Join us! The DelArt Readers, a community-led book club, meets monthly to discuss, debate, celebrate, and share both works of fiction and non-fiction. Our selections are focused on art, artists, and/or the artistic process either in general or in response to the Museum’s collections or exhibits. In addition to our interest in art and artists, we also seek to create a sense of community, conversation, and connection. Registration required.
JAN 26 – VIRTUAL
The White Road: Journey into an Obsession by Edmund de Waal (author of The Hare with Amber Eyes). A blend of history and memoir, de Waal explores the journeys he’s taken to England, Germany and China to explore the history of porcelain. (Non-Fiction)
FEB 23 – VIRTUAL
Leonardo and the Last Supper by Ross King. The book focuses on the creation of da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper (in a medium he had no previous experience in) and other artwork created for the Duke of Milan. (Non-Fiction)
MAR 30 – VIRTUAL
The Passion of Artemisia: A Novel by Susan Vreeland. A true-to-life novel of one of the few female post-Renaissance painters to achieve fame during her own era against great struggle. Artemisia was a bold and brilliant woman who lived as she wanted, and paid a high price. (Historical Fiction)
APR 27 – IN-PERSON AT MUSEUM
Fierce Poise: Helen Frankenthaler and 1950s New York by Alexander Nemerov. An exhilarating ride through New York’s 1950s art scene and a brilliant portrait of a young artist through the moments that shaped her as she established herself as an important American artist of the postwar period. (Non-Fiction)
MAY 25 – IN-PERSON AT MUSEUM
The Age of Light: A Novel by Whitney Scharer. A portrait of Lee Miller’s self- transformation from fashion model to muse to artist, and her relationship with Man Ray (photographer, Surrealist). (Historical fiction)
JUN 29 – IN-PERSON AT MUSEUM
By Her Own Design: A Novel of Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer to the Social Register by Piper Huguley. The incredible untold story of how Ann Lowe, granddaughter of slaves, rose above personal struggles and racial prejudice to design and create Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress, one of America’s most famous wedding dresses. (Historical Fiction)
JUL 27 – IN-PERSON AT MUSEUM
Still Life with Oysters and Lemon: On Objects and Intimacy by Mark Doty. An exploration of our attachment to ordinary things – how we invest objects with human store, and why. Reviewers say to read slowly, and savor this short book. (Non-fiction)
AUG 31 – IN-PERSON AT MUSEUM
A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. Based on the women who embroidered kneelers at Winchester Cathedral after WWI. It focuses on the story of a woman who lost her fiancé during the war and the sense of community she finds when she learns how to embroider. (Historical Fiction)
SEP 28 – IN-PERSON AT MUSEUM
Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism. (Fiction)
OCT 26 – VIRTUAL
Effie: The Passionate Lives of Effie Gray, John Ruskin, and John Everett Millet by Suzanne Fagence Cooper. The Pre-Raphaelite circle seen from a new perspective, through the eyes of a woman who was intimately involved in the private and public lives of two of its greatest figures. A lively and highly readable triple biography of these three figures, and the first one to focus on the woman at the center of this triangle. (Non-Fiction)
NOV 16 – VIRTUAL
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict. (Historical Fiction) AND/OR An Illuminated Life by Heidi Ardizzone (Non-Fiction) YOU choose which book to read (or pick both)! We will be discussing the subject of these books – Belle da Costa Greene – who was the long-time librarian of the Morgan Library and not revealed to be African-American until after her death. If you are already familiar with Belle’s story, An Illuminated Life provides more details on Belle’s life and family.