The annual Dr. John and Helen Collis Lecture brings nationally and internationally recognized experts in the field of art history and archaeology to discuss new scholarship, museum exhibitions, and archaeological discoveries. Topics alternate between ancient Greek and Byzantine art every other year. 

In this talk, Dr. Segal presents the newly renovated gallery at the MFA, Boston, devoted to early Greek art, one of the greatest strengths of the museum’s world-renowned antiquities. Step back in time to the days of the emergence of the Greek city-state and discover the innovation and creativity of early Greek artists responding to local traditions and new ideas from abroad. Learn about the design strategy and digital media assets that transport visitors to ancient Greece and make the past present.

Phoebe Segal is the Mary Bryce Comstock Curator of Greek and Roman Art at the MFA, Boston. She earned her BA from Brown University (1999) and PhD in art history and archaeology from Columbia (2007). She has excavated in Greece, Italy, and Cyprus, and is cochair of the Museums and Exhibitions Committee of the Archaeological Institute of America. Since 2008, she has curated several exhibitions and gallery renovations at the MFA, Boston, most recently early Greek art (2022). 

The annual Dr. John and Helen Collis Lecture is made possible through the Dr. John and Helen Collis Family Endowment. The endowment is the first of its kind at the museum, as it presents an annual lecture dedicated to a particular art historical emphasis. Additional support for this lecture comes from the Hellenic Preservation Society (HPS) of Northeastern Ohio. HPS is a nonprofit organization whose focus is to preserve the Hellenic legacy that will promote the Greek experience through education, collection, and preservation. Dr. John and Helen Collis are both members of the HPS.