Art History   

From the Declaration of Independence, through war and depression; from rural life to city life; from Trumbull to Popeye to Warhol - become enlightened by the impact American history has had on art, and how art has influenced Americans for 250 years. Every painting has a story (or stories), and every painting in this course is a story of us.

Every painting tells a story. How do you look at paintings? What do you see? Would the historical context matter? Would you like to develop observational skills for describing and interpreting paintings? Can you appreciate art even if it doesn't appeal to you? Come and explore art in history, especially if this is something new for you.

From stirring battlefield paintings to protest songs that echo through generations, art has long been intertwined with the history of war and peace. In this thought-provoking four-hour course, explore how life imitates art and art imitates life, and the powerful role both have played in shaping public perception, inspiring action, and even influencing the course of conflicts. Journey through the works of visual and musical artists from the 19th to the 21st centuries, discovering how creative expression has at times fueled patriotic fervor and, at other times, become a rallying cry for peace.

Your guide is a talented OTOW resident artist who has frequently used his own work as a voice against war and in service of political expression- always with the intention of fostering harmony, understanding, and healing. This is more than a history lesson; it is an invitation to see the arts as a mirror, a megaphone, and a bridge between worlds.

Over the course of eight years, Architect Frank Lloyd Wright built an impressive hotel for the Emperor of Japan. Through hundreds of historic photos and eyewitness accounts, Master Storyteller Timothy Totten recounts the origins of the project, reveals the extensive design work that detailed the enormous hotel, and reconstructs with a digital artist this masterpiece of Tokyo architecture lost to history and the wrecking ball.

Every painting tells a story. How do you look at paintings? What do you see? Would the historical context matter? Would you like to develop observational skills for describing and interpreting paintings? Can you appreciate art even if it doesn't appeal to you? Come and explore art in history, especially if this is something new for you.

A controversial design for an unusual art collection, the Guggenheim Museum took famed American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright more than 2 decades to realize, with his death coming 6 months shy of the unique building's completion. Storyteller Timothy Totten will bring to life the tortured and unique story of the controversial museum through 100+ pictures and more than a dozen fascinating accounts by the players involved.

From the Declaration of Independence, through war and depression; from rural life to city life; from Trumbull to Popeye to Warhol - become enlightened by the impact American history has had on art, and how art has influenced Americans for 250 years. Every painting has a story (or stories), and every painting in this course is a story of us.

Join us for a virtual tour of one of the most powerful art experiences of our time- a walk through of the Imagining Freedom Gallery at the Norman Rockwell Museum, featuring the works of Norman Rockwell, one of America's most beloved and influential artists. Witness the stories of everyday Americans as Rockwell saw them: honest, hopeful, and deeply human.

Together, we'll explore themed rooms such as:
* U.S. American Life Before WWII
*FDR's Four Freedoms
*Rockwell's Four Freedoms on Tour

Note: This is not a virtual live walk through the exhibits, however an actual visual experience with commentary on great Norman Rockwell paintings, which documents the American experience.