While its collections may be located nearly 30 miles away, members of Elkhart’s Midwest Museum of American Art will be bringing some its finest paintings on the road next month for a visit to Dowagiac and the 2015 Dogwood Fine Arts Festival.

Museum Curator Brian Byrn will host a casual discussion on the importance that paintings and the visual arts have on American culture at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, at the festival headquarters located at downtown’s Huntington Bank Building. Entitled “American Art at its Best,” the lecture is free and open to the public.

The presentation encompasses this year’s visual arts program, an annual part of the fine arts celebration, which takes place from May 8-17.

In addition to his remarks, Bryn will bring a number of the museum’s most famous paintings for visitors to see in person, by renowned artists Norman Rockwell, Anna Mary Robertson (Grandma Moses), Grant Wood and Hans Hofmann.

“These paintings are the best in our collection,” Bryn said. “They’re what people pull off the highway into Elkhart to come and see.”

Home to over 6,300 works, the Midwest Museum of American Art hosts a litany of tours, lectures and other educational events every year to encourage literacy and appreciation of the arts, Bryn said.

“We don’t sell artwork, we sell the experience, and art education is tied to that,” he said.

The curator has been teaching art appreciation for over 30 years with the museum, first joining the instution in 1981. The southern Indiana native graduated from Indiana University that same year with a major in the fine arts, receiving his master’s of education from the university in 1996.

While his 40 to 50 minute lecture will be assisted by a PowerPoint presentation, the main visual attraction of the evening will be the four paintings from the collection, Bryn said.

“You have to be in the presence of art in order to truly appreciate it,” he said. “We can show a photo of it on a PowerPoint slide, but it’s not the same thing as seeing it in person.”

Bryn’s presentation will be aimed at art enthusiasts of all levels. Whether someone is an expert on art history or just likes looking at great paintings, all visitors will get something out his talk, the curator said.

“Art appreciation has never been about liking or disliking a particular piece, artist or style,” Bryn said. “It’s about building on your level of understanding.”

His first lecture in the Grand Old City, Bryn is excited to share his knowledge of American art with the community, especially given Dowagiac’s own predilection for the fine arts, he said.

“Hopefully, some of the visitors might turn to their community and say, ‘hey, it’s great having all these sculptures across town,’ or ‘it’s great that we have a yearly festival that celebrates the fine arts,’” Bryn said.

For more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events call (269) 782-1115, (866) 490-2847 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org.