Art in Times of Anxiety: Images of Turmoil and Resilience

Keene Community Education Enrichment Programs is excited to announce that Art Historian Kimberley Olmstead will deliver a lecture titled “Art in Times of Anxiety:  Images of Turmoil and Resilience” this month.

In this lecture, we will explore art created during periods of profound uncertainty and upheaval, including war, plague, revolution, and widespread social disruption. We will examine how artists responded to collective crises such as wartime conflict and disease outbreaks, transforming fear and instability into powerful visual expression. Some moments will explain entire art movements, such as Dada and Surrealism, which were a direct response to a world that no longer made sense.   Other moments will be those of individual personal turmoil, focusing on artists such as Francisco Goya and Edvard Munch, whose struggles deeply shaped their work. By placing these artists within their broader historical contexts, the lecture reveals how art can serve as witness, protest, catharsis, and resilience in the face of anxious times.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 from 9:30am – 12:00pm

Location: Keene School District Professional Development Center at the Jonathan Daniels Building – 227 Maple Avenue

Keene, NH Entrance C3 in back of the building

Admission: $20.00 per person registration required in advance

For more information or to register please call Keene Community Education at 603-357-0088 x 303 or visit this link:  Enrichment Course Registration.