Grand Central Atelier Launches The Bruce Cole Lectures

Grand Central Atelier, a fine arts academy devoted to the preservation, teaching, and reinvention of classical art traditions, next week launches The Bruce Cole Lectures, an ambitious speaker series designed to spark a contemporary renaissance in traditional arts and humanistic inquiry. The series begins on October 6, 2026 with "Echoes of the Renaissance,” a panel conversation held at the historic The Players in New York City. The series is part of the academy’s Bruce Cole Humanities Initiative, a multi-year public program supported by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The kickoff event will be moderated by Grand Central Atelier Founder and Artistic Director Jacob Collins, a leading figure in the contemporary revival of classical realism. Opening remarks will be delivered by newly appointed Chairman Michael McDonald of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Collins will be joined in conversation by Dr. Wilfred McClay, Professor of History at Hillsdale College and former member of the National Council on the Humanities, Dr. Michelle Erhardt, Professor of Art History and Associate Dean of the School of the Arts at Christopher Newport University, and Robert B. Simon, Ph.D., Renaissance and Baroque art historian and dealer.

The series is named in honor of the late Bruce Cole (1938–2018), a distinguished art historian of the Italian Renaissance and the longest-serving Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. A recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal and the Knight of the Grand Cross of the Republic of Italy, Cole championed the humanities as essential tools for a self-governing citizenry. His signature initiatives, We the People and Picturing America, brought iconic American art to over 80,000 schools and libraries nationwide. A prolific scholar and Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts at Indiana University, Cole authored fifteen books, including seminal texts such as The Renaissance Artist at Work: From Pisano to Titian, Italian Art, 1250–1550, and Art of the Western World.

Following the October 6th event, The Bruce Cole Lectures series will continue on December 4th, 2026 with a feature talk by Jacob Collins, where he will deliver an apologia for the traditional arts as practiced by Grand Central Atelier for over two decades.

Supported by a $2 million NEH grant, the Grand Central Atelier Bruce Cole Humanities Initiative is a two-year public program dedicated to enriching the study of art, history, and culture within the Atelier and educating the public about the history of art and traditional artistic techniques. The Initiative brings together artists, scholars, and the public to consider the enduring role of the humanities in shaping both personal and civic life. The Initiative will feature twelve public lectures, a two-day capstone symposium, two prestigious postdoctoral fellowships, and a digital publication.

For more information on The Bruce Cole Humanities Initiative and Bruce Cole Lectures at the Grand Central Atelier visit: https://grandcentralatelier.org/bruce-cole-humanities-initiative/