Getty Villa Offers Free Events in May and June 2019

Getty Villa kicks off summer 2019 with a lineup of free talks, performances, courses, and family activities

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Apr 23, 2019

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The Getty Villa kicks off summer 2019 with a lineup of free talks, performances, courses, and family activities in May and June.

May 2019

The Villa Council Presents: Personal Data, Online Privacy, and Fake News—According to the Greeks

A Lecture by Artist and Writer Paul Chan

Sunday, May 5, 2019, 3pm
Villa Auditorium
Free—Advance ticket required

Can Classical philosophers like Epictetus and Aristotle shed light on some of the most pernicious elements in online culture today? Artist and writer Paul Chan leads us on an idiosyncratic tour of Greek writers and thinkers who grappled with something similar to what we would call “our data” today. Homer and Plato, as well as later thinkers like Pliny and Thomas Aquinas, make appearances. Along the way, Chan reveals how art offers us a unique way of becoming more vigilant against data thieves and fake news makers, then and now.

Paul Chan is an artist, writer, and publisher who lives in New York. He is the winner of the Hugo Boss Prize in 2014, a biennial award honoring artists who have made a visionary contribution to contemporary art. His work has been exhibited widely in many international shows including: Plato in LA at the Getty Villa; Documenta 13, Kassel, Germany; and Making Worlds, 53rd Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy. A mid-career survey was mounted by Schaulager in Basel, Switzerland in 2014. Last year he had a solo exhibition titled Odysseus and the Bathers at the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens.

Learn more about the Villa Council Presents lecture by Paul Chan.

Bodies of Evidence: Living Art at the Getty Villa

Saturday, May 18 &19, 2019, 10am–4pm
Free—Advance Villa entry ticket required

Renowned body painter Trina Merry connects the ancient fascination with the human figure to the art of optical illusion as she uses the human body as a canvas for exploring the intriguing forms, textures, and patterns of the Getty Villa. In this daylong demonstration, observe live models being painted from head to toe, then discover site-specific interventions that transform the site as bodies morph into artworks, disappear into the architecture, and emerge from the Villa’s gardens.

Learn more about the Bodies of Evidence talk.

Antiquities in Motion: From Excavation Sites to Renaissance Collections

Monday, May 20, 2019, 7:30pm
Villa Auditorium
Free—Advance ticket required

How did ancient objects make their way from discovery to display in early modern Rome? Art historian Barbara Furlotti reconstructs the long and often complicated journey of artworks from excavation sites to elite Renaissance collections. She examines the cast of characters responsible for bringing antiquities to market, from laborers at dig sites and cunning dealers at marketplaces, to skilled restorers who cleaned and repaired the pieces to the well-read antiquarians who gave them new layers of meaning.

Barbara Furlotti is associate lecturer at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, England. Her research interests include the history of collecting, antiquarianism, and the art market in Renaissance Italy. She is the author of A Renaissance Baron and His Possessions: Paolo Giordano I Orsini, Duke of Bracciano (1541–1585), and she contributed to the Getty publication Display of Art in the Roman Palace, 1550–1750. Her latest publication Antiquities in Motion: From Excavation Sites to Renaissance Collections is available June 2019 from Getty Publications.

Learn more about the Antiquities in Motion talk.

Family Floralia Workshop

Saturdays, May 25 & June 8, 2019, 11am–3pm
Villa Herb Garden
Free—Advance Villa entry ticket required

Learn more about the Family Floralia Workshop.

Discover the sights, textures, and fragrances of history during this all-ages Roman Garden workshop. To celebrate the ancient season of Floralia—in honor of the Roman goddess Flora—explore the Villa gardens with your family, discover beautiful flowers, then make seed balls to grow an ancient garden of your own. This is a free, drop-in program.

Drawing from Antiquity: Flowering Plants

Saturday, May 25, 2019, 11am–12:30pm
Museum Galleries
Free—Advance Villa entry ticket required

Take part in the centuries-old tradition of sketching from ancient works by drawing from the Museum’s collection and sights at the Getty Villa. The colors and smells of flowering plants provide beauty and inspiration, and ancient Romans surrounded themselves with lovely flowers just as we do today. Find your creativity in the gardens of the Getty Villa and draw a variety of blooms using watercolor pencils. Supplies are provided, and all skill levels are welcome. Sign up begins 15 minutes before the start of the program at the Tour Meeting Place. This is a free program.

Learn more about Drawing from Antiquity: Flowering Plants.

In TOUCH with Antiquity: Greek Vases

Saturdays & Sundays, May 4–26, 2019, 11am & 2pm
Free—Advance Villa entry ticket required

How were Greek vases made? Find out in this multisensory session exploring Greek black and red-figure styles. Examine and touch ancient vase fragments to learn how archaeologists and art historians gain important information from even small pieces of a broken vessel. Handle tools and materials similar to those used by ancient potters and painters, and identify vase shapes and the different painting techniques employed by artists. This is a free, drop-in program.

Learn more about IN TOUCH with Antiquity: Greek Vases.

June 2019

What Can the Ancient World Teach Us about Feminism?

Tuesday, June 4, 2019, 7:30pm
Co-presented with Zócalo Public Square
The Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater
Free—Advance ticket required

We tend to think of women’s liberation as starting in the 19th century and of feminism building in waves through the 20th century. But women throughout the ages have found ways to advance themselves and protect their rights even under the most oppressive circumstances. How did women in ancient societies carve out roles for themselves, resist misogyny, and defend themselves against discrimination? University of Miami archaeologist and editor of Ancient Maya Women Traci Ardren, UC Santa Barbara classicist and scholar of ancient Greek literature Helen Morales, and Cal State L.A. historian of premodern China Ping Yao consider how ancient women empowered themselves long before contemporary movements. Moderated by Madeleine Brand, host of KCRW’s “Press Play.”

Learn more about this panel on women in the ancient world.

Powerful Protectors: Magic in the Roman World

Saturday, June 15, 2019, 11am–3pm
Villa Education Court
Free—Advance Villa entry ticket required

Through magical chants and special objects, ancient Romans harnessed the forces of nature and asked supernatural beings to bring good fortune and protection. In this interactive family workshop, customize a personal power pouch, write a message to a helpful guardian, and join in theatrical play with actress Beth Kennedy to activate the magic!

Learn more about the Powerful Protectors program.

Drawing from Antiquity: Water

Saturday, June 29, 2019, 11am–12:30pm
Museum Galleries
Free—Advance Villa entry ticket required

Take part in the centuries-old tradition of sketching from ancient works by drawing from the Museum’s collection and sights at the Getty Villa. The gardens of the Getty Villa feature an array of fountains, pools, and simple bubbling basins. Enjoy the beauty of the gardens and the many sounds of running water, and learn special techniques to draw the refreshing water feature of your choice. Supplies are provided, and all skill levels are welcome. Sign-up begins 15 minutes before the start of the program at the Tour Meeting Place. This is a free program.

Learn more about Drawing from Antiquity: Water.

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