Preview: A Meeting of the Minds at The Met
by Lisa Chung
When the Metropolitan Museum of Art closes to the public for the evening, a select group of curators, artists, musicians and scientists gather at the institution’s 700-seat auditorium for intimate conversations in a new series of ticketed talks called Spark.
Update December 2013: The next talks in the Spark Series include: Korea: From Silla to K-Pop in February; It’s About Time in April; and Spirit in Sound and Space: A Conversation Inspired by Arvo Pärt in June.
This season, Julie Burstein, the Peabody Award-winning creator of public radio’s Studio 360, brings her expertise as a radio producer and passion for storytelling to the Met for cabaret-style programs intended to surface the real relevance of the museum’s exhibitions in today’s world.
Singer-songwriter Dar Williams along with pianist Simone Dinnerstein will be among the speakers at an upcoming Spark talk: Painting and Provocation.
“When you bring people together who are deep thinkers about the topics, but who approach it from different points of view, new ideas emerge from that,” Burstein says. “Then suddenly we’re exploring something that none of us expected to talk about.”
Burstein, who is seasoned in bringing intellectuals together for discussions like these, plans each Spark conversation with just enough structure to make everyone feel welcome, but still leaves room for surprise. That tension between what we know to expect and what may happen, she says, is what makes a live event exciting.
“There’s real pleasure in experiencing something together with a group of people, even if you don’t know them,” Burstein says. “Especially something that has a surprise and something unexpected. You’re the first to get a chance to hear that.”
Julie Burstein, longtime radio producer and Peabody Award winner, is the mastermind behind the Spark series. Pavlina Perry
The first in the Spark series on Nov. 5 delves into the Met’s current exhibition Interwoven Globe (on view through Jan. 5, 2014) with its curator Amelia Peck, clothing designer Eileen Fisher and creator of luxury fashion brand Maiyet and human-rights activist Paul van Zyl. Titled Fabric Changes Everything, the program aims to begin a large conversation about how clothing is manufactured today and what it means in our society now.
The second planned Spark talk on Nov. 12 brings together the curator of Balthus: Cats and Girls–Paintings and Provocations (on view through Jan. 12, 2014), Sabine Rewald, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, singer and songwriter Dar Williams and psychologist Deborah Tolman to discuss Balthus’s 1938 painting Thérèse Dreaming. When Balthus met Thérèse, he had sworn off painting, but creating works of her was what brought him back.
Though at first glance, the list of speakers might not fully feel relevant to Balthus, the connections have been thought about carefully.
Similar to Balthus, who began his career at age 11, singer-songwriter Dar Williams started writing songs when she was the same age. “Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a conversation with women who understand what it’s like to be 11 years old and who started their own work at that age,” Burstein asked herself when planning the program.
Psychologist Deborah Tolman
Psychologist Deborah Tolman interviews teenage girls on feelings about desire, which is a strong theme in Thérèse Dreaming. Finally, pianist Simone Dinnerstein will perform a piece by Mozart, Balthus’s favorite composer, to set the tone of the program, which resembles more of a late night talk show than a traditional lecture.
Given Burstein’s background in exploring the creative process, (after all, she’s the author of Spark: How Creativity Works) an important element of the Spark series lies in storytelling, such as sharing an anecdote of how an artwork came about.
“What’s powerful about stories is it’s what we tell each other in very intimate settings. It’s the way we connect with each other when we meet each other, the way we learn about the world,” Burstein says. “Stories draw you in. Abstract ideas are essential, but we need stories to make sense of them. I’m so excited to be able to help weave stories together, to make a space in which people can tell their stories.”
SAVE
As a Thoughtlectual, you can experience the new Spark talk at a discounted price.
Attend Painting and Provocation on Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. and save $5 off the regular price of $30. Use code ThoughtGallery12.*
*Service charges apply. Discount valid online, by phone or in person in the Great Hall Box Office. No refunds or exchanges. Cannot be combined with any other offer.
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