NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) announced the launch of its 2024-25 lecture series, Politics of the Visual, organized by MCLA Associate Professor of English & Visual Culture Victoria Papa, and supported by Hardman Special Initiatives and MOSAIC. 

 

According to a press release, this series will explore questions about the political dimensions of visuality, the power structures behind perception, and the phenomena of spectacle in contemporary culture. 

 

Kicking off in October 2024 and continuing through April 2025, the series will feature leading scholars, artists, and curators, who will dive into the intersections of art, politics, and society. All events are free, open to the public, and will be

held at the MOSAIC Events Space, located at 49 Main St. in North Adams. 

 

Fall 2024 Events 

 

Technologies of Magic: Contemporary Artists and Rituals, Talismans, and Folklore

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, 6:30 PM 

Alexandra Foradas (MASS MoCA) 

 

Alexandra Foradas, an art historian and curator at MASS MoCA, will explore how contemporary artists engage with rituals and folklore in their works, reflecting on exhibitions like Like Magic and Deep Water. Foradas also teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). 

 

What Lies at the Intersection of Land Ownership and Documentary Poetics 

Thursday, November 7, 2024, 5:30 PM 

Anaïs Duplan (Bennington College) 

 

Anaïs Duplan, a trans* poet and artist, will present on the connections between land ownership and documentary poetics. Duplan is the author of "Blackspace: On the Poetics of an Afrofuture" and is a professor at Bennington College. 

 

 

Spring 2025 Events 

 

Looking at Rembrandt with Roland Barthes and Derek Walcott 

Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 5:30 PM 

Caroline Fowler (Clark Art Institute) 

 

Caroline Fowler, the Starr Director at the Clark Art Institute, will explore the intersections of Rembrandt's works with the writings of Roland Barthes and Derek Walcott, with a focus on her upcoming book,

Slavery and the Invention of Dutch Art. 

 

For some strange reason it had to be": Radcliffe Bailey's Visual Aesthetic Remixes" 

Thursday, March 27, 2025, 5:30 PM 

Nikki Greene (Wellesley College) 

 

Nikki Greene, Associate Professor at Wellesley College, will discuss the work of Radcliffe Bailey, highlighting the intersection of black identity, the body, and sound in contemporary art. 

 

The Acid Queen: The Counterculture Rebellion and Psychedelic Life of Rosemary Woodruff Leary 

 

April 2025, Date TBA 

Susannah Cahalan (Author & Journalist) 

 

Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire, will present on the countercultural and psychedelic history of Rosemary Woodruff Leary.