Mark your calendars! The Fredericksburg-Este Association will offer a free lecture on “Piazza San Marco, Venice’s Stage: Building Power, Facing Peril” on Friday, October 17, at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 905 Princess Anne Street.
Piazza San Marco, also known as St. Mark’s Square, is often referred to as the “drawing room of Europe” or the “living room of Venice” because of its role as a central gathering place and a hub of social activity in the city.
Julia DeLancey, an art history professor at the University of Mary Washington, will discuss Piazza San Marco as a Renaissance public space, exploring just a few of the ways Venetians—those in power and those who were not—utilized the space for political and social expression. And today, there are threats to the piazza’s survival, from overtourism to climate change.
DeLancey earned her BA in History of Art with honors from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Her research focuses on the history of visual culture in 16th century Venice and Florence.
A brief reception with small bites and wine will begin at 6:30 p.m. so that members and guests have time to mingle and chat before the lecture begins at 7 p.m. People should enter the church’s lower level from the George Street entrance.
