Lectures, Talks & Classes at the Museum
The Walters Art Museum offers a wide variety of ways to talk about art and ideas, through our free and ticketed lectures, seminars, talks and classes.
We offer many other events for adults at the museum. For a complete, printable list of them all, download the public programs brochure (PDF). To see every event at the museum, including exhibitions, family programs and more, browse the online calendar of events.
You can register online to attend these events or call to register by phone at (410) 547-9000, ext. 238. You can also e-mail us at adultprograms@thewalters.org.
Thank you for your support!
Upcoming Events
- Opening Day Talk: Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas
- Sunday, February 12, 2012
02:00 PM–03:00 PM - In this opening day talk, curator Dorie Reents-Budet will provide an overview of the special exhibition Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection Gift. She will examine key objects with origins ranging from ancient Mexico to Bolivia and discuss John Bourne’s early years exploring the jungles of southern Mexico in search of ancient Maya archaeological sites.
- Priceless
- Saturday, February 18, 2012
02:00 PM–03:00 PM - Author Robert K. Wittman recounts his twenty year career as an art detective for the FBI. Wittman was instrumental in the creation of the FBI’s Art Crime Team, of which he was named the Senior Investigator.
- Drawing Class: The Figure
- Sunday, February 19, 2012–Sunday, March 11, 2012
01:00 PM–04:00 PM - Why work in a drawing studio when you have the entire Walters Art Museum at your disposal? Artist and teacher Leslie Shellow will lead sketching sessions for intermediate to advanced level students in specific galleries.
- Ira Aldridge: African American Theater Pioneer
- Sunday, February 26, 2012
02:00 PM–03:00 PM - Join Kwame Kwei-Armah, British playwright, actor, director and new Artistic Director of CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore in this lively discussion about Ira Aldridge, the first American of African descent to achieve fame in the theater.
- Lunch and Learn: The John Bourne Collection: From Private to Public Domain
- Thursday, March 01, 2012
12:15 PM–01:15 PM - Explore the journey of the John Bourne collection of 300 ancient Americas artifacts from a private collection to the Walters, a public art museum. Using a multi-faceted approach, Julie Lauffenburger, Senior Objects Conservator will address how the museum tackled issues of authenticity, over-restoration and materials identification now that the objects are housed in a public collection.
- Pleasure
- Sunday, March 04, 2012
02:00 PM–03:00 PM - Pleasure has made us who we are today! We wouldn't have survived as a species if the circuitry in our brains didn't make activities like eating food and having sex pleasurable. But what about other activities? How does the brain react to “tactile” stimuli when enjoying art? Join David Linden, Ph.D., as he talks about how we activate pleasure circuits through a range of activities like exercising, caring for others and enjoying art. What do they have in common?
- Poetry in the Galleries with Smartish Pace
- Saturday, March 10, 2012
02:00 PM–03:00 PM - The Smartish Pace Reading Series continues with awarded-winning poet Campbell McGrath reading from his new collection, In the Kingdom of the Sea Monkeys. Over the past twelve years the Baltimore-based Smartish Pace magazine has published more than 700 poets and hosted 75 poetry readings.
- Ancient Americas Forum
- Saturday, March 17, 2012
12:00 PM–04:30 PM - This forum discussion will explore topics tied to the special exhibition Exploring Art of the Ancient America presented by a panel of experts from several disciplines. Panelists include Senior Objects Conservator Julie Lauffenburger, Anthropologist Allen Christenson, and Archaeastronomist Anthony Aveni, best known for his theories on the prophesized end of the world in December of 2012. Curator Dorie Reents-Budet will moderate.
- In the Footsteps of the Ancestors: Dancing with the Ancient Maya Gods
- Saturday, March 17, 2012
02:00 PM–03:00 PM - A fundamental aspect of highland Maya religion is the belief that human beings stand as essential mediators between this world and that of their patron gods and ancestors. Sacred ritual is necessary to maintain this link or all creation runs the risk of collapse, since all things require periodic renewal through ritual performance to regenerate the cosmos. Anthropologist Allen Christenson will discuss the continuity of ancient belief systems in Guatemala to contemporary society today.
- Maya Apocalypse Soon?
