NOTE: Time and location are currently TBD.
The 2026 Annual Barbara A. Hanawalt Public Lecture will feature Dr. Peter Weller (University of California, Los Angeles). He will speak on Classical-Medieval-Renaissance Art to modern film. After acting as the original "Robocop," (1987), Dr. Weller went on to earn his Ph.D. in art history from UCLA. We look forward to hosting Dr. Weller for this annual public lecture as well as a film screening the day before- more information coming soon.
Dr. Peter Weller is an Italian Renaissance art historian, noted actor, and director. He received his PhD in Art History with a specialization in Italian Renaissance Art from UCLA. He is the author of “Donatello’s Bronze David in the Twenty-First Century,” 2012, a significant article on the Italian Renaissance sculptor Donatello, as well as an essay contribution on the Italian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina (in Visualizing Sensuous Suffering and Affective Pain in Early Modern Europe and the Spanish Americas, Brill, 2018). He is also well known as the star of the iconic films Robocop (1987) and Robocop 2 (1990), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (1984), and Naked Lunch (1991). His more recent appearances (roles and guest roles) include Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), the TV series Dexter (2010), and 24 (2006). Dr. Weller is also an acclaimed director, having directed numerous episodes of Sons of Anarchy (2011-2014), Longmire (2012-2017), and, most recently, Hawaii Five-O (2013-2019).
This event is free and open to the public. Co-hosted by the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and the Humanities Institute.
The Humanities Institute and its related centers host a wide range of events, from intense discussions of works in progress to cutting-edge presentations from world-renowned scholars, artists, activists and everything in between.
We value in-person engagement at our events as we strive to amplify the energy in the room. To submit an accommodation request, please send your request to Cody Childs: childs.97@osu.edu.
