Learning to Look

October 8, 2026 @ 6:30 PM
Learning to Look | Fascism and Art

Before the rise of fascism in Italy, Soviet Russia, and Nazi Germany, modernism in art had flourished. These rulers saw modern art as a threat to their regimes and sought to eradicate it, replacing it with a more traditional, propagandist form of art. This talk examines the impact of Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler—adversaries on the world stage, but allies in the war on modernism.

In person at MoCA L.I. 20 Terry Street, Patchogue or on ZOOM Meeting ID: 880 1524 8901 | Passcode: 419010

November 19, 2026 @ 6:30 PM
Learning to Look | U.S. Between World Wars

During most of the first half of the twentieth century, the U.S. trailed Europe in modern art. With the exception of a few modernists in the Stieglitz Circle, American art tended toward realism. While World War One had a minimal effect on art in the U.S., the Great Depression proved a greater factor, bringing Social Realism to the forefront and, through the WPA, the mural movement.

In person at MoCA L.I. 20 Terry Street, Patchogue or on ZOOM Meeting ID: 880 1524 8901 | Passcode: 419010

December 17, 2026 @ 6:30 PM
Learning to Look | Geometric Abstraction Between the Wars

Revolutionary artists in Russia saw the developments of modernism, especially Cubism, as a tool for creating a utopian art form, working hand in hand with early Soviet doctrine. As the USSR moved away from this vision, so did many of its most progressive artists move away from their homeland. Many settled in Germany, where the Bauhaus became a momentary refuge. With the rise of Nazism, the movement dispersed—first to France, then finally settling in the U.S.

In person at MoCA L.I. 20 Terry Street, Patchogue or on ZOOM Meeting ID: 880 1524 8901 | Passcode: 419010

*ZOOM link for each talk is the same.

Learning to Look is presented in partnership with the Patchogue – Medford Library

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