Sheldon Museum of Art to present 6 talks on diverse topics

To offer new and diverse views about the arts and society, Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will present six talks and lectures in February and March. Topics featured range from UNL alumnus Aaron Douglas's influence on Afrocentric Modernism to historical jazz films to current works on view in "Shrew'd: The Smart & Sassy Survey of American Women Artists." The talks are free and the public is welcome.

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 5:30 p.m. -- UNL assistant professor Peggy Jones will present a lecture on Douglas, the first African-American graduate of the UNL Department of Art. Titled, "Aaron Douglas, UNL class of 1922: Visual Artist of the Harlem Renaissance." Funding is provided in part by the Nebraska Humanities Council.

Tuesday, March 2, 5:30 p.m. -- Kim Dingle, whose work is featured in the Sheldon exhibition "Shrew'd: The Smart and Sassy Survey of American Artists," speaks about her artwork. Dingle's paintings involve the female childhood and myths of nationhood and history. Funding is provided in part by the Hixson-Lied Endowment.

Friday, March 5, 4 p.m. -- Keynote address for the 2010 No Limits Women's and Gender Studies Conference delivered by Obioma Nnaemeka, professor of French, Women's Studies, and African/African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University as well as the founder and president of the Association of African Women Scholars. The interdisciplinary conference is a student-involved event sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies programs of UNL, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Sunday, March 7, 2 p.m. -- Sheldon director J. Daniel Veneciano examines the exhibition "Shrew'd" on Sheldon Sunday. Funding is provided in part by the Hixson-Lied Endowment.

Monday, March 8, 5:30 p.m. -- Sheldon's Jazz Film Series features short films of musician and arranger Mary Lou Williams and dancer/choreographer Pearl Primus. Farah Jasmine Griffin, professor at Colombia University and author of numerous books on jazz, will discuss the films and answer audience questions. Funding is provided in part by the Nebraska Humanities Council.

Tuesday, March 30, 5 p.m. -- Artist Carrie Mae Weems discusses her work in the exhibition, "Shrew'd." Funding is provided in part by the Sheldon Forum.

These public programs are made possible by grants from the Nebraska Humanities Council, the Hixson-Lied Endowment, the Sheldon Forum, and the Nebraska Arts Council.

Sheldon Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects focusing primarily on American art. Sheldon, 12th and R Streets on the UNL City Campus [map], is open free to the public during regular hours. The museum's hours are: Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Mondays. For information or to arrange a tour, call (402) 472-4524. Additional information is available at www.sheldon.unl.edu.