Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417
AMHERST, Mass.-Lisa Friscia, David Holland and Dominique Kaschak, seniors at Amherst College, will present an illustrated lecture entitled “Entranced by the Love of Melody: Musical Iconography and Caricature in Representations of African Americans,” on Friday, April 5, at 4:30 p.m. in Stirn Auditorium. Presented in conjunction with Black Alumni Weekend, the talk will be followed by a reception in the Mead Art Museum. Both events are free and open to the public.
The students will discuss how African Americans were represented in19th-century American genre painting, early American film, and photography from the Harlem Renaissance. Some works, produced between 1830 and 1930, portrayed African Americans with great dignity, while others relied on the stereotypes prevalent at the time. Using works from both outside sources and the collection at the Mead, the lecture will address issues of audience, agency, inclusion and exclusion.
Friscia, from Brooklyn, NY is majoring in American studies and economics. Holland, from Richmond, VA., is an Asian languages and civilizations and economics major. Kaschak is a sociology and French major from Bethesda, MD. They organized this talk through the Department of Fine Arts as part of a special topics course in “African-American Representations.”
This event is sponsored by the Mead Art Museum, the Associates of Fine Arts and the Alumni Office. The Mead Art Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday evenings until 9 p.m. Closed Mondays and holidays. More information can be found on the Museum’s Website or by calling the Mead Art Museum at 413/542-2335.
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