ONLINE: With a format inspired by James Lipton’s "Inside the Actors Studio," the course will feature interviews and discussions with five important contemporary artists. This diverse group of artists ranges in ethnicity, geographic representation, age and approaches to creative expression. The format of the course will be an interview between the instructor and the artist, with class members encouraged to participate in active dialogue with the artist. Class members will be introduced to artwork that includes public art, socially and politically informed art, painting, sculpture and environmental art. The interviews may probe family and educational backgrounds, artistic influences, choice of medium, technical proficiency, philosophical underpinnings, aesthetics, creative processes and the role of the artist in society. | Facilitated discussion.
Max enrollment: 200.
Class sessions are recorded.
January 30 • Orit Hofshi (Tel Aviv, Israel)
Hofschi is an internationally known artist who has won many awards, and whose works have been shown in the National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Philadelphia), and in exhibitions in Israel, Hong Kong, and elsewhere. Educated in Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States, she primarily creates prints and drawings, often of monumental size. One reviewer described her work as exploring "haunting vistas of ruins and rugged landscapes [that] respond to sublime forces of nature, consequences of war, and time itself." www.orithofshi.com
February 6 • Sam Van Aken (Syracuse, NY)
A grafted tree bearing 40 different kinds of fruit on a single trunk? This University of Syracuse art professor has created many such trees, all unique, now growing in seven states as sculpted living works. His pursuit of art delves into botany, climatology, and technology, working beyond traditional boundaries in the natural and public realms. Raised on a Pennsylvania farm, he received his MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With an Andy Warhol Foundation grant, he lived for a time in Poland, working with dissident artists. His work has appeared nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at the Nature-Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial and the Cube Design Museum (Netherlands). He is also the recipient of numerous awards. www.samvanaken.com
February 13 • Charles Edward Williams (Greensboro, NC)
Works by this contemporary visual artist have been exhibited in prestigious venues and collections regionally and nationally, including the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA), the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, the Mint Museum, and the Weatherspoon Art Museum. With numerous art residencies and awards under his belt, Williams earned a BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Currently, he holds an Endowed Faculty Chair and Associate Professorship in Drawing and Painting at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). Williams works in a variety of media, setting out to capture the evocative responses humans have to the natural environment. He often chooses subject matter based on his own life experiences. www.charlesedwardwilliams.com
February 20 • Xenobia Bailey (New York)
Master fiber artist Bailey originally studied ethnomusicology at the University of Washington, where she became fascinated by the craftsmanship and sounds of African and Asian cultures. This led her to design costumes for a local African American theater group. Later, she earned a BFA in industrial design at the Pratt Institute. Learning to crochet at a Brooklyn cultural center evolved into a passion for creating strikingly colorful hats and textiles of exceptional quality. These have been featured in Elle magazine, on television shows, and in a Spike Lee film. Her work has led to a variety of art residencies and exhibitions, including presentations at the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, and the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenobia_Bailey
February 27 • Joseph Herscher (London)
Growing up in New Zealand and now based in London, Joseph Herscher is a kinetic artist and YouTube personality known for his channel "Joseph's Machines." He specializes in creating comical chain-reaction machines. His videos have garnered over 500 million views. At just 5 years old, Herscher constructed his first contraption. By his 20s, his entire apartment housed a Rube Goldberg-style egg-smashing machine. Herscher's fame skyrocketed with the YouTube video "Crème That Egg," which garnered 3 million views. This success led to numerous television appearances, demonstrations at art festivals worldwide, lectures at the Parsons School of Design, and talks about play and creativity at conferences globally. www.josephherscher.com
