Ever wondered why the Mona Lisa is so darn famous? Ever scratched your head thinking "What makes Starry Night so special?" You're not alone.
Join Dr. Alex Rich, Executive Director and Chief Curator, via Facebook Live or Zoom Thursday, January 28, as he gathers three colleagues with diverse specializations for a fun, interactive night as they tackle the perennial burning question behind some of history's most renowned works of art: Why is THAT famous?!?
From the David to the Scream and those timeless Campbell's Soup Cans, the panel will offer their hot-takes on which works are truly worthy of their fame (and which aren't), what each work means within the history of art and why people may be so attracted to them, and listen to YOUR ideas and theories about what made today's most recognizable works of art famous and why.
Dr. Rich will be joined by Dr. Kristen Carter, Assistant Professor of Art History at Florida Southern College; Holly Scoggins, Professor of Art at Polk State College; and Andrew Coombs, Professor of Ceramics at Polk State College, as they take all of your questions LIVE.
During the program, we'll also be asking YOU which famous works intrigue or puzzle you the most! Have an image of a famous work you love and want the panel to discuss? Add the image or title of the work to the comments either via Facebook Live or Zoom, and the panel will try to chat about it! We'll "see" you virtually at 6 pm on January 28!
About Our Guests
Dr. Kristen Carter earned her Ph.D in Art History and Theory from the University of British Columbia. Before joining Florida Southern as an Assistant Professor, she taught modern and contemporary art history at UBC and Emily Carr University of Art and Design. She is a specialist in modern and contemporary art history, with a particular focus on American art in the 1960s and 1970s. Her research interests include modes of viewership, participation, subject formation, and institutional critique with an emphasis on post-1968 artistic praxis and pedagogy.
Holly Scoggins is a North Carolina native and recent resident of New York City. Scoggins (formerly Holly Sailors) received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from East Carolina University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Printmaking from the New York Academy of Art. Featured solo exhibitions include Berkeley Gallery, NYC in 2010, and at the Spartanburg Museum of Art in 2009. Recent shows include a figurative exhibition at the International Trade Center in Shanghai, and the Interfaith Biennial at Dominican University. Her work has been exhibited at Sothebys, Flowers Gallery NYC, the National Arts Club, and the 2012 Southeastern College Art Conference. You may see more of her work at hollyannsailors.com. Before landing at Polk State College, Scoggins was a graduate teaching assistant and taught courses at Emerge Gallery and Art Center, The New York Academy of Art, and Long Island University in Brooklyn. Professor Scoggins teaches Drawing I, II, III, Painting I, II, Figure Drawing, Portrait Painting, and Design.
Andrew Coombs received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with a Minor in Art and Art History from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and went on to obtain his Masters of Fine Art in Ceramics from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. After teaching at the University of South Carolina as an Adjunct Professor, Coombs came to Polk State College to serve as a Professor of Ceramics, teaching History of Porcelain in Europe, portfolio and resume building, and wheel throwing. Coomb's work has been included in a number of exhibitions, most recent being a virtual exhibition last year titled Across the Pond and Back - Training, Mentoring, Making. You can find more of Coombs work on his website at andrewcoombspottery.com