Libation Lecture: An Interactive Guide to Abstract Expressionism

Join us for a lecture series offering an educational twist to the traditional happy hour. Each lecture will explore an aspect of the amazing art and featured artists from various Fine Arts Center exhibitions served up with a themed drink to help you dive deep into the topic.

This lecture coincides with Action/Abstraction Redefined, an exhibition currently on view at the FAC.

For many years I had a secret: to understand works of art, I would have to dance them. Discreetly, of course, or risk being thrown out of the museum. While I felt my tendencies to boogie down (at least mentally) to works ranging from classical sculptures and Abstract Expressionist paintings co-existed harmoniously with my formal education as an art historian and curator, I never admitted out loud that my first response to a cascade of drapery or an abstract swoop of paint was to breathe and (subtly) move my way into the form. Years later, I was surprised to learn that I am not alone: many art theorists, philosophers, and psychologists have investigated in detail how our instinctive physical responses to works of art provide us with critical information about what we see. In this gently interactive session, I will share some of the theories and practices that explore how leaning into this innate intelligence of our bodies can enrich our viewing experiences of art.

Themed drink: Tequila sunrise

Lecturer: Jessica Hunter, Ph.D.: Associate Director of Creativity & Innovation at Colorado College