As a benefit, all members of the Flint Institute of Arts are invited to members-only previews of temporary exhibitions. These private events begin with a lecture by either the featured artist or a scholar knowledgeable about the artist and his or her work. The lecture is then followed by a reception with refreshments and the opportunity for members to preview the special exhibition prior to its opening to the public the next day.

At the highest levels of membership ($1,000 and above), the Rubens Society members are invited to three special and exclusive events each year. These include: dinner in the fall with the speaker following the Thompson Lecture, the Holiday Dinner, which is an elegant black tie event held in December, and a tour of a private or public art collection in the spring. Members have the opportunity to explore the visual arts in depth in an interesting and informative way, enjoy stimulating discussions, and meet with those who share their abiding interest in the FIA and its place in this community.

7.12.13
Lecture 6:00p
Reception 7:00p


Michael D. Hall
Guest Lecturer

The American Scene as an Artist Collaborative

This lecture will discuss American Scene painting as a creative enterprise that intrigued and challenged artists all across the United States throughout the first half of the 20th century. Over a period of almost five decades, the regionalists of the American Scene painted the landscapes, cityscapes, people, political issues, and local communities they knew best. In an emerging industrial age obsessed with uniqueness and originality, the art of the American Scene was an important (and necessary) counterpoint to the evolving modernist art movement. Mr. Hall will introduce the Horseman Collection as an evolving collage in which an array of AmericanScene paintings celebrate art and life in a dense matrix of time, place, belief, and history.

Michael Hall is an artist, educator, author, and curator. He completed his B.A. at the University of North Carolina and earned his M.F.A. degree in sculpture at the University of Washington. Mr. Hall lives in Hamtramck, Michigan, with his artist wife, Pat Glascock. Retired from teaching, he now divides his time between his sculpture studio and the Columbus (Ohio) Museum of Art where he serves as Adjunct Curator of American Folk Art.