Philippe de Montebello, one of the world’s great museum directors, spent 32 years as the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the longest tenure in the museum’s nearly 140-year history. Under his extraordinary leadership, the Met nearly doubled in size, acquired significant collections and individual masterpieces, mounted acclaimed international loan exhibitions, developed wide-reaching educational programs, and reinstalled much of its permanent collections in new and refurbished galleries. He retired in 2008 and now teaches the history and culture of museums at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and co-hosts the WNET/Channel 13 weekly culture series “SundayArts” with Paula Zahn. In 2010, de Montebello became only the fourth person to have been awarded both the National Medal for the Arts and the National Humanities Medal. This informal conversation is sponsored by the SCAD Museum of Art, the Trustees Lecture Series and the Earle W. Newton Center for British and American Studies.
Trustees Theater opened in 1946 as a part of Savannah’s grand theater district. After purchase and restoration by the Savannah College of Art and Design some 50 years later, the Trustees Theater continues to dazzle patrons with its blend of materials, textures and geometric angles. The theater operates year-round as a large venue for the media and performing arts department, in addition to hosting lectures, live performances, concerts and films.
As a teaching museum, the SCAD Museum of Art supports the academic and creative programs at SCAD by providing students with direct encounters with works by major artists while enriching the artistic, educational and cultural offerings available to the university and wider communities. The museum is a cultural gem that adds to Savannah’s reputation as an ideal location for visitors and those interested in the arts and architecture.
SCAD Museum of Art is open Monday–Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1–5 p.m. For more information, call 912.525.7191 or contact [email protected]
SCAD: The University for Creative Careers
The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution that offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in more than 40 majors. Visit scad.edu.