- Saturday, March 17, 2012
03:00 PM–04:00 PM - This lecture will explore theories about the widely prophesized end of the world in December of 2012 by measuring them objectively against the evidence of archaeology, iconography and epigraphy. Anthony Aveni, archaeoastronomer and Professor at Colgate University will talk about the likelihood of a world-wide Armageddon. He'll also place the prophesy in a broader cultural and historical context and analyze its appeal in contemporary American pop-culture.
- The John Bourne Collection: From Private to Public Domain
- Saturday, March 17, 2012
01:00 PM–02:00 PM - Follow the journey from private holdings to public museum of the John Bourne collection of 300 ceramic, metal and stone artifacts from the ancient Americas. Museums use a multi-faceted approach to tackle issues of authenticity, over-restoration and identification of newly acquired materials. In this talk Julie Lauffenburger, Senior Objects Conservator will highlight discoveries and insights made during her studies with other scholars on the issue of authenticity.
- Ancient Indian Tales of Magic Rings and Extraordinary Necklaces
- Sunday, April 01, 2012
03:00 PM–04:00 PM - Exploring some of the lore that surrounds Indian jewelry, Wendy Doniger from University of Chicago will examine ancient Indian stories of rings in which men accuse women of unchastely behavior only to have the ring prove that it was the man, in fact, who was unchaste. The ring also validates the woman’s child as the true heir.
- Lunch and Learn: Why is a Walters Conservator Blogging from Iraq?
- Thursday, April 05, 2012
12:15 PM–01:15 PM - Terry Drayman-Weisser, Walters Director of Conservation and Technical Research has made three trips to Iraq in the past sixteen months. She traveled there to train Iraqis to preserve very fragile and badly damaged ancient Nimrud ivories, and blogged about her observations along the way. In this talk she will speak about her experiences in Iraq and about how she became a partner in an effort to create a national Iraqi Institute for Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage.
- A Good Friday Lecture
- Friday, April 06, 2012
01:00 PM–02:00 PM - For nearly 1,500 years, the face of Christ has been depicted in remarkably similar ways, by illustrators of all backgrounds, from Byzantine mosaicists to Hollywood filmmakers. Why is the face so frequently depicted this way? Bring your lunch to this richly illustrated talk in which Gary Vikan will explore the emergence of the "canonical" face of Christ in the early medieval period.
- Drawing Class: Ink Gestures
- Sunday, April 15, 2012–Sunday, May 06, 2012
01:00 PM–04:00 PM - Why work in a drawing studio when you have the entire Walters Art Museum at your disposal? Back by popular demand, artist and teacher Leslie Shellow will lead drawing sessions for beginner to intermediate level students in specific galleries learning the various techniques of ink wash and ink pens.
- Islamic Art: Mirrors of the Invisible World
- Sunday, April 22, 2012
02:00 PM–04:00 PM - Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World is a ninety-minute documentary for PBS celebrates the artistic legacy of the Muslim world. It displays an extraordinary journey, exploring the immense richness of Islamic art and architecture, including the finest buildings in the Islamic world and an astonishing collection of cultural treasures.
- After Hours at the Walters
- Thursday, April 26, 2012
06:00 PM–09:00 PM - Celebrate the opening of our new special exhibition Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection Gift with a special AfterHours event. Enjoy music, food, a cash bar, a discussion about "authentic" Mexican food and free entry to the exhibition.
- Henry Walters' Legacy: The Art Of Medicine
- Tuesday, May 01, 2012
07:00 PM–09:00 PM - Dr. Gary P. Lees, Director of the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, will recount how 100 years ago Henry Walters endowed this special program combining art and science and how the media of medical illustrators has evolved from beautiful hand drawing to stunning computer imaging.
- Lunch and Learn: Assessing the Damage – Japan’s Tsunami-Ravaged Arts and Cultural Sites
- Thursday, May 03, 2012
12:15 PM–01:15 PM - Robert Mintz, Curator of Asian Art examines the impact on Japanese arts and culture institutions of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. In addition to examining the initial impact of the event, Mintz will address Japan’s preparedness for natural disasters, the lessons learned from this momentous event, and the status of reconstruction efforts within the arts and culture communities.
