ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The contributions of female artists have long been overshadowed and overlooked in the art world, but an upcoming lecture aims to change that. 

“Women in Visual Arts,” at the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center on March 8, offers an in-depth exploration of the contributions of female artists, with a focus on how those contributions have often been neglected, underestimated or sometimes misattributed to their male counterparts. 

The lecture will take place from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and is presented by local art educator and historian Dale Chilcoat. It will focus on women in visual arts, including the Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, modernist Georgia O’Keefe, self-taught artist Grandma Moses and a host of European influences from the renaissance and beyond. 

He specially noted Grandma Moses, a self-taught “Naïve artist,” who during the 1950s rose to popularity after starting a career in painting at 78, but has since fallen in relevancy among art educators and the general art viewing public after her death In 1961. 

Chilcoat said while female artists are currently in one of the best places they’ve been when it comes to recognition, there is still a lot of work to be done to help bring recognition to the works of their predecessors. 

“What I am going to do is talk about, to begin with, is talk about how women have been neglected in the history of art,” Chilcoat said. “Generally, women did something notable; when they died, they were forgotten.”

Chilcoat, who has an extensive background in public school arts education, received his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and completed graduate work in New York, California and Italy, including time studying art history at the University of Florence Italy. 

The lecture series is part of the larger “Women in Art” series, from March 1-27, which will present a collection of works from female artists alongside historical perspectives and important moments for female identifying artists. 

Chilcoat will return on July 19 to host “An Afternoon with Vincent Van Gogh.” Presented in first person and in period dress, the lecture will discuss the painter’s life and answer important questions about Van Gogh’s artistry. 

The lecture series will wrap up on Oct. 11 when Chilcoat will examine the Italian Renaissance. Attendees can learn about the artists from Florence, known as the birthplace of the Renaissance. Highlights include Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and the Medici family, one of history’s most important patrons of the arts. 

The Elk Grove Fine Arts Center is also hosting its “Young Artists Bold Vision” Spring showcase, recognizing the works of young student artists age six to 16. 

The curated event will feature a collection of drawings, paintings and ceramics. 

Tickets for the lecture series can be purchased online at elkgrovefineartscenter.org/lectures and will help support the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center.