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Art Talk Live: Ben Shahn and Folk Music [CANCELED]

This black and white photograph shows a man playing a country guitar; his eyes are downcast, and he has a serious look on his face. To his left is someone playing a guitar; we see only a hand on the neck of the guitar. To the man’s right is a partial view of a figure wearing a black blazer and white shirt. Behind the musician is a boy, who is watching from a half-opened white barn door.
Ben Shahn, American, Practicing for the Westmoreland Fair, Pennsylvania, 1937. Gelatin silver print. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, 2.2002.3117.

Gallery Talk

This event has been canceled.

During the Great Depression, artist Ben Shahn produced hundreds of photographs while working for the Farm Security Administration. Among his most common subjects were musicians. In this talk, curatorial fellow Kappy Mintie will examine Shahn’s interest in folk music in the context of concurrent government efforts to record this important strand of American music.

Led by:
Katherine “Kappy” Mintie, John R. and Barbara Robinson Family Curatorial Fellow in Photography, Division of Modern and Contemporary Art

This talk will take place online via Zoom. Free admission, but registration is required. To register, please complete this online form.

For instructions on how to join a meeting in Zoom, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact am_register@harvard.edu.

Art Talks Live are presented via Zoom every other Thursday afternoon at 2pm and offer an up-close look at works from our collections with our team of curators, conservators, fellows, and graduate students.

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