Release Date: September 27, 2013

Public Programs in Honor of Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections at the National Gallery of Art

Washington, DC—A variety of public programs will celebrate Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, including a public symposium, a colloquium, lectures, a concert, a high school studio workshop, and gallery talks. A variety of related items will be available for sale in the Gallery Shops. 

All programs are free of charge in the East Building Auditorium unless otherwise noted. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Public Symposium

Ways of Seeing Byzantium
Friday, October 18, 2:00–5:00 p.m.
West Building Lecture Hall
Illustrated lectures by Glenn Peers, professor of art and art history, University of Texas, Austin; Bissera Pentcheva, associate professor of art and art history, Stanford University; William Tronzo, professor of visual arts, University of California, San Diego; Alicia Walker, assistant professor of the history of art, Bryn Mawr College

Colloquium

Visualizing Community: City and Village in Byzantine Greece
Friday, November 15, 1:30–5:00 p.m.
Illustrated lectures by Eugenia Gerousi, director, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine antiquities, The Hellenic Ministry of Culture; Ioli Kalavrezou, Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Byzantine Art, Harvard University; Robert Ousterhout, professor of art history and director of the center for ancient studies, University of Pennsylvania; Demetra Papanikola-Bakirtzi, director, The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia
This program is coordinated with and supported by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

Lectures

Introduction to the Exhibition—Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections
Sunday, October 6, 2:00 p.m.
Angelos Delivorrias, director, Benaki Museum;
Maria Andreadaki-Vlazaki, general director of antiquities and cultural heritage, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, Athens
This program is coordinated with and supported by the Embassy of Greece and the Ministry of Culture of Greece.

Witnessing Byzantium: The Greek Perspective
Thursday, October 17, 3:30 p.m.
Sharon E. J. Gerstel, professor of Byzantine art history and archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles
This program is coordinated with and supported by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection

Gifts and Gift Exchanges between Byzantium and Islam
Thursday, December 10, 3:30 p.m.
Anthony Cutler, Evan Pugh Professor of Art History, The Pennsylvania State University

Concert

Cappella Romana
Sunday, October 6, 6:30 p.m.
Music based on Byzantine chant
In honor of Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections
West Building, West Garden Court

High School Studio Workshop

The Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections
January 27, 28, 31
February 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 18, 19
10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Education Studio
These two-part workshops include an in-depth examination and discussion of works of art in the galleries followed by a related one-hour studio activity. Participants will see and discuss objects from the exhibition Heaven and—among them mosaics, icons, manuscripts, jewelry, and ceramics—dating from the fourth to the sixth century. 

Gallery Talks

Regular public tours of Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections will be offered by the adult programs department of the education division. For dates and times, visit http://tinyurl.com/lzvbzab 

Gallery Shops
The special shop created to accompany this exhibition includes an array of richly detailed Byzantine-inspired textiles and jewelry, including pieces in 14-karat gold, period music CDs, scholarly monographs, travel guides, children's activity kits, contemporary and reproduction religious icons, as well as a selection of Greek crafts created by Greek and local artists.