College of the Canyons professors Michael McCaffrey and Kevin Anthony will deliver the scholarly presentation “Pompeii: Life and Art” on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center (PAC).

With the use of photos and maps, McCaffrey and Anthony will shed some light on what life was like in the Roman city before the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried it under ash in 79 A.D.

“Even after all these years, Pompeii continues to capture our imaginations,” said Sarah Etheridge, chair of the college’s scholarly presentation committee. “We are very excited to share this fascinating scholarly presentation with the Santa Clarita Valley community.”

McCaffrey, an art and art history professor at the college, will trace the origins of the visual narrative back to Pompeii through a detailed analysis of Roman style wall paintings, such as frescoes and friezes. Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, McCaffrey completed his undergraduate studies at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland and earned a Masters in Fine Art degree from the University of Illinois after emigrating to the USA in 1991.

Anthony, chair of the college’s hotel and restaurant management program, will take viewers on a virtual tour of Pompeii to better understand the way of life of its residents. As a student at the University of Loyola Chicago, Rome Center of Liberal Arts, he spent a year visiting Italy’s major museums and visited Pompeii three times. As a faculty member, he has led four study abroad trips to Rome, Italy and has been able to take students on field trips to Pompeii.

“Pompeii: Life and Art” will take place at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about the scholarly presentation “Pompeii: Life and Art,” please contact the COC Foundation at (661) 362-3434.