2022/23 Docent Council Art Talk Season

More information coming soon. Join the Tucson Museum of Art for the TMALearn! Docent Council’s series of lectures examining art and artists that have influenced the world. Art Talks take place every Sunday from September through May at 1:30 pm. Art Talks are free for members or with paid admission and are presented by members of the TMALearn! Docent Council.

For the health and safety of all event/program attendees, proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test result, from within 72 hours of the event/program start time, will be required upon arrival. If you are unable to provide either, you will not be able to attend the event/program.

Previous Art Talks

January 2022

The Horse of Course: Equine Art – Held via Zoom

January 12, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Charles Tampio

Due to the rise of COVID-19, the talk will be held virtually on Zoom. Images of horses are among the very earliest art works. Almost every culture, every art form, and every era contain wonderful portraits of man’s most significant ally — the horse.

The Basha Collection of Southwest Art – Held via Zoom

January 19, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Mary Jo McMullen

Due to the rise of COVID-19, the talk will be held virtually on Zoom. This is a review of one of the largest private collections of southwest art which includes oils, watercolors ,and bronze sculptures by 20th century western artists, as well as Native American artists working in pottery, basketry, painting, sculpture and jewelry. This talk will be focusing on “cowboy art.”

The Harlem Renaissance: The Awakening of Black Pride Through the Arts – Held via Zoom

January 26, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Harry & Alinda Hakanson

Due to the rise of COVID-19, the talk will be held virtually on Zoom. By exploring the history of the Harlem Renaissance, we will examine the fight for dignity, self-expression, and equality by African Americans through the arts. In doing so, we will discuss the dominant American values of freedom, equality, racism, and group superiority.

February 2022

Let’s Meet in the Garden: A Look At Ten Artists Who Cultivated and Painted Gardens – Held via Zoom

February 2, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Jaye-Lynn Trapp

Due to the rise of COVID-19, the talk will be held virtually on Zoom. Throughout history, flowers and gardens have been favorite subjects of artists. Join us on a tour as we visit the homes and gardens of ten artists whose floral expressions are as varied as the artists themselves. This talk will help us appreciate each artist’s relationship with nature and remind us of how gardens provide us with a sense of joy.

Namingha! Namingha! Namingha! Three Contemporary Hopi Artists You Might Not Know but Should – Held via Zoom

February 9, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Linda Friedman

Due to the rise of COVID-19, the talk will be held virtually on Zoom. We will learn about the art of the Namingha family. Dan Namingha and sons Arlo and Michael are three highly respected Santa Fe contemporary artists whose work reflects their Hopi heritage and the world of today.

Art, Beauty, Love and Loss: The Artists’ Colony at Worpswede – Held via Zoom

February 16, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Martin Randall

Due to the rise of COVID-19, the talk will be held virtually on Zoom. Around the turn of the 20th century, the tiny village of Worpswede in north Germany became home to a thriving community of artists who longed to escape the stuffy confines of the art academies and find solace and inspiration in the sweeping landscapes and picturesque villages of the north German moors and the hard lives of the crofters who eked out a living there.

How Photography Became Art

February 23, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Linda Valdez

Alfred Stieglitz, Dorothea Lange, and Gordon Parks created iconic images that endure as fine art. But in the early 20th century, photography faced a very hostile environment in the art world. We’ll look at how the artist-photographers won acceptance, with a focus on works in the TMA collection, and the role of women and people of color.

March 2022

Cats in Art and Their Companions

March 2, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Kem Blanchard

Let’s explore how cats were portrayed artistically by a variety of artists, with special focus on artists who loved cats. Sharing a home helps an artist to gain intimate knowledge of feline anatomy and to understand their behaviors. Cats have been portrayed in art to honor the souls of departed loved ones, to present their portraits in the arms of humans, and for some artists, to capture a feline-human companionship in a painting.

Mesoamerica: How Art Shows Links Between the Olmec, Maya and Aztec Civilizations

March 9, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Kit Kimball

The Tucson Museum of Art recently opened an entire wing to celebrate Mesoamerican art. To learn how to appreciate some of these amazing artistic objects, you might find this talk helpful. It will provide a basic understanding of the three largest Mesoamerican civilizations, where and when they lived. By understanding the unique styles attributed to each civilization attributed to each civilization, you will be able to identify the origin of pieces you see and understand their significance.

How Rodin’s Life, Works, and Muses Exhibit the Traits of Romanticism

March 16, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Gigi Kammeyer

Auguste Rodin (1840-1817), the renown French sculptor of the human figure, was only 5’3” in stature, but larger than life in personality and oeuvre. His life, work, and muses exhibit the traits of the Romanticism Movement. He had a profound knowledge of the human body. His sculpture The Thinker, is probably the best known in the world. The Gates of Hell was his greatest life-time achievement, and generated such famous works as the Kiss, Adam, and Eve.

Exploring the “Masterpieces” of the Met with New Eyes: A Reawakening!

March 23, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Susie Heintz

Join us for a virtual tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art which will include traditional European masterpieces (e.g., El Greco, Monet, and Picasso) as well as art from a variety of other cultures. The tour will encourage us to appreciate art from new perspectives and possibly stretch our concept of what is considered an art masterpiece–an enjoyable rebirth or reawakening in viewing art.

Art Talk – The Unfair Shakes for Women in Art: When, How, Why and Where to Now?

March 30, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Nancy Jacques

This talk offers an overview of the challenges women artists have faced internationally when it comes to recognition and exposure through exhibits at museums or galleries. It highlights women who have succeeded despite these significant barriers.

April 2022

Art Talk – THE FLOWERING OF GEORGIA O’KEEFFE

April 6, 1:30 p.m.

Presented by Patricia Waddell

Utilizing strategies such a magnification, brilliant color, organic shapes and floating imagery, O’Keeffe often expressed feelings on canvas that she found hard to articulate. These expressions helped her artwork transcend the subject matter. She was championed by photographer Alfred Stieglitz.