This article originally appeared in The Free Lance-Star Weekender.
Painter Vincent van Gogh is among the prominent personalities featured in this year’s William B. Crawley Great Lives lecture series, which returns on Jan. 18.
The William B. Crawley Great Lives series returns to UMW this year with a lineup of personalities who loom larger than life—and who are timely subjects for 2022. The lives of Dolly Parton, Vincent van Gogh, Ida B. Wells, Jimmy Carter and more will be revealed during the three-month series, which marks its 19th season this year.
The organizers are taking a “wait and see” strategy with the lectures. Tentatively planned to be entirely in-person for the first time in two years, the surge of the COVID-19 omicron variant has necessitated the first four lectures—all in January—be livestreamed online. They can be accessed on the program website (umw.edu/greatlives). Crawley said they will monitor the COVID situation with the hope that the subsequent 12 lectures, beginning on Feb. 1, can be in person in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium. All updates will be announced on the website.
These free lectures will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from Jan. 18 through March 10, at 7:30 p.m. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test is required, as are face masks, for all attendees.
The lecture series was forced online during its last two seasons due to the pandemic. And in 2021, only in-house talent was used. Crawley said UMW’s professors received rave reviews for their lectures, and “when you think about it, teachers make great speakers. They are used to crafting engaging presentations every day.” Read more.