CECA Visiting Artist Speaker Series

Throughout the history of the Department of Art + Design, we have been committed to bringing top artists, designers, curators, and thinkers to Austin Peay State University and the Clarksville community. Along with the support of the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, all of our events within the Department of Art + Design are free and open to the public.

VASE 23-24

FALL 2023

Sept. 19, 2023: Tokie Rome-Taylor will talk about her work and creative practice in conjuction with her exhibition Reclamations, on disply in The New Gallery from August 28 through October 13, 2023. (press release). Questions that stem from ethnographic and historical research that probe material, spiritual, and familial culture of ancestral descents of southern slaves are entry points for Tokie Rome-Taylor to build symbolic elements that communicate a visual language within her work. Rome-Taylor's work positions Black bodies in a space that leans into the past, reaching back to address the erasure of worth in how Black bodies are perceived and represented. These traditions that we were able to preserve - such as the passing down of objects, making offerings to ancestors, and the use of material objects as spiritual devices - allow the resurrection of power and autonomy once denied. Rome-Taylor's work stands in direct defiance of that erasure. Denied access to traditional materials and practice in the Americas, a creolization of symbolic elements of European status and wealth have been utilized to visually connect to ancestral practice of adornment and spirituality. Rome-Taylor makes no attempt to recreate the past, rather to create images that combine elevation and connection to diasporic practice. They stand strong, weaving together adopted western trappings of wealth and status with symbolic representations of their cultural, historical, and spiritual connections. Artist Talk, 6 p.m., AD120; Sept. 20, Gallery Talk/Reception, noon-1:30p, The New Gallery

Sept. 27, 2023: Michael Janda is an award-winning creative director, designer, agency owner and author. In 2002, he founded the creative agency Riser, which provided design and development services for clients that included Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Fox, NBC, ABC, National Geographic and many other high-profile brands. Following 13 successful years, Michael sold his agency in 2015. He now spends his time writing, speaking, and mentoring to help freelancers and agencies navigate the complex world of design. Prior to founding his agency, Michael served as a Senior Creative Director at Fox Studios where he managed the design, editorial and development teams for the Fox Kids and Fox Family brands. Michael’s book, Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff They Don’t Teach You In Design School But Should, was published in 2013 and has been one of the top-selling design industry books since its release. In 2019, his book, The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing: Price creative work with confidence. Win more bids. Make more money., was released and is now available in both English and Russian languages. Michael’s work, book and agency have received awards and recognition from Inc. 5000, FWA, Awwwards, HOW Magazine, Print Magazine, Ad News Magazine, Huffington Post, Promax/BDA, AIGA 100, Addy Awards, Webby Awards, and BusinessQ Magazine. Artist Talk, 6 p.m., AD120

Oct. 18, 2023: Taro Takizawa is an artist who focuses on printmaking, wall vinyl installations, drawings and 2D designs. Born in Japan, he has been making images connecting what he has experienced in Japan where he grew up and in the U.S. since he moved in 2002 and currently resides. His works contain both western and eastern aesthetics with appreciation of traditional printmaking processes and mark making. He is fascinated with blending the boundaries of contemporary studio practice and traditional processes, printmaking and installations, influenced by traditional Japanese patterns from textile designs, architecture and crafts. Takizawa received his BFA with a printmaking emphasis from Central Michigan University in 2011, and MFA in printmaking from Syracuse University. He has been teaching and going to residency programs since finishing his MFA.. Takizawa has exhibited nationally and internationally such as at Fowler-Kellogg Art Center, PARADOX European Fine Art Forum and its exhibition at CK Zamek in Poznan, Poland; and ArtPrize 10 at Grand Rapids Public Museum, LUX Center for the Arts, Ty Pawb in Wales and China Printmaking Museum. And recently went to artist residencies at Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts, Morgan Conservatory, GoggleWorks, and Lawrence Arts Center. During his visit, Takizawa will also spend a few days in our Print Studio producing a new print edition with 1 piece to be included in APSU's Permanent Art Collection. Artist Talk, 6 p.m., AD120

Nov. 14, 2023: Elisa Harkins is a Native American (Cherokee/Muscogee) artist and composer based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her work is concerned with translation, language preservation, and Indigenous musicology. Harkins uses the Cherokee and Mvskoke languages, electronic music, sculpture, and the body as her tools. Harkins will talk about her work and creative practice in conjuction with her exhibition Teach Me a Song, on disply in The New Gallery form October 30 through December 8, 2023. Harkins received a BA from Columbia College, Chicago and an MFA from CALARTS. She has since continued her education at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She has exhibited her work at Crystal Bridges, documenta 14, The Hammer Museum, The Heard Museum, and Vancouver Art Gallery. She created an online Indigenous concert series called 6 Moons, and published a CD of Creek/Seminole Hymns. She is also the DJ of Mvhayv Radio, an Indigenous radio show on 91.1FM in Tulsa, OK and 99.1FM in Indianapolis, IN. Radio III / ᎦᏬᏂᏍᎩ ᏦᎢ is a dance performance that features music and choreography by Harkins. With support from PICA and Western Front, songs from the performance have been collected into a limited edition double-LP which can be found on Harkins’ Bandcamp. Harkins resides on the Muscogee (Creek) Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Artist Talk, 6 p.m., AD120; Nov. 15, Public Performance: Wampum / ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᎦᎫᏗ, Trahern Black Box Theatre - reception to follow.

