Artist Talk Linling Lu The Sound of Color A Conversation with Alexander Shelley and Linling Lu
Linling Lu, artist Alexander Shelley, artistic and music director Courtney McNeil, museum director and chief curator
Join Artistic and Music Director Alexander Shelley and artist Linling Lu for a conversation exploring the creative dialogue between visual art and music. Lu’s latest body of work is inspired by music featured in the Naples Philharmonic Masterworks series. Her work transforms sound into color, with large circular paintings that appear to vibrate and resonate. Alexander and Lu will discuss the rich connections between color and sound and how engaging complementary senses can deepen artistic experiences.
All museum lectures and public programs of The Baker Museum include same-day admission to The Baker Museum.
Linling Lu
Linling Lu
Linling Lu is a Baltimore-based artist, best known for her hard-edge, circular abstract paintings with concentric rings of color. Her human-scale tondos (circular works of art) have been described as inducing states of meditation and are often compared to Washington Color School painters, such as Kenneth Noland. In addition to her colorful, circular abstractions, Lu’s work includes sculptures of interlocking wood blocks, shaped paintings and mixed media works that incorporate traditional and contemporary textiles sourced from across the globe.
Lu received a BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and an MFA from LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting, MICA. Her work has been exhibited at The Phillips Collection, the Walters Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, The Delaware Contemporary, the Delaware Art Museum, the American University Museum, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kohl Gallery at Washington College, Towson University’s Center for the Arts and the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Lu’s artworks are in the permanent collections of The Phillips Collection, the Baltimore Museum of Art, Johns Hopkins University, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Microsoft, Louis Vuitton, Capital One, Accenture, City Center DC, 1700 Broadway, Carl M. Freeman Foundation, and The Embassy of the United States of America in Beijing. Lu has been featured in TheWashington Post, BmoreArt, East City Art, Modern Luxury, Home & Design, House Beautiful and the Washington City Paper.
Alexander Shelley
Alexander Shelley
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Artistic and Music Director
Alexander Shelley was named Sharon and Timothy Ubben artistic and music director in April 2023. He began his tenure in this role in the 2024-25 season following a successful designate year in 2023-24 and will continue in the role through the end of the decade. As artistic and music director of Artis—Naples, Alexander provides artistic leadership for the entire multidisciplinary organization, including The Baker Museum and the Naples Philharmonic.
This appointment marks Alexander’s first titled position in the U.S. In addition to his role with Artis—Naples, the 2026-27 season marks his first year as principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland and music director of the Pacific Symphony. He continues to serve as principle associate conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra — a position he has held since 2015.
Courtney A. McNeil is a curator, art historian and museum leader with nearly two decades of museum and gallery experience. In her role as Museum Director and Chief Curator, The Baker Museum, McNeil provides artistic vision and strategic direction for the museum’s ambitious schedule of temporary exhibitions and the permanent collection of more than 4,000 objects. She has curated a broad range of exhibitions, including Spanish Sojourns: Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain; Kahlil Gibran and the Feminine Divine; Mickalene Thomas at Giverny and Collecting Impressionism: Telfair’s Modern Vision. Her exhibitions have been recognized regionally and nationally with awards and grants from organizations including the Southeastern Museums Conference, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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Whether you’re enjoying our cultural campus during our free Community Days, making new friends in a Lifelong Learning class, or attending an off-campus music performance, we hope to see you soon.
