OLLI at Duke Fall 2025
Stories of Migration; Esther in Amsterdam and the Harlem Renaissance
See:  learnmore.duke.edu  ​ Fall catalogue available in August

​Inspired by a remarkable exhibition at the Metropolitan last year, I planned to present a lecture this year on the Harlem Renaissance and its legacy, a theme well represented in the NCMA collection. However, upon learning of the extraordinary upcoming NCMA special exhibition The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt, opening in Fall 2025, I saw a unique opportunity. The convergence of these two themes felt serendipitous — a parallel between two cultures, each forging a new identity in distinct cities and eras: Jews in 17th-century Amsterdam and African Americans in early 20th-century New York. Both stories are shaped by the pursuit of freedom and belonging, and both are vividly told through the richness of their artistic expressions.

Students may register for 4 in person lectures, 4 online lectures OR 4 in person lectures plus 3 gallery tours

  • All sessions will meet at the NCMA, 2110 Blue Ridge Rd., Raleigh. 
  • The 90-minute lectures will be held in the museum auditorium. 
  • The 70-minute Gallery Session attendees must obtain a ticket for The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt, other galleries are free. 
​Lectures are Thursdays 11:00 to 12:30

​September   25                    Lecture: Rembrandt in Jewish Amsterdam
October.         9                    Lecture: The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt
October        15 & 16   Gallery Session Book of Esther Exhibition galleries
October        23                    Lecture: Art in the Harlem Renaissance
October        29 & 30   Gallery Session: Images of and by African Americans
​                                             turn of the century to the 1930s
November      6                    Lecture: Legacy of the Harlem Renaissance
November    12 & 13   Gallery Session NCMA Contemporary Galleries

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