Joseph French spent his early years learning the art of photography, and then working with some of the most celebrated photographers of the time – Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott, Wynn Bullock, and Paul Caponigro, among many others. He became a dealer in photography, and a collector. In this lecture, Mr. French will share personal accounts of his interactions with different artists and describe the ins and outs of the market for photography from the 1970s through today, his personal collecting strategies, and his perspective on what makes a great collection.

What forces are driving the white-hot art market? Who assigns and who pays these astronomical sums? What currency adequately measures art’s value? The Price of Everything leads us into a rarefied labyrinth of galleries, studios, and auction houses to wrestle with these questions and explore what society loses and gains when art becomes a rich person’s commodity. With unprecedented access to pivotal artists and the market surrounding them, this film dives deep into the contemporary art world, holding a mirror up to our values and our times – where everything can be bought and sold. Nominated at both the Sundance […]

*Cross listed class with Special Collections Swem Swem Library and Matoaka Art Building 2-Day Workshop, October 22nd & 23rd | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM In this two-day intensive workshop participants will explore and study the exciting world of the history of books in Swem Library’s Special Collections. Participants will create an original collective handmade book and receive a copy upon completing the class. We will utilize one of the oldest forms of book making through relief printmaking. Refreshments will be provided each day. All materials will be provided. Adult/Teen Workshop (Ages 14+) Materials fee $30, $25 for students and […]

Black Art In America is not only a multifaceted arts company and gallery, but also a cultural hub for all things that exemplify Black art. In this lecture, Najee Dorsey, Co-founder and CEO of Black Art in America, will speak about the journey of Black Art In America to grow the market for art by African-American artists through a community first media and marketing strategy, and discuss the overall market, the importance of galleries, the process of finding and cultivating talent, and the value of collecting original art.

Galleries around the world present new and old works to those looking to acquire art – collectors, corporations, museums, and other institutions. New York City is home to some of the most important galleries in the world, and is a center for the art market. Louis Salerno is the founder and CEO of Questroyal Fine Art, a well-established New York gallery that specializes in American art from the 18th through the 20th centuries. Mr. Salerno will describe the market for art from the perspective of a gallery with a focused mission, describing how he sources both works and clients, and […]

Students will explore the fantastical world of creating mystical, mythological, imaginary animals, beasts, and stranger things with oil pastels and tempera paint. We will explore the world of drawing and color mixing to make our artistic creations which we shall name in the end! Youth Workshop (Ages 7-14) All materials will be provided. $10 – $15 Reserve

The Gallery Players, W&M’s conductor-less chamber orchestra of 15 string players, will feature music of English composer Sir Hubert Parry and African American composer Florence Price, then conclude with Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence.

Join us for an illustrated lecture by Elizabeth Morán, the Jane Williams Mahoney Associate Professor of Art History at William & Mary. She will discuss how Haitian and Cuban artists have transformed two-dimensional surfaces to embody the concepts, narratives, and memories of trans-Atlantic cultures in the Americas, yet have also created new ones in the Diaspora. This lecture will explore some of these shared traditions, from an art historical perspective, to investigate how landscape and nature is marked, represented and remembered in the visual material of the African Diaspora in the Caribbean.

Participants will create plein air (in the open air) drawings incorporating nature and architectural structures on the campus of William & Mary. The instructor will provide demonstrations and guidance to the students creating snapshots of the environment. Adult Workshop (Ages 14+) All materials will be provided. Reserve

Auction houses make up an important part of the art market, helping to determine the ever changing value of art by directly confronting buyers in a public bidding exercise. Auction houses come in all shapes and sizes, and several are prominent across the globe. In this lecture, Samantha Koslow, Director of Business Development and Head of Museum Services at Christie’s in New York, will describe the way an auction house works – how they staff and how they bring together both sellers and buyers in an open forum as well as the way they have adapted to the digital world.

Established in 1994, under the direction of Professor Anne Rasmussen, the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble welcomes students, faculty, and community musicians. It explores the styles and repertoires of Arab, Turkish, Persian, Armenian, and Greek musical traditions. The group has presented numerous concerts featuring guest artists from a variety of Arab and Middle Eastern music traditions and has concertized in the mid-Atlantic region, and internationally in Morocco and Oman. We are pleased to welcome them back to the Muscarelle. Limited seating. We

For centuries, artists have made their way through the art market and navigated fame with the help of important patrons. Sometimes patrons have been in the form of institutions, and other times patrons have been individuals or families strongly interested in the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. Noted art historian Elaine Ruffolo will join us from Florence, Italy for this special, virtual lecture that maps the dependency that existed between artists and patrons during the Italian Renaissance. The investigation will include the training and production practices that helped to ensure the flow of art from workshop to […]

You are one of the most sought-after global artists, and your name is as well-known as spaghetti. As we imagine the new Muscarelle Museum of Art, participants will create a miniature gallery and fill it with their own masterpieces. You will be encouraged to sculpt, draw, and paint your gallery space as the class creates the first show for the new museum! Youth Workshop (Ages 7-14) All Materials will be provided. $10 – $15 Reserve

Please join us for a virtual book club on The Value of Art: Money, Power, Beauty by Michael Findlay. David Brashear, Muscarelle Director, and Gary Ryan, Director & CEO of the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art will dicuss our featured book. Recently updated, the book offers a lively and authoritative look at the financial and emotional value of art throughout history. The author draws on a half-century in the business and a passion for great art to question and redefine what we mean by value,” addressing developments in this conversation since the book was first published in 2012: the rise […]