Lauren A Kaplan Art Tours

This week’s virtual class will explore Alexander Calder’s iconic and little known inventions. His mobiles, stabiles, wire sculptures, drawings, and jewelry are now on view @themuseumofmodernart. Classes are on Wednesday and ThursdayLink in bio to join! #alexandercalder #modernsculpture #mobiles #virtuallearning

This week’s class is on David Hockney’s playful and loving drawings of his closest friends and family (and, of course, himself), currently on view at @themorganlibrary. They’re a treat for the eyes :) Link in bio to join!

My series of winter classes begins this week, meeting on Zoom tomorrow at 5:30 and Thursday at 11 am and 8 pm EST. This week’s class is on art made in 2020, in response to the pandemic and calls for racial justice. Artists will include: Derek Fordjour, Jenny Saville, Eric Fishl, Teresita Fernandez, and Titus Kaphar. If you’re craving art but want to stay home, join me! DM me to learn more or visit my website (link in bio). #zoomclasses #virtuallearning #artfromhome #contemporaryart #art2020

Our virtual winter classes begin this week! Find more information here, and reach out with any questions. http://www.laurenakaplan.com/newyorkartclasses/

First time back @metmuseum since March! Felt like a homecoming of sorts, and the Jacob Lawrence show is completely worth the trip. Here’s his version of George Washington crossing the Delaware, focusing on unknown soldiers crammed into boats on choppy waters, rather than the heroism of America’s first President. See Lawrence’s American Struggle before it closes on November 10. #metmuseum #jacoblawrence #americanstruggle

Art meets life! Running through Red Hook, just came across this @pioneerworks installation by Bosco Sodi. These hand-formed clay spheres were made at Sodi’s studio in Oaxaca, fired on the beach, then sent to this empty lot in Brooklyn. In Sodi’s words Perfect Bodies is about silence, the passing of time, small things, and our relationship with the earth. #boscosodi #pioneerworks #redhookart

Getting back into the groove of in person tours! Yesterday, I explored Lower Manhattan’s architectureincluding the Woolworth Building, Frank Gehry’s Berkman Tower, Santiago Calatrava’s Oculus, and the World Trade Center sitewith a small group. It was so nice to be physically dwarfed by old and new skyscrapers (rather than looking at them on a screen). Thanks to those of you who joined! #lowermanhattanskyline #architecturetour #michaelarad

Finally doing some in person tours again! Here are some highlights from Chelsea this fall : Robert Kobayashi @susaninglettgallery; Harold Ancart @davidzwirner; Kara Walker @sikkemajenkins; Toyin Odutola @jackshainman; Gina Beavers @marianneboeskygallery; and Osgemeos @lehmannmaupin.

Craving culture? My Fall Virtual Art Series starts tomorrow! Classes are offered at three times: Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Learn more on my website or contact me to join!: http://www.laurenakaplan.com/newyorkartclasses/

Nature has been an integral part of my life during the pandemic, and I just taught a two-part Zoom series on connections between art, nature, and environmentalism. Next is the theme of art and science later this month. Link in bio to join!

This month, I'll be hosting weekly ZOOM classes on themes that resonate with the present moment. Classes meet every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and every Thursday at 8:15 p.m. Email me for more information at [email protected]., and check my website here: http://www.laurenakaplan.com/newyorkartclasses/ Here are the topics: Week of June 1: Time, and Memory: How can creativity emerge from deep boredom? How can we record change when every day feels the same? And how can art h...elp us remember both significant and mundane moments? Week of June 8: Travel, and Migration: How can travel change the way we see? We all currently suffer from wanderlust. Together, we’ll live vicariously through artists who travel extensively or have emigrated from one country to another, forming cross-cultural connections along the way. Week of June 15: Identity and Community: While we maintain social distance, community remains more important than ever. How do artists bring people together by representing aspects of their own identities? Week of June 22: Art in Crisis Moments: What have artists been making since the pandemic began? How does art of the present moment compare to art of past crisis moments?

For the past month, I’ve been teaching virtual classes on Zoom. Each class is based around a special exhibition or theme that either illuminates our present moment or offers an escape from it. The conversations have been moving and fantastic. Last week’s class on Dorothea Lange was particularly poignant. Thank you to those of you who joined! I’ll be offering more classes in Junecheck my website or DM me for the schedule! @ The Internet