Visual Literacy: An Introduction to Seeing Through the Barnes Foundation Collection
John Gatti, MFA
Two-semester course
Section I: Mondays, 6:30–8:30 pm
Section II: Thursdays, 12–2 pm

Using ideas pioneered by Albert Barnes and John Dewey, participants explore visual art through the building blocks employed by artists throughout history – light, line, color, and space. Students learn to recognize how artists use these elements and the principles of balance, shape, texture, and rhythm. They also learn how artists integrate concepts and theories with techniques and materials. Participants can expect an experience resulting in heightened visual perception.

$1,500; members $1,350
We are no longer taking registrations for this course.

Traditions of Art: Connecting Art and Artists Across Time
Carol Royer, EdM (Section I); Linda Robinson, EdM (Sections II and III)
Two-semester course
Section I: Mondays, 6:30–8:30 pm
Section II: Tuesdays, 1–3 pm
Section III: Wednesdays, 1–3 pm

Building on skills developed in the Visual Literacy course and the method of looking pioneered by Albert Barnes, Traditions students focus on “the essential continuity of the great traditions” (Albert Coombs Barnes, Art in Painting, 1925) and the persistence and evolution of Western artistic forms over the last millennium. Participants make connections between artistic styles and techniques, and they explore, analyze, and interpret works of art from before the Renaissance to the 21st century.

$1,500; members $1,350
We are no longer taking registrations for this course.

Ensemble Study and Thesis Seminar
John Gatti, MFA
Tuesdays, 11 am–1 pm

This year-long, two-part course is sometimes referred to as the final year of the Barnes sequence. Students may enroll in one or both of the 14-week semesters.

Part I (Fall 2012, 14 weeks)
Using techniques honed in Visual Literacy and Traditions, students explore the aesthetic, symbolic, and poetic relation- ships of the ensemble arrangements in the Barnes Foundation galleries.

Part II (Spring 2013, 14 weeks)
Students engage in discussions and research as they develop an original thesis and final paper based on subjects related to the collection.

At the conclusion of the course, students who have successfully completed the three-year Barnes Foundation Arts Education Program receive a certificate of completion, are recognized at the Barnes Foundation’s annual graduation, and are welcomed into the Barnes Society of Alumni.

Full year: $1,500; members $1,350
Per semester: $900; members $810 
We are no longer taking registrations for this course.    

Understanding World Art
Program Director, Christopher Pastore, PhD
Tuesdays, 6–9 pm
Enroll for the full year, by semester, or by lecturer (two weeks).

Understanding World Art (UWA) is a new initiative launching in 2012–2013. It is an opportunity to ask questions such as, “what is suggested by displaying a 17th-century painting by El Greco among works by Renoir and Cézanne?” and, “why is a 16th-century bronze sculpture from the Edo peoples of Nigeria placed next to a 20th-century tapestry by Joan Miró?” The theme for this inaugural year is Art and Cross-Cultural Communication. With conversations led by scholars in a number of fields, UWA offers a guided tour of the diversity in the Barnes Foundation’s art collection and the ongoing dialogues within Albert Barnes’s unique ensemble arrangements.

Full year: $1,500; members $1,350 
Per semester: $900; members $810
Per lecturer: $175; members $150
Register online or by calling 215.278.7300. 

 2012–2013 Academic Year

Fall Semester: September 4–December 18, 2012 (Monday classes begin September 10)
No classes on the following dates: 9/18, 9/25, 9/26, 11/12, 11/22, 11/23
Spring Semester: January 28–May 13, 2013
No classes on the following dates: 2/18, 3/25-3/29