Is Beauty in the Eye of Beholder?

We often hear that "art is just subjective" or "just self-expression." Yet most of us feel that some art is better than others, and believe our preferences are based in the real qualities of the things we enjoy, and not just in arbitrary, subjective feelings.

So what is the relationship between objective quality and subjective experience? how we answer that question affects not just what gets included in our museums, but in how we shape the world in which we live. Who decides what sculptures get put downtown? Are there better and worse ways for buildings and streets to look? Is some art just bad?

Join us to discuss these fascinating questions Saturday, November 23! Sarah Kyle, Chair of the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Iowa State, who is an expert in Italian Renaissance art, will join us, alongside Mark McInroy, professor at the University of Saint Thomas, who specializes in the philosophy of beauty.

Don't be intimidated, there's no prior knowledge required, and the conversation promises to be interesting, relevant, and approachable!

Host or Publisher The Des Moines Lyceum