Brenda Edgar: Art Historian

As early as the 12th century, European artists imagined the entrance to Hell as a monstrous mouth devouring the damned. In this vividly illustrated talk, we’ll explore how gluttony—one of the seven deadly sins—was visualized from the Middle Ages through the Baroque, with overeaters condemned to eternal digestion by beasts like Cerberus or Satan himself. From force-feeding to infernal feasting, join us for a deep dive into the dark, digestive symbolism of Hell in European art. 

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the goddess of love herself—Aphrodite. Though famed in myth for her beauty, it wasn’t until the sculptor Praxiteles broke tradition that the female nude was fully embraced in Greek art. In this vividly illustrated talk, we explore the cultural, artistic, and gender revolutions sparked by the Aphrodite of Knidos—the ancient world’s most famous divine sex symbol.  Come for the art history, stay for the goddess’s legendary backside. 

The Book of Revelation has inspired some of the most awe-inspiring and terrifying works in European Medieval and Renaissance art. From jewel-studded visions of the Heavenly Jerusalem to the monstrous maws of Hell, artists brought the Apocalypse to life with astonishing detail. Join me for a lavishly illustrated talk exploring how painters and sculptors visualized divine judgment, celestial glory, and demonic chaos. You’ll never see locusts the same way again. 

 Before the printing press, every book was made by hand—often on parchment crafted from animal skin. In this richly illustrated talk we’ll explore medieval illuminated manuscripts as both sacred texts and physical objects, tracing how quirks of flesh, hair, and even belly buttons shaped the page itself. From shimmering decoration to theological meaning, join us for a journey into the luminous, otherworldly beauty of the handmade book. 

In the 1920s, archaeologists uncovered over 1,000 ancient Sumerian graves in Ur, southern Iraq—including royal tombs filled with gold, musical instruments, and the remains of attendants who died in ritual sacrifice. From the deadly rites of Sumer to the jewel-filled tombs of Assyrian queens, join us for a journey into the ancient rituals of death, royalty, and the afterlife. 

In this enchantingly illustrated talk, we’ll explore Bosch’s fantastical depictions of Earth, Heaven, and Hell—where giant strawberries, pearl-laying bodies, and dreamlike landscapes collide. We’ll also trace his influence on later artists, from the Renaissance to the Surrealists, including Magritte and Dalí, who saw in Bosch a visionary ahead of his time.