Art Department Visiting Artist Series 2007-08 at USU

Five distinguished artists and a writer will travel to Utah State University this year as part of the department of art’s Visiting Artist Program.

Directed by faculty member Marilyn Krannich, the program brings nationally and internationally known artists and writers to campus for three- to five-day visits to interact with students, faculty and members of the community. All guests present a public lecture that is free and open to the public. The lecture series is a part of the larger, Caine School of the Arts Visiting Artists Series.

 

In the art department, the first guest this fall is photographer Christopher James, who joins the Visiting Artist Program Oct. 16 and 17. His public lecture is Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Performance Hall (approximately 1090 E. 675 North, Logan). He will meet with students and interested members of the community in an informal session Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 8-11:30 a.m. in Fine Arts Visual 113 (approximately 1200 E. 700 North).

 

James is an internationally known artist and photographer whose paintings, photographs and alternative process images have been exhibited in galleries and museums in this country and abroad. His work has been published and shown extensively, including shows in the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the George Eastman House and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

 

His book, The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (Delmar, 2001), has received unprecedented critical acclaim, was the winner of the Golden Light Technical Book of the Year award and is universally considered the standard reference text in the alternative process genre. The second, and greatly expanded, edition has gone into production and is scheduled for release in February 2008.

 

After 13 years as a professor at Harvard University, James is now professor and chair of photography at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. He also works as a graphic designer and a professional scuba diver.

 

“Chris James’ life and work make me smile,” said USU faculty member and photographer Craig Law. “His delight in the amazing variety of ways to make a photographic print will be a delight to see for those who can attend his lecture Tuesday evening. His images and writings about handmade emulsions are respected and known in photography circles throughout the world.”

 

Other guests in this year’s Visiting Artist Program include writer Lucy Lippard from New Mexico, Oct. 28, offering “Weather Report: Art and Climate Change;” painter Hung Liu from Mills College in California, Nov. 5; sculptor James Surls, Feb. 4; printmaker Karen Kunc, Feb. 19; and potter Mark Hewitt, March 24.

 

“These artists have been selected for their national and international reputations, as well as the ways in which their art reflects diversity with respect to the media used,” Krannich said. “Their varied backgrounds are also considered.”

 

These visits are the primary mission of the Visiting Artist Program.

 

“These presentations and discussions offer a unique opportunity for the northern Utah audience to interact with artists and scholars with diverse backgrounds and ways of working,” Krannich said. “Two of the artists chosen this year come from international backgrounds but are currently living in the United States. We hope to broaden our students’ view of the art world and create a larger world context for them and their artwork.”

 

The Visiting Artist Program is funded by a grant from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Utah Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Utah Arts Council, with funding from the state of Utah.

 

For information about the Visiting Artist Program at USU, contact Krannich at (435) 797-7373.

 

 

 

Contact: Marilyn Krannich (435) 797-7373, marilyn.krannich@usu.edu
Source: Art Department