MASTER SILVERSMITH PRESENTS FREE LECTURE AT THE CLARK

For Immediate Release

May 14, 2013

Williamstown, MA— Ubaldo Vitali, a recent MacArthur fellow and fourth-generation silversmith, conservator, and scholar, presents the free lecture “Unveiling the Goldsmith’s Mysterious Language,” the final lecture in the four-part series “A Feast for the Eyes: Food, Porcelain, Silver, and Luxury Fabrics,” at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute on Sunday, May 19 at 3 pm. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Vitali discusses how the goldsmith has used art and science to communicate subliminally through objects. He explores silver made for churches, temples, and the home, identifying how select pieces have elevated the human spirit throughout history.

Vitali draws upon a deep knowledge of past and modern metalworking techniques to restore historical masterworks in silver and to create original works of art. As a conservator of works from medieval Europe to colonial America, he restores the aesthetic integrity of pieces distorted by damage or age. Based on his examination of written archival sources and material objects, he also preserves the physical and metallurgical evidence related to a piece's fabrication, thereby illuminating the original artisan's process and the social and intellectual underpinnings of his or her design. Vitali provides further insight into the design principles and execution processes of specific historic periods by creating replicas of antique objects.

“A Feast for the Eyes: Food, Porcelain, Silver, and Luxury Fabrics” celebrates sumptuously decorative, yet functional, works of art dating from the Middle Ages to today.

About the Clark

Set amidst 140 acres in the Berkshires, the Clark is one of the few major art museums that also serves as a leading international center for research and scholarship. The Clark presents public and education programs and organizes groundbreaking exhibitions that advance new scholarship. The Clark’s research and academic programs include an international fellowship program and conferences. Together with Williams College, the Clark sponsors one of the nation’s leading master’s programs in art history. The Clark receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open daily in July and August (open Tuesday through Sunday from September through June), 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $15 June 1 through October 31; free November through May; and free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303. The Clark’s library will be closed for renovation June 1 through September 3, 2013.

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