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The University of Scranton\u2019s Schemel Forum<\/span><\/a>\u00a0will offer Collaborative Programs exploring unique topics in music, art and wine.\u00a0<\/span>The\u00a0events\u00a0are\u00a0sponsored by\u00a0<\/span>Munley Law<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n On\u00a0<\/span>Thursday,\u00a0April 9<\/span><\/strong>,\u00a0Richard Kogan, M.D.,\u00a0professor of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, and\u00a0artistic\u00a0director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program,\u00a0will return for\u00a0a\u00a0presentation\u00a0\u2014\u00a0hosted\u00a0in collaboration with\u00a0the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine\u00a0(GCSOM)\u00a0\u2014\u00a0exploring the life and music of George Gershwin.\u00a0The event,\u00a0\u201cGeorge Gershwin: Music and Healing,\u201d\u00a0will include a\u00a0performance and\u00a0lecture, followed by a reception.<\/span><\/p>\n A child of immigrants in New York City, Gershwin was a hyperactive, behaviorally challenged youngster whose life was transformed when he heard a classmate\u2019s violin recital through an open window. He was a creative phenomenon, a man who was able to extract music out of what others considered to be merely noise, a man who was inspired to write\u00a0\u201cAn American in Paris\u201d\u00a0after\u00a0hearing the sounds of\u00a0Parisian taxi horns.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Kogan\u00a0will\u00a0reveal Gershwin\u2019s thought processes during his artistic journey from\u00a0\u201cRhapsody in Blue\u201d\u00a0to\u00a0\u201cPorgy and Bess\u201d\u00a0until his death at age 38 from a brain tumor. His presentation will be illuminated with\u00a0performances\u00a0of\u00a0some of Gershwin\u2019s most beloved music.<\/span><\/p>\n The event will begin at 6 p.m. at GCSOM, 525 Pine St., Scranton. Admission to the event, which includes a reception, is $40 for the\u00a0general public\u00a0and free for Schemel Forum members and University of Scranton and GCSOM employees and students.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n On\u00a0<\/span>Thursday, April 30<\/span><\/strong>, the Schemel Forum will partner with Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Hope Horn Gallery for an unveiling of Niccol\u00f2 Betti\u2019s \u201cMadonna and Child with the Young St. John the Baptist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The public unveiling of this newly restored treasure will feature insights from art restorer John Powell, co-owner, Chelsea Restoration Associates, and art historian Robert Simon, Ph.D., president, Robert Simon Fine Art. A reception will follow.<\/span><\/p>\n When the Morgan family gifted a remarkable Madonna and Child painting to The University of Scranton, its black, featureless background suggested a work of quiet simplicity. During restoration, however, conservators made an astonishing discovery\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the black backdrop had been added long after the painting\u2019s creation.<\/span><\/p>\n The reveal came through a meticulous process\u00a0by\u00a0Powell,\u00a0a skilled\u00a0restorer of fine art\u00a0whose clients include the Everhart Museum in Scranton.\u00a0Given the age of this piece, Powell said it was important to\u00a0proceed\u00a0slowly and with caution.<\/span><\/p>\n After first securing any loose elements to prevent\u202ffurther loss, Powell\u202fcleaned the surface\u202fof years of soot and dirt to\u202fbrighten the colors in the painting.\u00a0From there, he used solvents\u202fto selectively remove old varnishes and previous restoration, starting with the lighter, more stable colors.\u00a0It\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0until he began working with the background that Powell began to wonder what might be beneath the black paint.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere was just something about how\u00a0stark\u00a0the figures of Mary and Jesus were against the backdrop,\u201d\u00a0Powell\u00a0said. \u201cIt seemed\u00a0unresolved.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As he continued to\u00a0work, some\u00a0flesh\u00a0colors began to\u00a0emerge.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI thought to myself, \u2018This is interesting,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n And then,\u00a0the figure of\u00a0an infant St. John the Baptist\u00a0emerged.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere was this beautiful figure so typical of Florentine Renaissance painting, which is precisely the work I love,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n The addition of a third figure\u00a0against\u00a0a rich, dark woodland setting changes the character of the painting, said Powell, with action and more depth.<\/span><\/p>\n Working in collaboration with art historian Dr. Simon,\u00a0the work has been attributed\u00a0to the 16th-century Italian Renaissance painter Niccol\u00f2 Betti, best known for \u201cThe Sack of Corinth\u201d in the\u00a0Studiolo\u00a0of the Palazzo\u00a0Vecchio in Florence.<\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a0collaborative process between in-house curators and conservators\u00a0is typically found in museums, and not the private sector, said Dr. Simon, adding that he and\u00a0Powell\u00a0were able to\u00a0profit from each other’s expertise in\u00a0order to\u00a0tease out the background and historical context of\u00a0the\u00a0painting.\u202f<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn this case it\u00a0helped\u00a0that my academic specialty is Florentine painting of the 16th\u202fcentury,\u201d said Dr. Simon. \u201cEach painting that one studies, whether in the conservation lab or in the library, is a\u00a0puzzle\u00a0\u2014\u00a0here a 500-year-old puzzle in which we try to understand who painted the work of art, what was originally intended, the religious significance, what changes have been made to the picture over time, and how can we make it understandable to today’s audience.\u00a0Paintings like this are like messages in a bottle, coming from across the planet and centuries in time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s\u00a0uncertain why the original work\u00a0was painted over, although it\u00a0appears\u00a0to have\u00a0something to do with the top panel,\u00a0according to\u00a0Powell.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe original panel had some kind of damage at some point,\u00a0and a piece of wood was added,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n The event, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library, is open to the public free of charge, courtesy of the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Hope Horn Gallery.\u00a0The restored painting will be on permanent display on the fourth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n On\u00a0<\/span>Friday, May 29,<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0the Schemel Forum will host \u201cVin et Vues: Loire Valley and its Wines.\u201d This hands-on wine education event will feature a four-course wine tasting, hors d\u2019oeuvres, a presentation on wines of Loire Valley, France, and an interactive discussion led by wine writer David\u00a0Falchek, CAE, IOM, CMP.<\/span><\/p>\n Participants will explore France\u2019s under-appreciated wine region, Loire Valley. The region looms large in French consciousness for history, the arts and agriculture, yet is less recognized for wine, despite pioneering\u00a0a number of\u00a0varieties and styles.\u00a0Falchek\u00a0will lead participants in a deep dive of this influential region carved by Europe\u2019s longest wild river and will\u00a0host\u00a0a sampling of a range of wine styles.<\/span><\/p>\n Falchek\u00a0is a wine writer and critic for publications including\u00a0\u201cWine & Spirits Magazine\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0The Scranton Times-Tribune\u00a0and\u00a0is former executive director of the American Wine Society.<\/span><\/p>\n The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. in\u00a0Charles\u00a0Kratz Scranton Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.<\/span><\/p>\n The cost for the wine tasting, hors d\u2019oeuvre and lecture is $60 per person, $110 per couple for non-Schemel Forum members. There is no\u00a0additional\u00a0fee for Schemel Forum Members, Angels, and Archangels to attend this event. University of Scranton and GCSOM students, staff, and faculty must\u00a0purchase\u00a0tickets. All participants must be 21years or older.<\/span><\/p>\n For\u00a0additional\u00a0information or registration information,\u00a0call\u00a0570-941-4740\u00a0or\u00a0email\u202f<\/span>schemelforum@scranton.edu.<\/span><\/p>\n Additional Schemel Forum events can be found on the\u00a0<\/span>Schemel Forum\u2019s webpage<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n