art museums as your classroom.

You may register for programs by phone or in person at the Museum's Visitor Services desks. To register by phone, call (215) 235-SHOW (7469). A nonrefundable service charge for each space reserved is added to all phone orders (Members $2.50, Nonmembers $3.00). There is no service charge for reservations made in the Museum.

Frequent Learner Program—Now Save Even More!

This year, fourteen art history courses will be offered between October 2007 and May 2008. Subscribe to all fourteen NOW and receive a discounted rate of $770 for members, $960 for nonmembers. A single, special ticket will provide entry to all courses. No refunds for unused classes. Offer valid until October 27, 2007. Call the Ticket Center at (215) 235-7469 to take advantage of this special offer.

Preregistration is recommended for all courses. Free Infrared Listening Systems are available at the West Information Desk for auditorium lectures. All courses are held in the Van Pelt Auditorium and the Seminar Room. Prices for Art History courses include Museum admission. All information is subject to change.

American Sensibilities: Photography in the United States, 1839 to the Present

Thursdays: 4 sessions, May 1, 8, 15, and 22; 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
- or -
Saturdays: 2 lectures, May 10 and 31; 9:30 - 11:45 a.m.

Lecturers: Peter Barberie (PB), Visiting Lecturer, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University; and Katherine Ware (KW), Curator of Photographs, Alfred Stieglitz Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Paid tickets required
Members: $64
Nonmembers: $80

This course surveys the history of American photography, with an emphasis on the ways landscape was used to forge and explore American identity. Join us for an in-depth look at the work of key figures such as Carleton Watkins, Timothy O’Sullivan, Alfred Stieglitz, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans, and Robert Frank.

Applied Science, Practical Art: Documents, Surveys, and the Romance of the American West (PB)
Gilded Lilies: Pictorialism and Its American Advocates (PB)
Inventing an American Style: Ansel Adams / Berenice Abbott / Walker Evans (KW)
Road Trips: Photographic Journeys Up, Down, and Across the United States (PB)

Directions in Design: 1870–1914*

Thursdays: 4 sessions, May 1, 8, 15, and 22; 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
- or -
Saturdays: 2 lectures, May 10 and 31; 1:30 - 3:45 p.m.

Lecturer: David Raizman, Professor of Art History, Department of Visual Studies, Drexel University, Philadelphia

Paid tickets required
Members: $64
Nonmembers: $80

This course examines decorative arts, furniture, and furnishings in Western Europe and the United States from 1870 to 1914. The unprecedented rise in the demand, production, marketing, and retailing of manufactured goods during this period spurred new approaches to design that sought to reconcile art, craft, and industry. Join us as we explore several of these innovative approaches, integrating examples from the Museum’s design collection. In addition to analyzing objects and interiors from this period, lectures address the role of international exhibitions, department stores, mail-order catalogues, and advertising.

*This course is the first in an ongoing series on design that will look at objects in the Collab Gallery in the Perelman Building of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Christopher Dresser and “Industrial” Design; "Art Furniture"
The Aesthetic Movement; Art Nouveau and Its Variations
The Arts and Crafts Movement
Standardization and Efficiency

For more information, please contact the Division of Education by phone at (215) 684-7580, by fax at (215) 236-4063, or by e-mail at .