Spring 2024

Feb. 21, 2024: Natalia Arbelaez is a Colombian American artist, born and raised in Miami, Florida to immigrant parents. Her work takes the place of a storyteller, from her personal narratives of her Colombian family’s immigration to the research of pre-Columbian South American presence, to her American, latchkey, afterschool cartoon upbringing. Each of these identities plays a role in her work to illustrate a selfportrait of what it is like to be a Mestizo, Colombian, and American hybrid. She combines these stories with research, familial narratives, and cartoon embellishments that create surreal stories, much to her efforts, of the likes of Gabriel García Márquez. A way to autobiographically narrate history with its ups and downs of humor and tears. She received her B.F.A. from Florida International University and her M.F.A. from The Ohio State University, with an Enrichment Fellowship. In 2016-2017 she was a Rittenberg Fellow at Clay Art Center; Port Chester, New York and was awarded the Inaugural Artaxis Fellowship that funded a residency to Watershed in Newcastle, ME. Her work has been exhibited internationally, in museums, galleries, and included in various collections, such as the Everson Museum and MAD Museum. She has been recognized by NCECA as a 2018 Emerging Artist and was a 2018-19 resident artist at the Ceramics Program at, Harvard University where she researched pre-Columbian art and histories. Natalia was an artist in residence at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City where she researched the work of historical and influential women ceramicists of color and continues this research as a Visiting Artist at AMOCA in Pomona, CA. Artist Talk, 6 p.m., AD120.

March 12, 2023: In Kyoung Chun will talk about her work and creative practice in conjuction with her exhibition Shared Room, on disply in The New Gallery from February 19 through March 22, 2023. In Kyoung Chun’s current work depicts her personal and narrative spaces by arranging simple forms and familiar objects through painting and sculptures. Living in the United States as a South Korean immigrant has been challenging, so she creates spaces where positive energy arises. She needs to present spaces where intimacies are present. While creating these works, she attempts to achieve life's optimism and peace even in its troubled and isolated settings. She believes channeling discovery and recognizing sweetness in her everyday life is essential. Chun's work is in the permanent collection of High Museum of Art, the City of Atlanta Mayors Office of Cultural Affairs, Fulton County Public Library of Atlanta and numerous private collections. Chun recently had solo exhibitions at HiLo Press of Atlanta and the Sumter County Gallery in South Carolina. Chun’s public art has also received recognition; Rainbow Gateway: Saekdong, curated by Dash, was featured at the Peachtree Center Plaza in downtown Atlanta, and Blue Gate was featured at both Emory University of Atlanta and at Industrial City Square of Brooklyn. New York. Artist Talk, 6 p.m., AD120; March 13, Gallery Talk/Reception, noon-1:30p, The New Gallery.

March 27, 2023: Althea Murphy-Price uses deception, desire and ornamentation to form questions on the topics of truth, fascination and attraction. Often, using hair as material or image I exercise its role as embellishment and as signifier of racial identity. Investigating, assimilation and individuality, truth and false, this edition of CNC milled relief prints are inspired by color, surface and texture. The work is intended to capture the realistic appear of hair and suggest the object and action of braiding. Murphy-Price received her B.A. Fine Art from Spelman College before receiving her Master of Arts in Printmaking and Painting from Purdue University and her Masters of Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University. Her work has been featured in such publications as Art Papers Magazine, Art in Print Magazine, Printmaking Today (UK), CAA Reviews Journal, Printmaking: A Complete Guide to Materials and Process, and Printmakers Today. She has been exhibited widely nationally as well as international cities in Spain, China, Japan, Italy and Sweden. Her work is also included in the public collections of the Huntsville Museum of Art, Knoxville Museum of Art, and the Bernard A. Zukerman Museum of Art. Murphy-Price’s work has been acknowledged for its non-conventional approach to the traditions of printmaking. Utilizing lithography, stenciling methods, photography and 3D printing, her work can be described as representing a broad survey of contemporary printmaking. During her visit, Murphy-Price will also spend a few days in our Print Studio producing a new print edition with 1 piece to be included in APSU's Permanent Art Collection. Artist Talk, 6 p.m., AD120

CECA Visiting Artist Speaker Series

Below is just a selection of nationally and internationally renowned artists that the Department of Art + Design has hosted at APSU.