NORMAN – The Crouse Quartet and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art director of education will delve deeper into selected works from the new exhibition, Galileo’s World: An Artful Observation of the Cosmos, during a presentation scheduled for Thursday, March 24, at the museum of art.
Melissa Smith, with the quartet, will present Galileo LIVE!, a musical journey through art and space, at 7 p.m. in the museum’s Mary Eddy and Fred Jones Auditorium. The production is open to the public without charge. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and seating is limited, so guests are encouraged to arrive early.
The Crouse Quartet will present a wide repertoire of music arranged for a traditional string ensemble. Attendees can expect to hear such beloved rock standards as House of the Rising Sun and Space Oddity, alongside jazzier classics like It’s Only a Paper Moon and Blue Moon. More traditional works also will appear in the program, such as excerpts from Gustav Holst’s The Planets.
Galileo used visual arts to make scientific discoveries, but his work was not limited to a single discipline.
“This program celebrates Galileo’s broad experiences in the arts,” said Smith. “His father was a composer and lutenist, for example, so Galileo grew up in a musical household in addition to being trained as an artist.”
During the program, Smith will tie song origins and meanings to works from the exhibition to tell a unique story about Galileo’s life and discoveries.
An Artful Observation of the Cosmos is presented in conjunction with Galileo’s World, an OU cross-campus initiative. The exhibition combines works from the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art’s permanent collection with books from Bizzell Memorial Library.
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is located in the OU Arts District on the corner of Elm Avenue and Boyd Street, at 555 Elm Ave., on the OU Norman campus. Admission to the museum is complimentary to all visitors, thanks to a generous gift from the OU Athletics Department. Information and accommodations on the basis of disability are available by calling (405) 325-4938 or visiting ou.edu/fjjma.
