The University of Indianapolis Art & Design Department is hosting an Art & Design Virtual Lecture Series from Sept. 14 to Nov. 23. The events are for Lecture/Performance credit and consist of six artists with different career tracks hosting virtual discussions via Zoom, and any student or faculty member is invited to attend to learn more about these artists and their chosen fields, according to events.uindy.edu.
Assistant Art & Design Professor Nathaniel Foley is leading the virtual series. According to Foley, professors within the program are inviting colleagues and art professionals that they have worked with in the past to come and tell their story. They can talk about experiences, their artwork and the art profession as a whole so that the UIndy population can understand artists and their work.
“This is the first year we are doing this, so this is a very new venture,” Foley said. “The Art & Design Lecture Series is inviting different artists with different disciplines—we are trying to represent everything that we teach within this lecture series.”
Some of the presenting artists include Rachel de Cuba, Emily Wiethorn, Dulcee Boehn, Sarah Mathews and Josh Emrich, according to events.uindy.edu. Their fields of work include photography, higher art education, studio art, printmaking, book art, brand designer and illustrator, according to events.uindy.edu.
The artists are representing different professions, including art therapy. IU Bloomington Arts-Based Wellness Experience Manager Lauren Daugherty was the first artist to be featured as part of the series on Sept. 14. Daugherty said she was shocked at the interest to have an art therapist speak for a lecture series because not a lot of people know about art therapy.
“I really appreciate the opportunity to share a little bit more about what I do, because my role is so unique,” Daugherty said. “But also, anytime an art therapist gets to share information about the work that they do, it also highlights other people that are doing that same job in our area, so that was really nice to be able to propel the art therapy identity in Indianapolis a little bit.”
Foley and Daugherty both said that they believe that UIndy benefits from this lecture series. Foley said that exposure is the most important aspect. When it comes to these professionals talking about their work, he said it gives validity and appreciation to the profession and any student that may be pursuing a career in the arts.
Any opportunity students have to hear about the creative profession, whether that be art therapy, higher art education or a practicing artist, they are able to gain knowledge about the real world that exists after students leave the undergrad world, Daugherty said. She said she hopes that those who attended learned something about the arts that they had not necessarily thought of before.
Daugherty said that she thought UIndy should continue series like this. She said it is a valuable experience to students who get to connect with their chosen career field and understand what that life is like.
“Once you hear the people that have gone through similar struggles as you, whether you’re in grad school or undergrad, what the job search is like or how it is difficult for a lot of artists to be doing what they want to do full time, I think anything you can learn like that really helps you know what to expect when you leave school,” Daugherty said.
Other presenting artists include Rachel de Cuba, Emily Wiethorn, Dulcee Boehn, Sarah Mathews and Josh Emrich. Their fields of work include photography, higher art education, studio art, printmaking, book art, brand designer and illustrator.
If students are interested in attending one of these events, they can follow instructions on the UIndy events page or see Vice President for Students and Campus Affairs and Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli’s weekly update emails for more information on how to register.
