Guided Art Tour: Fairfield University Art Museum’s 'Dawn & Dusk' Exhibit

Take a break from the everyday and immerse yourself in the art of the late 19th and early 20th century Tonalist movement. Fairfield University Adjunct Professor of Art History and art historian Ive Covaci will lead an exploration of the paintings in this exciting and evocative show.

Registration fee covers the tour cost. There is no entrance fee.

Participants will need to provide their own transportation to Fairfield University Art Museum. Please meet the instructor on-site. (Parking directions will be emailed prior to the tour date.)

explores the work of artists such as George Inness, John Henry Twachtman, and John Francis Murphy. Tonalism is a transitional movement that emerged from the Hudson River School of painting, laying the groundwork for modernism. Featuring works often painted from memory, this movement was signified by evocative landscapes that symbolized a spiritual connection to the natural world. More than 50 artworks in this exhibition are drawn from private and institutional collections.

About Ive Covaci

Ive Covaci is an art historian, curator, and specialist in Japanese art. She has been teaching Asian art and global introductory art history courses at Fairfield University since 2010, and received the 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award for Undergraduate Adjunct Faculty. She holds a PhD in art history from Yale University, and an MA in East Asian studies and BA in art history from Stanford University. She is passionate about teaching and learning with original works of art.

Ive has curated and co-curated numerous exhibitions, including Kamakura: Realism and Spirituality in the Sculpture of Japan (Asia Society Museum, New York, 2016), Gifts of Gold: Japanese Lacquer Boxes (Fairfield University Art Museum, 2020), and Ink/Stone (Fairfield University Art Museum, 2022). A resident of Westport for 14 years, Ive is currently co-chair of the Westport Public Art Collections Committee, with whom she has organized the two most recent annual WestPAC exhibitions at MoCA CT: Sixties MOD (2024) and ON FIRE: Energy, Climate, Infrastructure (2025).

About Verso University

Verso University is the Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative, serving up year-round offerings of classes, workshops, and lectures designed to further education and learning. Offerings run the gamut of educational opportunities, ranging from one-time lectures to ongoing courses to classes that meet weekly or perhaps monthly.

Important Information About Verso University Classes:

• Classes are structured as a consecutive series.
• Class size is limited.
• Registration is mandatory.
• Verso University programs are made possible by the generous support of the Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund.

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