February 28, 2025
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ (MCLA) MOSAIC will host a lecture titled "Looking at Rembrandt with Roland Barthes and Derek Walcott" by Caroline Fowler at 5:30 p.m. on March 5.
Part of the ongoing Politics of the Visual lecture series, Fowler’s talk will examine
how race has shaped interpretations of Dutch painting since the 20th century. She
will highlight the contributions of Saint Lucian poet Derek Walcott, who she argues
is an overlooked theorist of Dutch art, and discuss how his insights into 17th-century
Dutch visual culture remain relevant today.
Fowler is the Starr Director of the Research and Academic Program at the Clark Art
Institute and the author of Slavery and the Invention of Dutch Art (Duke University
Press, 2025), which explores how the transubstantiation of life into property transformed
the Dutch visual economy.
The Politics of the Visual lecture series, organized by MCLA Associate Professor of
English and Visual Culture Dr. Victoria Papa, explores the power structures of perception,
representation, and spectacle in contemporary culture. Past lectures in the series
have included Technologies of Magic: Contemporary Artists and Rituals, Talismans,
and Folklore by Alexandra Foradas and What Lies at the Intersection of Land Ownership
and Documentary Poetics by Anaïs Duplan.
Upcoming Events in the Politics of the Visual Lecture Series
March 27– 5:30 p.m.: "For Some Strange Reason It Had to Be": Radcliffe Bailey's Visual Aesthetic
Remixes – Nikki A. Greene
Greene, an associate professor of art history at Wellesley College, is the author
of Grime, Glitter, and Glass: The Body and The Sonic in Contemporary Black Art (Duke
University Press, 2024). Her work explores the intersection of Black identity, the
body, and sonic influences in contemporary art.
April 9– 5:30 p.m.: The Acid Queen: The Counterculture Rebellion and Psychedelic Life of
Rosemary Woodruff Leary – Susannah Cahalan
Cahalan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for Brain on Fire and The
Great Pretender. She will discuss the untold story of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, a central
figure in the 1960s psychedelic movement.
The event is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by Hardman Special Initiatives
and MOSAIC at MCLA. The MOSAIC event space is located at 49 Main St., North Adams,
Mass.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we’re here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught
by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive
on every level of their lives. In every way possible, the experience at MCLA is designed
to elevate our students as individuals, leaders, and communicators, fully empowered
to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 130-year commitment to
public education, we have fortified our dedication to equitable academic excellence.
MCLA has appeared on U.S. News & World Report’s list of Top Ten Public Colleges for
10 consecutive years, earning the No. 6 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts
Schools in the nation for 2025, after earning the No. 7 spot the prior three years.
The College’s focus on affordable education and economic prosperity is reflected in
additional 2025 U.S. News rankings: No. 5 for Top Performer on Social Mobility for
liberal arts colleges in the state and No. 2 for Top Performer on Social Mobility
for public liberal arts colleges in the country. These rankings measure how well schools
graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants. Learn more at www.mcla.edu.
