Events - Page 1 | Colby College Museum of Art

Art Break: Sarah Sockbeson and J. Rae Pictou

Two people, one wearing a brown hat and black puffer jacket and the other a brown hooded coat, stand in a dimly lit museum gallery looking up at a large, vibrant artwork. The artwork is a detailed, layered paper-cut or mixed-media landscape featuring stylized, jagged pink and purple mountains under a swirling pink and blue sky. The foreground shows dark green and yellow-green forests and plants, creating a striking contrast with the bright, almost neon colors of the mountains and sky

February First Friday

Drop-in Drawing Session

A medium shot shows a young man with short blonde hair and a light complexion, wearing a peach-colored button-down shirt and a black and white striped apron. He is standing in a printmaking studio, leaning over a large, flat, rectangular stone block on a metal table. He is carefully lifting a sheet of paper from the surface of the stone with his right hand while pressing down on the other side with his left hand to reveal a print. The print on the stone features two small sketches of heads and some faint text. The background is a cluttered workshop with wooden cabinets, various printmaking tools like rollers and ink tins, and industrial pipes along the ceiling. The lighting is bright and even, typical of a studio environment.

Art Break: Sail Away by Phong Bui

A vertical collage artwork combining various materials on a background painted with abstract strokes of teal and turquoise. The top section features a partially opened beige envelope with a purple heart drawn on it, a stamp, and postmarks. Centered on the envelope is a rectangular image of a classical bas-relief sculpture depicting two figures, one muscular and one draped. The bottom third of the collage is a painted scene of a dark green ship or boat on brown waves, set beneath a textured, light blue sky with abstract white and gray shapes. The top and bottom edges of the entire piece are bordered with a decorative olive-green and white patterned trim.

You’re Speaking My Language: French and Italian

A vibrant watercolor and ink sketch depicting the Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) in Rome's Piazza Navona. In the foreground, the dark, dramatic figures of the fountain are rendered with expressive, calligraphic line work and deep brown washes. An Egyptian obelisk rises vertically through the center of the frame, bathed in warm, pale sunlight. Behind it, the ornate dome and facade of the Sant'Agnese in Agone church are captured with light blue shadows and golden-tan highlights. The style is loose and atmospheric, using a limited palette of warm ochres, cool blues, and earthy browns to suggest depth and bright Italian sunlight.

Music in the Museum: Resinosa Ensemble

A professional portrait of three women smiling in front of a textured stone wall. They are all dressed in elegant black attire. The woman on the left has long blonde hair and wears a black top with a ribbon belt. The woman in the center has long brown hair and wears a black lace top. The woman on the right has curly reddish-brown hair and holds a cello, with the neck and scroll visible in the foreground. The lighting is bright and natural, casting soft shadows against the grey and brown stones.

Art Break: RMF-323 by RM Fischer

A vertical photograph of a mixed-media sculpture resembling a primitive or deconstructed figure, standing on a pale blue floor against a plain white wall. The structure is supported by thin brass or copper rods and wires, and it incorporates various stitched fabric elements, including a tall, cylindrical white form with red patches at the top, and smaller, stuffed, irregularly shaped pieces with exposed zippers, buttons, and cross-stitching, giving it a Frankenstein or rag-doll aesthetic. Small, circular metal discs resembling cymbals are attached to the upper left side.

Miles and Katharine Culbertson Prentice Distinguished Lecture: Laylah Ali

A simple, graphic painting of a figure with a black head and wide, upward-looking eyes. The figure wears a dark red cape and an orange shirt over blue pants, with arms outstretched as if floating or falling.

March Second Friday!

Drop-in Drawing with Luke Johnson

A medium shot shows a young man with short blonde hair and a light complexion, wearing a peach-colored button-down shirt and a black and white striped apron. He is standing in a printmaking studio, leaning over a large, flat, rectangular stone block on a metal table. He is carefully lifting a sheet of paper from the surface of the stone with his right hand while pressing down on the other side with his left hand to reveal a print. The print on the stone features two small sketches of heads and some faint text. The background is a cluttered workshop with wooden cabinets, various printmaking tools like rollers and ink tins, and industrial pipes along the ceiling. The lighting is bright and even, typical of a studio environment.

Art Break: Tania Morey and Ann Pollard-Ranco

A close-up, candid photograph of a woman with long, dark, curly hair and a red, textured sweater, looking off to the side with her mouth slightly open as if speaking or singing. She is wearing a multicolored scarf (red, orange, purple) and a collar necklace. The background is softly focused, showing a few blurry figures and a muted blue wall, suggesting she is part of an audience or a group presentation in a public space.

Art Break: Artist Laylah Ali

A grid of framed, black and white drawings installed in a three by seven column on a gallery wall. On the adjacent wall, lettering in a hand written style reads "Is anything the matter?" with subtitled "Drawings by Laylah Ali" and paragraphs of typed descriptive text.

Drop-in Drawing with Luke Johnson

A medium shot shows a young man with short blonde hair and a light complexion, wearing a peach-colored button-down shirt and a black and white striped apron. He is standing in a printmaking studio, leaning over a large, flat, rectangular stone block on a metal table. He is carefully lifting a sheet of paper from the surface of the stone with his right hand while pressing down on the other side with his left hand to reveal a print. The print on the stone features two small sketches of heads and some faint text. The background is a cluttered workshop with wooden cabinets, various printmaking tools like rollers and ink tins, and industrial pipes along the ceiling. The lighting is bright and even, typical of a studio environment.

Art Break: Is Anything the Matter? Drawings by Laylah Ali

An installation view of an art gallery featuring an exhibition of small framed drawings by Laylah Ali. Eighteen black-and-white drawings in simple black frames are hung in a grid of three rows and six columns on a pale tan wall. A woman with blonde hair, wearing a black top and yellow and black checkered pants, stands to the right, looking at the display. To the right of the drawings, large black cursive text on the wall reads: 'Is anything the matter? DRAWINGS BY LAYLAH ALI'.

Music in the Museum: ScheckMate

A full-length shot shows two men standing side-by-side against a red brick wall, holding musical instruments. Both men are wearing matching light purple button-down shirts and dark trousers. On the left, a bald man with a smile holds a large theorbo (a long-necked lute) vertically. The instrument has a rounded, striped wooden body and an exceptionally long neck that extends above his head. He has a black support wrap on his right wrist. On the right, a man with short brown hair and glasses stands holding a cello in front of him, with a bow resting diagonally across the strings. They are standing on a patch of grass and dirt in front of the brick building. The lighting is natural and bright.

Art Break: Beowulf Sheehan, Colby’s Presidential Fellow in Arts and Community Life

A man with a short beard and dark hair sits in the corner of a grey, minimalist room. He wears a black suit, a white dress shirt with the cuffs unfolded, and tan socks featuring a colorful car pattern. He is seated on the floor with one knee tucked toward his chest, his hands clasped around it, and his head tilted slightly as he looks directly at the camera.

Art Break: The Twenty-Four Solar Terms: Vernal Equinox by Xiaoyang Cao

A vertical, monochromatic ink painting in a traditional Chinese style depicts a majestic, misty mountain landscape. Jagged peaks and cliffs emerge from swirling, atmospheric fog, with dark, heavily textured areas suggesting dense forests of pine trees clinging to the slopes, particularly in the lower half and center. The upper portion of the painting is dominated by dark rock forms dissolving into the white mist. The technique uses varying degrees of ink wash, ranging from pale gray to deep black, to create a strong sense of depth, light, and movement of the clouds.

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For a full list of Colby Arts events, visit arts.colby.edu