History   

In 1967, the Summer of Love was a cultural revolution that was the defining moment in the overall counterculture movement that lasted into the 1970s. It represented a large-scale public expression of alternative values and lifestyles that challenged mainstream society, particularly through its embrace of peace, love, and free expression, centered in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Discover the music, fashion, art, and key figures and movements that shaped the era while examining its darker side and enduring legacy.

In a largely illiterate world, seminal stories and messages had to be communicated through visuals. The resplendent stained glass of parish churches and soaring cathedrals served as vehicles for these narratives, from Biblical stories to saints’ lives to even the quotidian lives of guild members. This lecture will showcase the splendor and stories encased in the lead-framed stained glass windows all across medieval Europe—a treat for the spirit as well as the eye!

With spring as our backdrop, we will explore eight timeless myths of gods and mortals—tales of love, transformation, and the changing of seasons—brought to life through Western art. From Psyche and Cupid to Persephone’s return from the underworld, the fleeting beauty of Hyacinth, and the fateful race of Atalanta, these stories symbolize renewal and rebirth, and along with countless other Greek and Roman myths, they have inspired a multitude of works of art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art alone holds over 14,000 related works. This lecture features more than 100 artworks from private collections and over 90 museums, including the Louvre, the Prado, the Tate, and the Met. Join us for a journey through myth and masterpiece, where gods and mortals meet in moments of passion, metamorphosis, and the eternal cycle of nature.