Registration Opens January 4th

Registration opens Wednesday, January 4th, for two in-person “minicourse” offerings through the Madison Public Library.

The courses, which will cover topics relating to women artists in Europe and opera in the Romantic era, are sponsored by the nonprofit Friends of the Madison Public Library.

One minicourse, titled “Women Artists in Europe from the Renaissance to World War II,” will begin on Monday, January 23rd, and run for five consecutive Mondays in January and February from 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm. Dr. Kimberly Rhodes, NEH Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Art History at Drew University, will lead the sessions.

This course provides a survey of women artists working in Europe from the Renaissance to the Second World War. The course will review women who were trained as artists, how they navigated their professional identities and how European nations differed in their approach to including women in the art world.  It will also focus on how societal attitudes towards women in the eras influenced the reception of works by women artists. Sofonisba Anguissola, Artemisia Gentileschi, Angelica Kauffman, Rosa Bonheur, Harriet Hosmer, Mary Cassatt, and Vanessa Bell are among the artists to be studied.

A second minicourse, titled “Barber to Boheme: Opera in the Romantic Era,” will begin on Tuesday, January 24th, and run for five consecutive Tuesdays in January and February from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm. Dr. Robert Butts, Director of the Baroque Orchestra of NJ and a lecturer at Montclair State University, the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies at Drew, the NJ Council for the Humanities, and St. Elizabeth University, will present these sessions.

Many of the most popular and influential operas were composed during music’s Romantic Era (1800-1920).  The works of Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Bizet, Wagner, Puccini, and others remain favorites of audiences and artists, at the same time continuing to influence composers in the 21st century. While opera was entertainment during the period, it also reflected on social changes as well as new ideas ranging from fantasy to realism, from history to legend, and from past to present. Explore the operas that continue to be performed and enjoyed around the world.

Interested students can find registration information at www.minicoursesmadisonlibrary.org. The tuition for each course is $95. No refunds or credits will be given once the course begins. These courses are organized by the Friends of the Madison Public Library, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.  All proceeds benefit the Madison Public Library.

These non-credit courses are open to the public with no prerequisites or examinations.  For more information, please visit the website www.minicoursesmadisonlibrary.org or email minicoursesmadisonlibrary@gmail.com.