Art in the Afternoon: Letting the Cat Out of the Bag: Cats in Art

UPDATE! Due to a scheduling complication, the topics of our Oct. 4 and Oct. 11 talks have been swapped! Cats in Art will now be presented on Oct. 4 and Self-Portraits will be presented on Oct. 11.

Art in the Afternoon is a four-part lecture series presented by Muscarelle Docents. Join us Wednesdays in October for these illuminated art history presentations.

Herding cats? Puss in boots on canvas? A purring pun or two. Ver- Meerkat? We’ve got it all in this lighthearted survey of artists’ representations of cats in various artistic roles presented by Docent Lisa Smith. They’re everywhere. All we’ve got to do is look for them. This familiar yet inscrutable animal is an ideal instrument in domesticity, black magic, and other untamed chaos. We’ll unleash these creatures with minds of their own on the big screen. Prepare to be charmed.

Lisa Smith is a William & Mary graduate and retired elementary reading specialist nourishing her passion for art history as a Muscarelle Docent and an Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg Ambassador.

WALASSE TING | American, 1929-2010 | Cat in the Garden, 1981 | Lithograph | © 2021 Estate of Walasse Ting / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York | Gift of Richard E. Sikorski