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The Melissa Darden Odom Speaker Series, presented by Suffolk Art League, is sponsoring Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Speaker on the Arts Margaret Hancock for a Nov. 3 lecture at the Suffolk Art Gallery, 118 Bosley Ave.

Hancock will present “Face Value: Portraiture in American Art” beginning at 7:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. No reservation required.

Portraiture in American art ranges from folk to classical and from realism to impressionism, according to an arts league news release. Delve into these stylistic variances with a visual exploration of painted portraits of Americans by Americans. Explore works in significant portrait collections across America including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Art, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Handcock is a professional writer in the art and philanthropy world, according to the release. She holds a masters degree in education from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree in Art History from Duke University. She has recently been appointed the executive director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

This program is organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is supported, in part, by the Paul Mellon Endowment and the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund. The Melissa Darden Odom Speaker Series is supported, in part, by a gift from the Darden Family.

Hancock’s talk kicks off a series of events around portraiture culminating with a visit by the VMFA on the Road. The Artmobile for the 21st Century is set to be at the Suffolk Farmers Market from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19.

The current VMFA on the Road exhibit is “Revealing and Obscuring Identity: Portraits from the Permanent Collection,” the release stated. This exciting exhibition of paintings, photographs and prints from VMFA’s permanent collection explores portraiture through a variety of periods, cultures, and styles. It will be free and open to the public.

For more information on the Hancock lecture, the visit by the VMFA on the Road and other programs presented by the Suffolk Art League, visit www.suffolkartleague.com or call 757-925-0448 Tuesday – Thursday, or email suffolkartleague@verizon.net.