“Pull Back the Curtain” Speaker Series

This FREE Speaker Series lectures featuring experts in the arts sharing their knowledge.

Past Speaker Series include presentations on Pablo Picasso, Dale Chihuly, Bruce Springsteen, and more! Speaker Series events may be presented in-person or online. Lectures are family-friendly, but are geared towards adult (18+) audiences.

Fairmount Speaker Series are sponsored by Toby and Melanie Maloney.

The Chokolatine Story: Where Art Meets Chocolate

Ines Rehner, Founder and Owner, Sweet Designs Chocolatier

Meet Ines Rehner, Founder of Sweet Designs Chocolatier in Lakewood, and get the inside story of Chokolatine, hand-painted, gourmet chocolates. It’s the crowning achievement of her lifelong dream of creating a line of chocolate that’s as beautiful as it is delicious. Inspired by the masters of the art world, Ines and her team spent five years developing this new line to ensure that this marriage of art, beauty and chocolate delights all the senses. Come sample this artistic masterpiece.

Sunday, October 13, 3-4pm

Through the Eyes of the Artist: Mary Cassatt

Sunday, November 3, 3-4pm

Felicia Zavarella Stadelman, Art Historian

Mary Cassatt was responsible for introducing the paintings of the French Impressionists to the United States. Her paintings of women and children focused on a gaze or gesture, encouraging a bond between model and viewer. Learn more about Felicia’s work at https://throughtheeyesoftheartist.com.

The Care and Handling of Treasures at Home

Sunday, December 8, 3-4pm

Holly Witchey, Executive Director, Intermuseum Conservation Association

Join Holly Witchey, Executive Director of ICA-Art Conservation, for an afternoon of discussion on how to handle, care for, and eventually pass on your family treasures. Attendees are encouraged to bring a small object, photograph, document, or item that is meaningful to exhibit in a “Pop-Up Museum” of family treasures.

Upcoming Speakers

  • January 19, 2025: Jeremy Umansky, Owner/Chef, Larder

  • February 23, 2025: Sandra Bohl, Spanish Dance Company Director, Fairmount Center for the Arts

  • March 9, 2025: Destinee Siebe, Musicologist and Arts Administrator, Orchestra Personnel Assistant, The Cleveland Orchestra

  • April 27, 2025: Dobama Theater

Registration for the 2025 programs will open in late 2024.

To learn more about all our events, visit us on Eventbrite.