Nationally acclaimed artists who explore the complexities of race and identity will give five presentations during the 2022-23 school year as part of the University of Arizona School of Art’s Visiting Artists and Scholars Endowment series.
The VASE lectures will feature Tarrah Krajnak, Myra Greene, Bethany Collins, Walid Raad and a joint talk with Deborah Willis and School of Art Professor Sama Alshaibi at the Center for Creative Photography.
For the last 15 years, the school has brought renowned and diverse artists and scholars from around the world to campus.
“The impact of the VASE program can be felt in the enthusiasm of our students’ own practice and research, who participated in the nomination process and providing feedback in selecting our 2022-2023 roster,” Alshaibi said.
Here’s the lineup for the free Thursday presentations at 5:30 p.m. at the CCP, 1030 N. Olive Road. Go to https://vase.art.arizona.edu/ for more detailed bios.
(Bottom) Myra Greene, Bethany Collins and one of Walid Raad’s works, “We have never been more populated 1998 / 2021.”
- Tarrah Krajnak (Oct. 13): The Peruvian-born artist uses expanded forms of documentary practice to question the role of photography in shaping history. In 2021, her “El Jardín de Senderos Que Se Bifurcan” was shortlisted for the Aperture/Paris Photo First Book Award and named to MoMA’s inaugural list of 10 photo books of the year.
- Dr. Deborah Willis and Prof. Sama Alshaibi (Oct. 27): They will take an immersive look into the visual and identity politics of portraiture and self-portraiture, and into imagining the body as a setting in which political and personal narratives intersect and unfold. Willis, a MacArthur and Guggenheim fellow, is a professor and photography chair at New York University. Alshaibi, a Regents professor and Guggenheim Fellow, is a professor of photography, video and imaging at the University of Arizona. This talk is also part of the October Arizona Arts Signature Series.
- Myra Greene (Nov. 17): A professor at Atlanta’s Spelman College, Greene will discuss how she uses both photographic materials and hand-crafted textiles to articulate her thoughts about seeing, being and race. Named the 2021 Georgia State Fellow from South Arts, Greene has seen her work displayed at museums across the nation.
- Bethany Collins (Feb. 23): The Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist, whose works explore how race and language interact, has been recognized as an Artist-in-Residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, and has won numerous awards, including the Hudgens Prize in 2015.
- Walid Raad (March 23): The associate professor at The Cooper Union in New York has been honored globally for his photography, video, mixed media installations and performances — many dealing with the history of Lebanon and Lebanese Civil War. Raad, a Guggenheim fellow, lives and works in Beirut and New York.
The VASE series is made possible by the School of Art Advisory Board Visiting Artists and Scholars Endowment, the National Endowment for the Arts, the School of Art, the College of Fine Arts Dean’s Fund for Excellence and the Center for Creative Photography.
The Willis-Alshaibi event is also presented with support from the College of Fine Arts Diversity and Inclusion Committee Grant, the Arizona Arts’ Racial Justice Studio, and John and Sandi Flint. The Center for Middle Eastern Studies is helping sponsor the Raad talk.
“We also are deeply thankful to a donor who helped expand our capacity in VASE to provide influential research, creative practice and diverse voices to our UArizona campus,” Alshaibi said.
• For more info, contact: Mike Chesnick, outreach specialist, School of Art: mchesnick1@arizona.edu