Dale Hilton from the Cleveland Museum of Art is discussing the characteristics of Renaissance painting when she pauses and asks us to identify some of the era’s attributes. The director of distance learning at the museum is a pro at reaching audiences in multiple locations, including us, a small group in the library at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, chatting with Hilton via videoconference. During the next hour, we exchange thoughts about the red robes of John the Baptist, the lack of realism in Medieval portraiture and Northern Renaissance vs. Italian Renaissance styles.

In a city with no art museum, these twice-monthly, one-hour Cleveland Museum of Art Series sessions are a welcome concession for those hoping to hold a conversation about art history, masterworks, techniques and symbolism. Created as part of the center’s caregiving program (education as a form of respite), it’s free and open to everyone.

Center volunteer Sandy Richard says the group often includes former staff and friends of the defunct Guggenheim Hermitage Museum and closed Las Vegas Art Museum, who miss the camaraderie and lively art discussion.

November’s talks included sessions on Spanish art—paintings by El Greco, Goya and Picasso—and L’Art de L’Afrique, which explored the works and culture of former French colonies in Africa. Next up: Tomb Culture of Ancient China on December 7.