2011-2012 Lectures
We strive to hold true to our commitment in providing the Ocean Reef Community with
art education and to promote active participation in our community to achieve focus on the arts as an important
segment of the cultural landscape. If you have any interest in sponsoring upcoming lectures or if you have any
suggestions for the programs to come, please contact Sherri Harris.
This season the Art League is pleased to present the following lectures:
MICHAEL CONNORS presents THE SPLENDOR OF CUBA
Tuesday, January 31 4:00 pm
At the Cultural Center
Join us as Dr. Michael Connors walks us through the beauty of Cuba. Michael Connors has over thirty years of
experience in writing, consultation, appraisals, and teaching in fine and decorative arts fields. An antiquarian in
the true sense of the word, Dr. Connors
received a Master of Fine Arts and a Ph.D. in Decorative Arts from New York University. Dr. Connors was an
adjunct professor of arts at New York University where he has moderated, as a conference director, three
symposia including most recently “300 Years of
New York Furniture.” He taught decorative arts and appraisal methodology at New York University and furniture
courses at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
An expert on the authenticity and evaluation of investment quality period furniture,
Dr. Connors, a Senior Member of the American Society of Appraisers, is a key
resource to dealers, designers, private collectors and museums looking for absolute integrity in European,
American and Colonial West Indian furniture. He has appraised the
furniture and decorative arts of the United States Supreme Court Collection and the Diplomat Room Collection in
Washington, D.C. As a liaison to Baker Furniture Company,
he has consulted on the design of two furniture lines: The West Indies Collection (1995) and Colonial Legends
(2002) in which he used technique, style, and craftsmanship of the Colonial Trade esthetic. He also serves on the
board of trustees of the Whim Museum
in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he is Chairman of Collections. He is a consultant for an international list of
interior designers and architects, and isa frequent lecturer at museums, educational and retail institutions.
Dr. Connors` first three books on colonial West Indian architecture and decorative arts,
Caribbean Elegance , Cuban Elegance, and French Island Elegance, were all published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Dr. Connors’ fourth book, Maisons des Antilles, was published by the French publisher Flammarion, and his fifth
and sixth books, Caribbean Houses:
History, Style, and Architecture and British West Indies Style were published by Rizzoli International Publications,
Inc. in 2009 and 2010 respectively. His most recent book The Splendor of Cuba: 450 Years of Architecture and is
being released in the fall of 2011. Dr. Connors is a contributor to numerous trade journals, including The
Magazine Antiques,
Art & Antiques, Antiques and Fine Art, Furniture History: The Journal of the Furniture History Society and Maine
Antique Digest. Book signing from 5:00-5:30 with a wine and hors d’oeuvre reception immediately following at the
Art League.
Marlisa Post presents, "One Thousand Years of Architecture in One Hour"
Monday, February 13 4:00 pm
Location to be determined
With almost 20 years of experience lecturing on the history of art, from cave to
contemporary, Marlisa Post will focus one riveting hour on architecture as a cultural reflector and a hallmark of
humanity’s achievements.
While we rarely give the label “art” to the buildings, some truly represent the pinnacle
of human vision and innovation. From the breathtaking Gothic cathedrals, through the clean lines of Frank Lloyd
Wright’s Prairie Style homes, to the twisting forms of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, this overview of
the history of architecture will
focus on the influences of culture and technology on the structures that surround
us.
Marlisa has worked at the Tuscson Museum of Art; The Kreeger Museum in Washington DC, and the Reading
Public Museum in Reading, PA. She has been an adjunct faculty member at the Kutztown University and Alvernia
University as well.
Join us afterward at the Art League for a special Show Opening featuring the works of Tommy Simpson, renown
sculptor, painter, furniture builder and writer.
art education and to promote active participation in our community to achieve focus on the arts as an important
segment of the cultural landscape. If you have any interest in sponsoring upcoming lectures or if you have any
suggestions for the programs to come, please contact Sherri Harris.
This season the Art League is pleased to present the following lectures:
MICHAEL CONNORS presents THE SPLENDOR OF CUBA
Tuesday, January 31 4:00 pm
At the Cultural Center
Join us as Dr. Michael Connors walks us through the beauty of Cuba. Michael Connors has over thirty years of
experience in writing, consultation, appraisals, and teaching in fine and decorative arts fields. An antiquarian in
the true sense of the word, Dr. Connors
received a Master of Fine Arts and a Ph.D. in Decorative Arts from New York University. Dr. Connors was an
adjunct professor of arts at New York University where he has moderated, as a conference director, three
symposia including most recently “300 Years of
New York Furniture.” He taught decorative arts and appraisal methodology at New York University and furniture
courses at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
An expert on the authenticity and evaluation of investment quality period furniture,
Dr. Connors, a Senior Member of the American Society of Appraisers, is a key
resource to dealers, designers, private collectors and museums looking for absolute integrity in European,
American and Colonial West Indian furniture. He has appraised the
furniture and decorative arts of the United States Supreme Court Collection and the Diplomat Room Collection in
Washington, D.C. As a liaison to Baker Furniture Company,
he has consulted on the design of two furniture lines: The West Indies Collection (1995) and Colonial Legends
(2002) in which he used technique, style, and craftsmanship of the Colonial Trade esthetic. He also serves on the
board of trustees of the Whim Museum
in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he is Chairman of Collections. He is a consultant for an international list of
interior designers and architects, and isa frequent lecturer at museums, educational and retail institutions.
Dr. Connors` first three books on colonial West Indian architecture and decorative arts,
Caribbean Elegance , Cuban Elegance, and French Island Elegance, were all published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Dr. Connors’ fourth book, Maisons des Antilles, was published by the French publisher Flammarion, and his fifth
and sixth books, Caribbean Houses:
History, Style, and Architecture and British West Indies Style were published by Rizzoli International Publications,
Inc. in 2009 and 2010 respectively. His most recent book The Splendor of Cuba: 450 Years of Architecture and is
being released in the fall of 2011. Dr. Connors is a contributor to numerous trade journals, including The
Magazine Antiques,
Art & Antiques, Antiques and Fine Art, Furniture History: The Journal of the Furniture History Society and Maine
Antique Digest. Book signing from 5:00-5:30 with a wine and hors d’oeuvre reception immediately following at the
Art League.
Marlisa Post presents, "One Thousand Years of Architecture in One Hour"
Monday, February 13 4:00 pm
Location to be determined
With almost 20 years of experience lecturing on the history of art, from cave to
contemporary, Marlisa Post will focus one riveting hour on architecture as a cultural reflector and a hallmark of
humanity’s achievements.
While we rarely give the label “art” to the buildings, some truly represent the pinnacle
of human vision and innovation. From the breathtaking Gothic cathedrals, through the clean lines of Frank Lloyd
Wright’s Prairie Style homes, to the twisting forms of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, this overview of
the history of architecture will
focus on the influences of culture and technology on the structures that surround
us.
Marlisa has worked at the Tuscson Museum of Art; The Kreeger Museum in Washington DC, and the Reading
Public Museum in Reading, PA. She has been an adjunct faculty member at the Kutztown University and Alvernia
University as well.
Join us afterward at the Art League for a special Show Opening featuring the works of Tommy Simpson, renown
sculptor, painter, furniture builder and writer.