FALL 2025
Join the Arts Council for another arts lecture series that will dive into art and the lives of the best artists in history, in addition to other artistically interesting topics. Scroll down to learn more…
Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”
OUT OF THE SHADOWS
Pulp Crime Novels, Film Noir, & the Paintings of Edward Hopper
Mon., Aug. 25, 2025 at 5:30pm OR Tue., Aug. 26, 2025 at 10am (Choose at reservation)
LECTURER: Ellen Burke
When American painter Edward Hopper felt blocked as a painter he would devour pulp crime novels and private eye stories or spend entire days at the cinema watching film noir. Hopper was influenced by Hitchcock’s early film, Strangers on a Train, and in 1960, Hitchcock used Hopper’s 1925 painting, House by the Railroad, as the inspiration for the Bates mansion in Psycho. When Robert Siodmak directed the 1946 film, The Killers, he directly referenced Hopper’s Nighthawks (pictured above). The Killers captured the suspense of impending violence that never takes place. Hopper’s art seems cinematic in his ability to capture moments in between the action. Hopper never tells the whole story. He leaves that up to us. Join us as we explore the connection between Edward Hopper, pulp fiction, and film noir.
LECTURER: Ellen Burke is an arts educator with 37 years of experience as a studio art instructor and fine & performing arts administrator. In addition to teaching in Massachusetts, she was an adjunct instructor in art education at the New Hampshire Art Institute. Since moving to Pinehurst, she has presented art lectures at local galleries and teaches small group art lessons to children and adults.
Pair this lecture with the Sunrise Theater’s ART ON SCREEN: Hopper: An American Love Story on September 4, 2025 (2p & 7p). Discover the secrets behind the artist’s most iconic works and how he left a lasting impression on our culture. Tickets are $24 each. Get yours at www.SunriseTheater.com.
Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring”
MASTER OF LIGHT
Art & Mystery of Johannes Vermeer & his Girl with a Pearl Earring
Mon., Oct. 27, 2025 at 5:30pm OR Wed., Oct. 29, 2025 at 10am (Choose date at reservation.)
LECTURER: Ellen Burke
Inn keeper, art dealer, chemist, and artist, Johannes Vermeer remains a bit of a mystery. There are no written sources that chronical his development as an artist, no notebooks, sketchbooks, ledgers for the sale or Provence, or any indication of his mentors or his students or apprentices. Among the many things that make him extraordinary is that 350 years after he was actively painting, we are still discovering new information and a renewed appreciation for his art. Investigating his work, we can see his nod to tradition but also his exploration of “new” ideas. A master of light, Vermeer creates intimate, quiet, often brooding moments and a connection between the subject and the viewer that makes the later in a sense, a spellbound voyeur. Vermeer depicts the wholly commonplace, a woman reading a letter, a figure at a keyboard, and yet, we are riveted. Join us as we explore the art, life, and contemporaries of Vermeer and focus on details of his most beloved works.
Pair this lecture with the Sunrise Theater’s ART ON SCREEN: The Girl with a Pearl Earring on Oct. 28, 2025 (2p) & Oct. 30, 2025 (7p). This film pursues answers to the unresolved riddles surrounding one of the most enduring paintings in the history of art. Tickets are $24 each. Get yours at www.SunriseTheater.com.
THE GREATEST GENERATION AT HOME
What the Monuments Men Accomplished after WWII
Tue., Nov. 18, 2025 at 5:30pm OR Wed., Nov. 19, 2025 at 10am (Choose date at reservation.)
LECTURER: Abbe Allen
In honor of the 80th anniversary of V-E Day, we look at the Monuments Men made up of museum curators, art historians, librarians, architects, and artists during and after WWII to recover cultural treasures. The Monuments Men were responsible for protecting artworks, cathedrals, archives, monuments, and other cultural sites in Europe from damage and looting. Towards the end of the war, their mission changed to one of locating and recovering works that had been taken by the Nazis. The Monuments Men uncovered troves of stolen art hidden across Europe.
LECTURER: Abbe Allen is a retired professor of history, political science, & art history from Sandhills Community College. Prior to moving to Whispering Pines, she was an adjunct instructor in the humanities at Columbus State Community College & a docent at the Columbus Museum of Art. Abbe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University, two Master of Arts degrees from The Ohio State University, & one Master of Arts degree from Ohio University.
COST per lecture: $26 for Arts Council Members ($32 for Nonmembers)
All lectures will be presented in the Arts Council Galleries at Campbell House
(482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines)
Space is limited. Reserve your seat now with full payment
at the Arts Council or call 910-692-ARTS (2787)