Farm to Table Salon: Impressionism and French Mélodie

The Chrysler Museum of Art is bringing back the historic French Salon tradition! The Farm to Table Salon Series provides an intimate and unique opportunity to probe beyond the surface of the canvas into the complex themes associated with the Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism exhibition. The artwork presents more than just French art and cuisine; it touches upon aesthetics, urban versus rural life, the relationship between food, gender, and identity, and so much more. Each salon will take place in the exhibition gallery to let the art inspire the discussion.

Impressionists captured fleeting moments of light and atmosphere through their paint, brushes, and canvas. So, too, French composers captured moments of light and atmosphere through rhythm, melody, and harmony for singers and piano. Chrysler Museum staff member Drew Lusher will introduce and connect the inspirations behind the two art forms. Singers Melinda Van Niel and Kathryn Kelly will join ODU professor Stephen Coxe to perform the period’s evocative music in a recital-lecture format that synthesizes the visual art and music.