"Getting" Contemporary Art: Fall 2023 Series

October 10, 2023 | Public Programs

Tuesdays, October 10, 17, and 24 | 5:30 to 6:30 pm

$49 Member; $55 General Admission per class | $108 Member; $120 General Admission for the full three-class series

General Registration

Join us for “Getting” Contemporary Art led by Kristen Erickson, art history teacher and Director of the Luchsinger Gallery at Greenwich Academy.

Through this three-session course, participants will engage deeply with The Aldrich’s Fall exhibitions while having access to our galleries and the Museum’s Studio learning space in private evening sessions. Designed to provoke open and dynamic dialogue, these small classes will help participants learn to analyze, interpret, and discuss the contemporary artwork on view.

Classes

October 10: Raven Halfmoon - The Power of our Mothers

This class will explore the power of our collective ancestors and how we honor them. Beginning with reflection time in the gallery, the monumental sculptures of artist Raven Halfmoon (Caddo Nation) will serve as a backdrop for participants to delve deeper into the myriad of influences Halfmoon cites. Touching on Caddo traditions and culture, as well as Halfmoon’s own family history, the class will also include a presentation and guided reflection activity on Halfmoon’s artwork in the Museum’s Studio.

October 17: Yvette Mayorga - The Power of Pink

Yvette Mayorga’s dream-like, confectionary sculptures offer a rich world for us to explore the power and history of the color pink, from Madame de Pompadour to Hello Kitty. By learning more about Mayorga’s art making process inspired by baking, participants will consider the traditional roles of women and men in work, play, and leisure. The class will conclude with a cake decorating exercise that further extends our investigation of the power of pink.

October 24: Chiffon Thomas - Identity Shifts

Chiffon Thomas uses architectural fragments from staircases, windows, and door frames - each embedded with its own history of protecting, framing, or limiting the human body - to create new, boundless environments with his sculptures. Together, the class will explore how Thomas probes memory and trauma, both personal and collective, by reclaiming distressed materials in his artwork. This class will include a gallery tour and lecture in the Studio covering various influences on Chiffon Thomas’ work, from writer Octavia Butler to artists Louis Bourgeois and Martin Puryear.

About the Instructor

Kristen Erickson has been teaching art history and curating exhibitions for the past three decades. She spent eight years working in the curatorial field at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, the Smith College Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art before turning to teaching. Kristen currently teaches art history at Greenwich Academy, where she also runs the campus art gallery. She holds degrees in French and Art History from Vassar College and Oxford University. A resident of Ridgefield, Kristen loves making contemporary art come alive for new audiences.