The Rourke's quarterly lecture series invites local and regional scholars of art history to present lectures concerning art, design, and art history. These lectures are always free and open to the public. 
Watch two of our most recent lectures below
Previous Lectures: 
  • The Dutch Revolt and Brueghel's Tower of Babel, Dr. Peter Schultz
  • Engraving Genocide, Traumatic Images and Human Rights in de Bry's "Destruction of the Indies," Dr. Danielle Gravon
  • Building the Social Gospel: American Churches 1880-1920, Ronald H.L.M. Ramsay (NDSU)
  • Work in Progress: Art History as an Interdisciplinary Practice, Dr. Anna Arnar (MSUM)
  • ​Picasso in Paris, Barbara Crawford Glasrud
  • Fargo-Moorhead's Early Art Scene, Markus Krueger (HCSCC)
  • From Noblewoman Poet to Modern Girl Feminist—Female Artistic Agency in Japan and Korea, Dr. Susan Lee (Concordia College)
  • The Thymele at Epidauros. Healing, Space, and Musical Performance in Late Classical Greece, Dr. Peter Schultz
  • The Donkey King: Asinine Symbology in Magic and Art, Dr. Emily Selove (University of Exeter)
  • Beyond the blackbook: Minnesota graffiti culture and influence, Kylie Linh Hoang (Minnesota Museum of American Art)
  • Looking West: Landscape photographs and their importance of building and maintaining an American identity. Or, how the hell do I make photographs here?, Chris Mortenson (Concordia College)
  • New Trends in Museum Exhibitions, with Erin Shapiro (Director & CEO of Plains Art Museum)
  • American Gothic: The Life and Work of William Halsey Wood, with Ronald H.L.M. Ramsay (North Dakota State University)​
  • Twelve Artworks Everyone Should Know, with Nicole Derenne (Teaching Associate Professor, University of North Dakota)
  • Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Art Collecting* (*But Were Afraid to Ask), with Jonathan Rutter (Executive Director & Curator, The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum) 
  • Amherst is Paradise—Emily Dickinson's Place of Sense, with Sheila Coghill and Thom Tammaro
  • The Artist as Educator: Pedagogical Experiments in Contemporary Art, with Dr. Noni Brynjolson (Assistant Professor, Minnesota State University Moorhead)
  • Green (Fog) with Envy: Hitchcock and the Erotic, with Dr. Greg Carlson and Dr. Richard Gilmore
  • The History of Afghanistan through Art, with Dr. Amanda Watts (Minot State University)

Upcoming Lectures: ​​
  • ​Art on the Borderline: Aesthetic Experience and the Making of Public Art
    • Thursday 9 July 2026 from 6-7:30 p.m.
Exhibitions and operations are supported in part by the generous support of the following regional, state, and local entities:
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Operation support is provided in part by
​the FM Area Foundation.
This activity is funded by The Arts Partnership,
with support from the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo.
The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum
521 Main Avenue
​Moorhead, MN 56560
​
Tel. 218.236.8861
© 2026 The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum