Explore the history of Renaissance architecture and art—join Lake Forest College professors Dr. Melissa Rovner and Dr. Kimiko Matsumura for this exciting new community engagement series
Art and Architecture History at the Krebs Center
September 10 – October 8, 2026
Thursdays, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Held at the historic Krebs Center for the Humanities, this five-week series will explore the traditions of Renaissance form, ornament, spatial organization, material culture, and visual symbolism that shaped how buildings and objects were made, inhabited, and interpreted. Along the way, participants will apply what they have learned directly to the Krebs Center and its collection, asking how the villa itself accumulates meaning, displays taste, and shapes our encounters with history. Each session will begin with a social reception featuring food and refreshments.
Both the educational content and social receptions will offer opportunities to build community, engage with College leadership, and learn more about ongoing campus initiatives.
Community
- Lifelong Learning
- Writing by the Lake
- Lectures at Lake Forest Place
- Office of Community Education
- Forester Elevate Program for Local Businesses
- VITA Tax Program
- Meeting and Event Facilities
- Upcoming Public Events
- MLS Courses Offered in 2026-2027
- Gym Membership
- Forester Athletics
- Hire a Forester
- Donate
- Campus Map
Reserve your spot
Registration fee: $450 for the five-week series.
Registration deadline: Thursday, September 3
Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions, but full attendance is not required.
Series details at a glance
When
Five-week series on Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Dates: September 10, September 17, September 24, October 1, October 8
Where
Krebs Center for the Humanities, located near Lake Forest College.
The address will be provided upon registration.
Who should attend
Open to all community members and alumni— no prior background is required, just curiosity and a willingness to look carefully.
Cost
$450 for the five-week series. Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions, but full attendance is not required.
Learn more about the series
This five-week course introduces the history of Renaissance architecture and art — the traditions of form, ornament, spatial organization, material culture, and visual symbolism that shaped how buildings and objects were made, inhabited, and interpreted. Each session is grounded in the social, cultural, and historical contexts that produced them, situating Renaissance traditions within broader histories of politics, patronage, exchange, and global encounter, and treating architecture and art as primary texts that reward close, informed looking.
The course then brings those histories and methods to bear on the Krebs Center for the Humanities Villa. Along the way, we examine the house museum and private collection as cultural forms in their own right, asking how spaces like the Villa accumulate meaning, display taste, and shape our encounter with history. Through guided, in situ investigation of the house and its collection, participants will apply what they have learned directly to the building and objects around them. No prior background is required, just curiosity and a willingness to look carefully.
Instructor
Melissa Rovner, Lecturer in History, Interim Associate Director of the Krebs Center for the Humanities
Kimiko Matsumura, Assistant Professor in Art History
What you'll learn
- Renaissance architectural traditions and the idea of the house museum
- Forms, ornament, and materials of the Krebs Center for the Humanities alongside its architectural history
- The lasting effect of Renaissance art through its socio-cultural and historical setting
- Applications of art historical frameworks to the Krebs Center’s collection
- How house museums and private collections serve as cultural forms and accumulate meaning