News and Events
Jamaica Kincaid: American Pictures Distinguished Lecture Series
April 11, 2009
The second event of this year's American Pictures series at the Smithsonian featured writer Jamaica Kincaid. A large group from Washington College attended.
This semester, Donald McColl and Adam Goodheart are teaching an "American Pictures" course based on the series, in which students learn to look, interpret, and riff on individual artworks just as the guest speakers do. For the last six weeks of the class, each one focuses on an individual picture, of his or her choosing, in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum or the National Portrait Gallery. As part of this assignment, the students sketched their chosen paintings "from life" while at the museum.
Click to enlarge photos.
Hoitt McAllister '12 sketches his picture, James Hamilton's "Burning Oil Well at Night, near Rouseville, Pennsylvania" (1861).
Molly O'Connell '10 and James Schelberg '11 in front of Schelberg's picture, Henry Brown Fuller's "Illusions" (c. 1901).
Rebecca Davis '09.
Washington College guests and members of the public line up for the event. On the wall is Shepherd Fairey's portrait of President Barack Obama, recently acquired by the National Portrait Gallery.
Kent County historian and musician Karen Somerville chats with Pat Gladu, lecturer in Biology.
Washington College guests Janice Dickson, Larry Schroth, Connie Schroth, Professor Emeritus Colin Dickson, and Carl Gallegos.
Jill Ogline and Adam Goodheart of the Starr Center with Sean Meehan, assistant professor of English.
Jim Schelberg and Benjy Duke '10 compare their sketches.
Duke drew Alexandre Hogue's "Dust Bowl" (1932).
Preston Hildebrand '12, McAllister, Davis, and Joshua Ackerman '09 await the beginning of the program.
Ruth Shoge, director of Miller Library, with Donald McColl, chair of the Department of Art and Art History. Shoge teaches Jamaica Kincaid's books in her Caribbean literature course at Washington College.
Molly O'Connell with her grandfather, John F. O'Connell.
Former Washington College first lady Libby Cater Halaby.
Kincaid spoke about Edward Lamson Henry's 1889 painting "Kept In," which recalled strong memories of her childhood in Antigua.
Kincaid said that seeing a postcard the painting when she was a young woman helped inspire her to write her most famous novel, Annie John.
Kincaid sang a song from her childhood as she showed a picture of her 7-year-old self in school uniform.
She also shared snapshots from her days as a young woman newly arrived in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s.
Kincaid signs autographs for two of her readers.
Kincaid joins Washington College students, faculty, and staff in the museum's courtyard after her talk.
Libby Cater Halaby chats after the talk with the Starr Center's Adam Goodheart, director of the American Pictures series, and Susan Stamberg, cultural correspondent for National Public Radio.
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