Summer Art Study Tours: Color-From Mineral to Manuscript

The Center is excited to continue its series of Art Study Tours this summer. Come with us on a series of off-site, behind-the-scenes visits at various institutions, collections, and artists’ studios around the city. This summer series will focus on color and the uses and making of pigments. Consisting of 3 visits throughout the city this July and August, students may sign up for all three in the series or just for one class, each taking place on a Thursday afternoon. Here's what we have planned:


Thursday, July 28th, 3pm
Illuminating Fashion at the Morgan Library and Museum.

Visit this special exhibition and discover the uses of color in medieval manuscripts with an expert in the field, Karen Gorst. Drawn from the Morgan's collections, over fifty illuminated medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and early printed books are featured in the exhibition. Join us and discover the difference between the depictions of contemporary fashions and the actual colors used in clothing of the time period. Students will discuss from a historical perspective the process of making paints and dyes. The exhibition will be used as a backdrop for a discussion on the different artistic techniques employed to produce the color in medieval manuscripts and on fabric from the medieval period.

With Karen Gorst, Master Calligrapher and Illuminator


Thursday, August 4th, 3pm
Producing Pigments with Michael Price
Join us and visit the studio of Brooklyn artist Michael Price, an expert in the preparation and application of natural and mineral pigments as well as traditional Renaissance painting techniques. During this visit to his Dumbo studio, students will witness the magic of how crystals and rocks can become beautiful pigments and learn more about the Renaissance palette.
With Michael Price, Artist


Thursday August 11th, 3pm
Color and Conservation at the Met
Join us for a behind the scenes visit to the conservation lab of the Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Learn about the role of color in the conservation of books and printed materials and the techniques used by conservators to match color in the materials they are working with.
With Mindell Dubansky, Preservation Librarian, Metropolitan Museum of Art


Course Fee: $180 for the series/$150 for members
Individual Session: $60 per session/$50 for members

Call us at 212-481-0295 or register through our website.

AND ALSO If you're interested in the topic and want to hear more about color and even make some of your own pigments to use and keep, we've also got a full-length workshop coming up in August with Karen Gorst: The Origins of Color, August 20-21. Find out more here.