WHEN ARTISTS SHOUT: Social and Political Commentary in Western Art – A Lecture by Marcy B. Freedman

Join us Wednesday, June 8, 2022 for light refreshments at 6:30pm and Lecture by Marcy B. Freedman at 7pm

For centuries, art has been used for a multitude of purposes, often serving the needs of powerful religious and political institutions.  But it has also been used to express the thoughts and feelings of artists who wish to speak out against the injustices that they have witnessed or experienced.

In this lecture, Marcy B. Freedman will focus upon some of the many artists who have addressed their opposition to war, gender inequality, and racism.  She will share images dating from antiquity to the 19^th century, in order to set the stage for the revolutionary work of Goya.  From there, she will proceed into the 20^th and 21^st centuries, highlighting the work of artists who are not content to “paint pretty pictures.”  Among the artists to be discussed are Max Beckmann, Kathe Kollwitz, Judy Chicago, Barbara Kruger, The Guerilla Girls, David Hammons, and Kara Walker.  For these brave and talented individuals, art is a powerful tool, and they wield it with conviction.

Marcy B. Freedman is an artist and art historian.  Her academic background includes an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and master’s degree from Princeton University.

As an art historian, Freedman has taught in colleges and universities, given public lectures, and curated exhibitions. As an artist, she has worked with a wide range of mediums, from painting, drawing, and collage to photography, video, and performance art.  Her works have been shown in more than 400 exhibitions, and she has performed extensively in the tri-state area.  For decades, Freedman explored the realms of abstraction and conceptual art.  However, since 2016, she has focused upon social and political issues, addressing these topics in her solo work and in her collaborations with other artists.