Internationally known American Indian artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith will present the opening keynote lecture in a series bringing cross-cultural perspectives on the arts to the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Smith is an activist and spokeswoman for contemporary American Indian art and a painter and printmaker who exhibits internationally.
An artist of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation in Montana, SmithÂ’s work is recognized in both the worlds of New York contemporary art and American Indian art. Her work, characterized by sophisticated pictographic symbolism, is included in the collections of prestigious institutions such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Museum of Modern Art. She also has lectured at more than 100 universities internationally and printed at workshops nationwide.
Her provocative speech, “What is This Thing Called Art?” will begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, in room 270 of the Hale Science Building. The lecture, and the rest of the Wednesday night series, is free and open to the general public.
The lecture series, called “Global Perspectives on Local Visual Culture,” is presented by the department of fine arts, the Center for Humanities and the Arts, and the Medieval and Early Modern Studies Committee at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder.
Five distinguished speakers will bring expertise in American Indian art, Islamic culture, Byzantine art, Precolumbian art and the history of art collection in the West.
Other lectures in the series will be:
• Anthony Cutler, professor of Byzantine art, Pennsylvania State University;
“Appropriation in Byzantium, Islam and the Modern World,” Oct. 1
• Irene Bierman, director, Gustav von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies, and professor of Islamic art, UCLA; “Making Islamic Culture Visible,”
Oct. 15
• Donald Preziosi, professor of art theory and criticism, UCLA; “Brain of the Earth’s Body: Museums and the Invention of Modernity’s Past,” Oct. 22
•Cecilia F. Klein, professor of Precolumbian art, UCLA; “The Politics of Violence: Global Perspectives on Aztec Human Sacrifice,” Nov. 12
All lectures are scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Wednesday evenings, in Hale 270.
The series is funded by a $15,000 grant from the James and Rebecca Roser Visiting Artists Endowment to enrich the lives and education of students in the arts, particularly at the undergraduate level. The evening lectures will provide an opportunity for students and Boulder-Denver area residents to interact personally with internationally known artists and scholars, who have demonstrated their commitment to working with students.
The visiting artists and scholars also will work with graduate students and participate in panel discussions with department faculty.