Lenett Lecture On Framing Colonial Albany, At The Clark
WILLIAMSTOWN - Over the past year, 2008 Lenett Fellow Katherine Alcauskas worked with conservators from the Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC) researching an 18th-century portrait of a member of one of Albany, New York's founding families-the Van Rensselaers. On Wednesday, May 7, at 5:30 pm, during the 2008 Judith M. Lenett Memorial Lecture "Framing Colonial Albany," Alcauskas will reveal what she uncovered working on the project. The lecture is free and held at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.Framing Colonial Albany, an exhibition of three works from the Albany Institute of History and Art (AIHA) in Albany, NY on view at the Clark, highlights the findings of a yearlong conservation project exploring itinerant painter Thomas McIlworth, his painting Jeremias Van Rensselaer (1763), and its elaborate frame. In addition to showcasing the conservation efforts, this project uncovers curious similarities with the frame belonging to a Thomas Gainsborough work, and the international connection of a Scottish artist painting members of a prominent Dutch family on British canvas in colonial America. Framing Colonial Albany is on view through July 6.
Alcauskas is the 2008 Lenett Fellow in the Williams Graduate Program in the History of Art. The Judith M. Lenett Memorial Fund was established by the family and friends of the late Ms. Lenett, a candidate for the M.A. degree, class of 1983, to provide lectures and seminars in American art and its conservation. Students with an interest in American art and art conservation enrolled in the graduate program may apply for the fellowship at the end of their first year. The student selected as the Lenett Fellow works with the staff of WACC during his/her second year in the program, culminating in a public lecture in the spring. The Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, the Clark, and WACC jointly administer the Lenett Fellowship.
The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (daily in July and August). Admission is free November 1 through May 31. Admission June 1 through October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and younger, members, and students with valid ID. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit www.clarkart.edu
