The Great Sphinx of Giza was built during the Old Kingdom in Egypt between 2520 and 2494 BCE. Judith Reynolds will include its story in her Feb. 27 session of “Art as a Matter of Life and Death” at the Durango Arts Center.
The Great Sphinx of Giza was built during the Old Kingdom in Egypt between 2520 and 2494 BCE. Judith Reynolds will include its story in her Feb. 27 session of “Art as a Matter of Life and Death” at the Durango Arts Center.Courtesy of Judith Reynolds

The opening one-hour presentation of a seven-part pilot project is free and starts at 4 p.m.

Reynolds is an art historian, journalist and political cartoonist who freelances for The Durango Herald. She’s also an adjunct professor at Fort Lewis College where she has recently taught the survey course Caves to Cathedrals. The new DAC offering is a first for the center.

The title of the series is “Art as a Matter of Life and Death,” and the first two presentations (Thursday and Feb. 20) will concentrate on artworks under that umbrella. In the free introductory session, Reynolds will focus on guardian figures, artworks intended to protect and defend. The second presentation will look more closely at art objects created as agents of control over the mystery of life and death.

A summary of the remaining sessions:

Feb. 27: Art as a matter of power and status will look at political art and include examples from Babylon to our own century.

March 6: Art as a matter of beauty and perfection will range over the art of ancient Greece to the high Renaissance and ask why there is so little contemporary art today which we would instantly deem beautiful.

March 13: Art as a matter of taste will look at the emergence of genres like still life, landscape and portraiture and consider how collecting art became a middle class phenomenon that persists today.

March 20: Art as a matter of personal expression will focus on the immense influence of the Romantic movement on the production and popularity of fine art up to an including our own era.

March 27: Art as a matter of exploration will look at the revolutionary aspects of modern art that disturb and puzzle most people.

Reynolds will pose questions and urge participants to think about the big themes and the purposes of art. She also will urge participants to develop the habit of open observation followed by critical thinking.

Although the introductory session is free, donations to DAC will be welcome. All proceeds from donations to course fees go to the DAC Education Program as Reynolds is contributing her services for this pilot project. Each class will begin with a one-hour presentation followed by 30 minutes for discussion. Those interested in attending the full course may sign up for the six remaining sessions or drop in on individual classes.

If successful, a second course next year might cover art as a matter of belief, conscience, decoration, fantasy, protest and possibly satire.

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If you go

All sessions begin at 4 p.m. Thursdays at Durango Arts Center, 802 East Second Ave. Fees for the course are $60 for DAC members, $75 for others. Single session drop-ins are $15.
For more information, call 259-2606 or visit www.durangoarts.org.