In three to four 90-minute sessions, these in-depth explorations cover history, science, literature, music, politics and more, allowing you to join experts and peers who share your interests.
Dr. Madeline Rislow, Department of Media, Art & Design and
Curator/Sr. Manager of Learning & Engagement, The National Museum of Toys & Miniatures
Tuesdays, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
March 24 & 31 and April 7 & 14
UMKC Administrative Center, Brookside Room
$50 ($70 with parking permit)
This 4-session course will examine late Italian Renaissance art framed by the rivalry among Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo (1475-1564), Raphael (1483-1520), and Titian (c. 1485/90-1576). Each session will focus on one of these four artists and their artworks that can still be seen today in Florence, Rome, and Venice, as well as in major art museum collections around the world. Utilizing primary sources, like Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects (1550, 1568), as well as poems and letters written by the artists themselves, we will explore how their competitive natures and egos led them to be the most successful artists of their time. We will consider a variety of issues including technique, stylistic change, and patronage, as we learn about these artists and this intense period of artistic change in Italy.
Dr. Owen Belcher, Associate Professor of Music Theory
UMKC Conservatory
Thursdays, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
April 23 & 30 and May 7 & 14
UMKC Administrative Center, Plaza Room
$50 ($70 with parking permit)
This course explores the major musical forms of Mozart’s era and offers a way for listeners to hear and think about musical form that is historically informed and dynamic. No musical experience is required! The course will begin with a consideration of small forms (binary and ternary), then move to larger forms such as the rondo and sonata. We’ll learn that there are many types of sonata forms, not just staid “textbook” templates, and that they appear in all sorts of musical genres, from string quartets to opera scenes. Along the way, we’ll listen to a lot of music! The goal is to come away with a fresh way to listen to some of Western society’s most influential and memorable music.