Maier lecture to focus on the ‘Universal Museum’

Patty Gersenblith

Patty Gersenblith, distinguished research professor at DePaul University College of Law and director of its Center for Art, Museum, and Cultural Heritage Law, is speaking at Randolph in April.

In “Imperialism, Colonialism, Reparations, and the ‘Universal’ Museum,” Gersenblith will discuss the concept of the “universal museum” and its historical underpinnings, exploring its origins across the arc of the 19th century.

She’ll also cover inequities in the international legal system and the continuing justification for the retention of looted cultural objects by European and North American museums and collectors.

The free lecture will be held on Tuesday, April 2, at 6 p.m. in Leggett 537, preceded by a reception at 5 p.m. It is being sponsored by Randolph’s museum and heritage studies program and the Lynchburg Society of the Archaeological Institute of America.