For Immediate Release
October 17, 2024
CLARK ART INSTITUTE HOSTS TALK
BY AUTHOR SARAH ELIZABETH LEWIS
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Saturday, November 16 at 3 pm, the Clark Art Institute hosts a lecture by Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities and Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and bestselling author and public intellectual, writing for the New York Times and The New Yorker, among others. This free event takes place in the Manton Research Center auditorium.
In this presentation, Lewis reads from her new book, The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America, which explores how the fight for independence in the Caucasus that coincided with the end of the U.S. Civil War revealed the instability of the entire regime of racial hierarchy and domination. Images of the Caucasus region and peoples captivated the American public but also showed that the place from which we derive “Caucasian” for whiteness was not white at all. In tracing these fault lines, The Unseen Truth illuminates how visual culture—from paintings to photographs to maps—was used to mask the fictions in the formation of race itself. Ultimately, a new regime of visual literacy came to obscure the specious grounds that legitimated racial hierarchy in America. Lewis discusses what this critical moment in the history of race and sight can tell us, and offers the tools to critically examine the silences in visual culture of all kinds.
Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. A book signing follows the talk. Copies of Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America will be available for purchase at the talk and in the Museum Store.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of some 300,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free January through March and is $20 from March through December; admission is free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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