Study Group Details
1520: Art in Conversation
Tuesday9:45 - 11:15
Starting June 04
Online
Explore artworks at The Phillips Collection, the first museum of modern art in America. As we look closely at works of art, we will discover how founder Duncan Phillips’ vision in 1921 continues today in the museum’s curatorial choices and community projects. Duncan Phillips wanted to create a "small intimate museum of the world’s best art combined with an experiment station," which would "avoid the usual period rooms—the chronological sequence."
Each week, guided by museum educators, participants will discuss two artworks, sharing observations, questions, and information while entering into creative conversations with each other and the artworks, in the spirit of Duncan Phillips, who brought together works of art for "the purpose of contrast and analogy."
This course, three virtual meetings on Zoom and one in-person visit to the museum, is designed and co-led by three Phillips educators, Donna Jonte, Carla White Freyvogel, and Kelly Abdul-Richman. See below for the location/time of each class session.
- Session 1: Online (9:45 AM)
- Session 2: Online (9:45 AM)
- Session 3: Online (9:45 AM)
- Session 4: In-person at The Phillips Collection (10:00 AM-12:00 PM)
Directions:
The Phillips Collection is located at 1600 21st Street, NW. Participants can either take the metro or drive. If taking the metro, take the Red line to Dupont Circle, North exit. Walk one block on Q Street NW towards 21st Street (to the left at the top of the escalator) to the museum. If driving, there is a limited two-hour street parking on 21st?Street and nearby. There are a few metered parking spaces in front of the museum and a pay lot across from Teaism on R Street—about a block and a half from the museum.
This study group is a repeat with revisions
Class Type: Lecture and Discussion
Class Format: Online
Hours of Reading: No required reading
Study Group Leader(s):
Donna Jonte
Donna Jonte, Head of Experiential Learning at The Phillips Collection, is especially interested in integrating mindful-looking into museum experiences. She works with all audiences, from PreK to adults, developing and implementing programs that link art and wellness and combine viewing art, talking about art, and making art. Before coming to the Phillips, she was an editor for a literary magazine and an elementary-school art teacher. Donna received her Masters in English Literature from Mills College in California and her Masters in Teaching from George Mason University in Virginia. As well as exploring museum education and creating artist books, she loves to hike in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains with her two adult children and five sisters.
Kelly Richman-Abdou is a museum professional based in Washington, DC. Born and raised in San Francisco, she has also lived in London, where she worked as an art writer, and Paris, where she gave private tours of Notre-Dame Cathedral. She holds a BA in art history from the University of San Francisco and an MA in art and museum studies from Georgetown University. Now, in addition to her role as an Educator at the Phillips Collection, she is a doctoral candidate in art history at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, where she specializes in modern American art from the early 20th century.
Carla White Freyvogel, an educator with more than 20 years experience teaching in Washington, DC museums, has a degree in art history from Oberlin College. She engages audiences with an interactive approach that integrates movement, writing exercises, sensory games, and collaboration. As a Philips Educator, Carla not only designs and gives tours for all museum audiences, but also writes for The Experiment Station, the blog of The Phillips Collection. Her writings explore the intersection of visual art and popular culture and the influence of that relationship to teaching in a museum. Carla enthusiastically embraces a life of health, wellness, and fitness. She enjoys spending time with her family, writing, cooking, and being active outdoors.