The Department of Art + Design is excited to present the fall 2022 lineup for the Visiting Artists, Designers, and Scholars Series, bringing unique insight from artists of various backgrounds and career paths. This semester’s multidisciplinary speakers are set to offer experienced advice for working with and across nearly every artistic discipline, including painting, drawing, ceramics, design, sculpture, public art, and cultural criticism.
Assistant Professor Amanda Smith is the Visiting Artists, Designers, and Scholars Committee Chair. As Amanda explains, visiting artist events go beyond a typical lecture, “Visitors often have in-depth discussion of their material processes and techniques, tips and tricks, and behind the scenes images. Visitors also talk about why they make art, what motivates them, and how they find meaning, identity, and community in through creative practice and research.”
The events are free and open to the public, and Art + Design students are especially encouraged to attend. Learning from the experiences of others in the field can make a huge impact on one’s own work. “Have you heard the old adage that the best writers are readers? There is a corollary in art and design. The best creative professionals are also the ones paying the most attention to other artists’ work—for knowledge, inspiration, networking, and community,” Amanda adds.
Anna Valdez, “Through Observation”
September 14 at 5:30 PM in Brick 1, room 312
Multi-disciplinary artist Anna Valdez speaks on the process of observation through her creation of vibrant, imaginative landscapes and still-life works that fall somewhere between fiction and reality.
Corwin Levi
October 19 at 5:30 PM in Brick 1, room 312
Corwin Levi shares more about his creative practice as a designer, illustrator, bookmaker, writer, and curator, along with his experiences attending over 20 artist residencies and exhibiting in numerous cities across the country.
Public Sculpture Symposium, “Concept, Material, and Place-Making”
November 10 at 5:00 PM via Zoom
Registration required at missouristate.edu/webinars.htm
J. Aaron Alderman, Jenn Peek, and Theda Sandiford, locally known as featured Sculpture Walk Springfield artists, lead a discussion centered around what public art means to a community. The virtual webinar will be moderated by Associate Professor of Sculpture Deidre Argyle.
Mark your calendar for these events, and look out for additional information about each visiting artist throughout the semester.
Taylor Ladd is a graduate assistant for the Department of Art + Design. She is working towards her master’s degree in writing at Missouri State University with professional interests in writing about art, culture, and food.