Exhibition Seminar: Freedom Dreams
Saturday, May 30, 11am – 1pm
Still from Ja’Tovia Gary’s Quiet As It’s Kept, 2023
$90; members $81
(2-hour workshop)
About the Class
Spend time in our exhibition Freedom Dreams and then join us for this special seminar led by co-curator James Claiborne. Freedom Dreams brings together film and video works by Black American artists that explore—and reimagine—the idea of freedom in the US. The discussion will dive deeper into the exhibition’s major themes, including the politics of representation, the idea of erasure, and the dream of Black futures shaped by resistance and joy. Claiborne will also shed light on the curatorial process behind the selection and presentation of the featured works.
Includes admission to the exhibition beginning at 10 am.
Capacity: 60
Barnes classes will:
- Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
- Improve your ability to communicate about art.
- Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.
Still from Ja’Tovia Gary’s Quiet As It’s Kept, 2023
Instructor
James Claiborne
Claiborne is the Fleischner Family Deputy Director for Community Engagement at the Barnes and previously served as curator for public programs. He is the co-curator of the upcoming Barnes exhibition Freedom Dreams, opening April 2026, and also co-curated William Edmondson: A Monumental Vision (2023) and the related installation Returning to Before by artist Brendan Fernandes. He recently served as an adjunct professor at Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, teaching audience development in the arts.
What Our Students Say
“The instructor is a gifted individual who is able to [engage] with all different kinds of learners and motivate us to want to learn more, see more, and experience more. I would highly recommend any course by this instructor.” —Collection Concentration: Medieval Modern with Kaelin Jewell
“Martha Lucy knows how to balance her lecture with fact, excellent painting selections, and inclusion of the students.” —The Art and Life of Toulouse-Lautrec with Martha Lucy
“The best class to understand the elements of art. The instructor’s expertise and warmth, along with the excellent discussions with my classmates, made it a truly wonderful experience.” —The Elements of Art with William Perthes
“This class offered rich insight into Picasso and his contemporaries—the gallery scene, turn-of-the-century politics, Catalan culture, along with Picasso’s approach to composition and contemporary European culture. It was so informative.” —Picasso in Focus: New Discoveries at the Barnes with Christine Romano and Naina Saligram
“Caterina loves the material she presents and infuses all her classes—of which I have taken many—with that infectious enthusiasm.” —Rendez-vous au Café: Café Culture in 19th-Century Art with Caterina Pierre