Unearthing the untold stories of the past, the National Gallery of Art and The Juilliard School proudly present a groundbreaking conference that places the spotlight on women in art and music during the early modern era.

Celebrating the Uncelebrated: Women in Early Modern Art and Music

The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts and The Juilliard School have come together for the first time to organize the “Women in Art and Music: An Early Modern Global Conference.” Delving deep into the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, this initiative offers attendees an immersive experience, broadening perspectives on women as essential contributors to the global cultural fabric.

The Portrait That Started It All

Central to the conference’s celebration is the National Gallery’s recent acquisition: Lavinia Fontana’s portrait of Lucia Bonasoni Garzoni. A rare piece, it captures the essence of a 16th-century woman musician, painted by a woman artist of the same period.

Conference Highlights

Spanning two iconic venues, Part 1 commences on October 18 at Juilliard, NYC, while Part 2 unfolds from October 20-21 at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Orchestrated by notable figures, Eve Straussman-Pflanzer and Elizabeth Weinfield, this conference is an innovative amalgamation of scholarly curation and performance.

A Melting Pot of Ideas

The three-day conference will showcase over 30 esteemed scholars from prominent institutions worldwide. Paired with a live music program from Juilliard’s Historical Performance students and early music ensemble Sonnambula, attendees can anticipate a vibrant marriage of academic presentations and performance arts.

International Focus

Last fall, a call for papers saw scholars worldwide diving into cross-cultural examinations, analyzing early modern women artists and musicians across continents. This initiative aligns perfectly with the conference’s theme, further amplified by Fontana’s portrait that paints a vivid narrative of two creative women’s intertwined destinies.

The conference welcomes public participation. Whether in person or via live stream, individuals can register for single or multiple days. All sessions, inclusive of concerts, are free of charge. For detailed information and registrations, potential attendees can visit either juilliard.edu or nga.gov.

For detailed insights into the personalities steering this conference and the renowned institutions behind it, readers are encouraged to visit their official profiles online: Elizabeth Weinfield, Eve Straussman-Pflanzer, The Juilliard School, and the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art.