The Department of Art and Design at Missouri State University has announced its Fall 2023 Visiting Artists, Designers and Scholars series. Featured artists Britt Ransom and Selina Trepp will both speak about their work as part of the series. The event is free and open to the public.

In addition to their public lectures, both artists will meet with students and offer critiques, discussions or demonstrations.

Britt Ransom

Ransom will speak Monday, Sept. 18 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Jay Wasson IDEA Loft at the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center (eFactory).

An associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Ransom has received numerous awards and accolades for her work, including residencies with the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator and The Arctic Circle; a ZERO1 American Arts Incubator Fellowship and the Spring 2022 Hopper Prize. Her writing has been published in the “Leonardo” journal published by MIT Press, the “3D Additivist Cookbook” and the “Routledge Companion to Biology in Art and Architecture.”

Some of Ransom’s work is currently on view at the Carolla Arts Exhibition Center. Her work has also appeared at Honor Fraser in Los Angeles, the Contemporary Art Center New Orleans, the Torrance Art Museum and numerous university galleries.

Selina Trepp

Trepp, a Swiss-American artist researching economy and improvisation by working across media, will speak Monday, Oct. 2 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Jay Wasson IDEA Loft at the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center (eFactory).

Combining performance, installation, painting and sculpture, Trepp creates intricate setups that result in photos, drawings and animations.

Trepp has exhibited nationally and internationally, including shows at the Andrew Rafacz Gallery, the Hyde Park Art Center and the DePaul Art Museum, all in Chicago; Plug Projects in Kansas City; The Front Gallery in New Orleans; the Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris, France; and numerous galleries in Zurich, Switzerland.

In addition to her studio-based work, Trepp is active in the music scene, collaborating with different artists and performing as one half of Spectralina, an audiovisual collaboration with Dan Bitney.

Visiting artists provide “inspirational fuel”

Art and Design Assistant Professor Amanda Smith coordinated the Fall 2023 Visiting Artists series event, which is meant “to offer a forum where students, faculty and members of the Springfield community can learn about the careers of creative individuals,” according to Smith. “Visiting artist talks are an important and inspirational fuel for students, creative professionals and art lovers of all types.”

The Visiting Artists series offers a perfect opportunity for students to have their educational and career questions answered as well as gain insight into the creative process, Smith explained. “Getting started in a creative profession can feel intimidating and opaque at times. Students will commonly wonder: What makes a good portfolio? Should I go to grad school? How do you start getting your work in exhibitions? Where are good communities for artists?”

The Robert W Plaster Free Enterprise Center (eFactory) is located at 405 N Jefferson Ave, Springfield, Missouri.

For more information on the visiting artists and to check for updates, visit the Visiting Artists, Designers and Scholars Series website or call 417-837-2330.

News submitted by Mariah Hunter, edited by Reynolds College Communications Team.

Hunter is a graduate assistant for the Department of Art and Design. She is working towards her master’s degree in writing at Missouri State University.