Artists delve into authenticity of museums as public space as part of Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series

The University of West Florida College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities will continue its 2017-18 Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series as Amy Bowman-McElhone, director and chief curator for the Pensacola Museum of Art, Nick Croghan, director of The Art Gallery at UWF, and John Markowitz, artist and UWF lecturer of art present “Museums as ‘Authentic’ Public Space” on Feb. 15 at the Pensacola Museum of Art. The reception and lecture are free and open to the public, with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and lecture from 6 to 7 p.m.

Panelists will engage in a thoughtful discussion of museums and public space. The conversation will present the intersection of perspectives of the academic curator, Bowman-McElhone, the artist-curator, Croghan and the artist, Markowitz. The panelists will consider the history, aesthetic, cultural and socio-political dynamics that frame the museum and its publics, and debate the agency of the museum visitor, artist, curator and artworks within the space.

This installment of the lecture series is sponsored, in part, by the Pensacola Museum of Art.

The 2017-18 Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series promotes the value of liberal arts in contemporary life by showcasing outstanding UWF faculty and scholars of national prominence, who illustrate the essential role of the liberal arts in building and sustaining contemporary culture. The next lecture, which will focus on art as activism, will take place on March 8 at the Pensacola Museum of Art.

For the full series schedule and more information, visit uwf.edu/downtownlectures.