Art History Lectures
Janet Mandel
Art lovers! Welcome to Art Talks! Most of my talks are free, but the ones I do for Adult Schools charge a nominal fee. I hope you are able to support these vital community resources that have been so hard hit by the pandemic.
If you are on Facebook, you can join my Art Talks page at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/132477014043792
I also have a YouTube channel where I have uploaded mini-art talks that you may find interesting and fun. Please subscribe!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5CHVEBPswXHnlRnXEd9Pcw
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I have 80+ topics you can choose from.
If you'd like the complete list, you can email me at jcmandel@gmail.com​​​
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Schedule of Public Talks for
​January & February 2026
Monday, January 5, 2025 / 6:30 PM ET online
Art Nouveau: Humanity in Harmony with the Natural World FREE
Guilderland (NY) Library
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
Friday, January 9, 2026 / 12 PM ET in-person
Art and Activism: The Life and Legacy of Ruth Asawa FREE
Jefferson Township Library
1031 Weldon Road, Oak Ridge, NJ 07437
No need to register, just come!
Monday, January 12, 2026, 7 PM ET online
Is It Manet or Monet? Part 1 FREE (part 2 in February)
Somerset County Libraries
To get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://share.google/mzV6ONOom8sVQP3Q6
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 / 7 PM EDT online
Hitler, Art, and the Jews FREE
Temple Sharey-Tefilo Israel
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://templeshareytefiloisrael.shulcloud.com/form/art-talks-Hitler-Obsession2026
Thursday, January 15, 2026 / 7:30 PM ET online
Florine Stettheimer: Icon of Jazz Age New York FREE
Kol Rina
Tuesday, January 20, 2026 / 7:00 PM ET online
Yayoi Kusama: The Moment is Imminent FREE
Pennington Library
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://www.penningtonlibrary.org/event/kusama/
Wednesdays, January 21 & 28, 2026 / 7 PM ET online
Claude Monet and Venice, parts 1 & 2 FREE
Kemmerer Library, Harding, NJ
To register and get your Zoom link for both sessions, go to:
https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=4662&EventID=568099
Thursday, January 22, 2026 / 7:30 PM ET online
Ruth Orkin: Power of the Image FREE
Kol Rina
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 / 2 PM ET online
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec:
Painter & Printmaker of the Parisian Demi-Monde FREE
New City Library
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 11:15 AM ET in-person & online
Lea Bondi: Art, Aryanization, and Restitution
JCC of Central New Jersey
1391 Martine Ave, Scotch Plains, NJ
Free for JCC members, $10 for non-members
Pay at the door or register in advance at www.jccnj.org
or call Member Services at 908-889-8800
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February 2026 Schedule of Public Talks
Wednesday, February 4, 2026 / 7 PM ET online
John Singer Sargent: Romance, Drama, and the Visual World part 2 FREE
Sussex County Libraries
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://sussexcountylibrary.libcal.com/event/15797449
Thursday, February 5, 2026 / 1 PM ET in-person
Jewish Artists in 19th Century Europe FREE
Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey
Free and open to the community
Please register by emailing lindas@jfnnj.org
Shomrei Torah WCC
30 Hinchman Ave, Wayne, NJ
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 / 6:30 PM CT, 7:30 PM ET online
Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman FREE
Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://www.mymcpl.org/events/111922/augusta-savage-renaissance-woman-zoom
Wednesday, February 11, 2026 / 7 PM ET online
Camille Pissarro: Have But One Master— Nature FREE
Temple Sharey-Tefilo Israel
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://templeshareytefiloisrael.shulcloud.com/form/art-talks-Pissaro-2026
Thursday, February 12, 2026 / 7 PM ET online
Is It Manet or Monet? Part 2 FREE
Somerset County Libraries
To get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://sclsnj.libnet.info/event/14108594
Friday, February 13, 2026 / 7 PM ET online
Romare Bearden: Memory and Magic FREE
Summit Public Library
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://summitlibrary.libcal.com/event/16190711?hs=a
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 / 7 PM ET online
Marcel Duchamp: The Alchemist of the Avant-Garde FREE
Pennington Library
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://www.penningtonlibrary.org/duchamp/
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 / 6:30 PM CT, 7:30 PM ET online
Florine Stettheimer: Icon of Jazz Age New York FREE
Guilderland (NY) Library
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
Thursdays, February 19 & 26, 2026 / 1 PM ET in-person
The Art World’s Most Famous Power Couple:
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera FREE
Montville Public Library
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://montville.librarycalendar.com/event/montville-u-frida-kahlo-janet-mandel-art-talk-43556
Monday, February 23, 2026 / 7 PM ET online
Mickalene Thomas: Subverting the Familiar
South Orange Maplewood Adult School
To register and get your Zoom link, please go to:
https://www.ssreg.com/som/classes/results.asp?string=thomas
Tuesday, February 24, 2026 / 1:30 PM ET in-person
Art by African Americans:
From the Protests of the ‘60s to the Age of Black Lives Matter FREE
JCC of Middlesex County and the Edison Arts Society
Please register by calling (732) 494-3232
Or emailing lfeldman@jccmc.org
1775 Oak Tree Road, Edison, NJ 08820
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 / 11:15 AM ET in-person
Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman
JCC of Central NJ
1391 Martine Ave, Scotch Plains, NJ
Free for JCC members, $10 for non-members
Pay at the door or register in advance at www.jccnj.org
or call Member Services at 908-889-8800
Friday, February 27, 2026 / 10 AM ET in-person
Teaneck Public Library
Gustav Klimt: Nazi Looted Art FREE
To register call 201-837-4171, ext. 2
Or go to the library’s calendar at https://teanecklibrary.org/events/