Otis College of Art and Design Debuts Presidential Lecture Series with Focus on Critical Cultural Issues
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 10, 2015 -- As part of its long-standing commitment to advanced critical thinking and civic engagement, Otis College of Art and Design is proud to announce the new In Focus Presidential Lecture Series, a semi-annual public forum for distinguished scholars, practitioners, critics, and luminaries in the many varied disciplines of contemporary art and design. The series will include a variety of related programming to encourage discourse and exploration of the most pressing issues and topical subjects of our time through the lenses of art, design, and education.
“Otis has been deeply involved in the intellectual life of Los Angeles for nearly 100 years,” says President Bruce W. Ferguson. “It has always been keenly focused on social action with an enduring mission to employ art, design, and creativity in the service of addressing complex social issues, and advancing and expanding the cultural paradigm. It is only fitting that we should be launching such an important initiative and leading the efforts to create a public forum for creative thinkers to convene regularly.”
The inaugural lecture, “Not in the Age of the Pharaohs,” by President Ferguson, will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 7:00 PM at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, CA.
This lecture, accompanied by striking visuals, takes as its starting point the assumption that works of art can be symptomatic of larger cultural and political issues without necessarily using them as their content.
President Ferguson will discuss in detail the present day issues of Egypt through an investigation of works by four artists in the two years prior to the now-famous 18 Days of Revolution, begun in January of 2011. Prior to joining Otis College of Art and Design, President Ferguson served as Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the American University in Cairo, as Vice Chairman at Louise Blouin Media, and as the founding director and first curator of SITE Santa Fe, N.M.
Dick Hebdige, cultural critic, theorist, and Professor of Film & Media Studies and Art Studio at UCSB, will deliver opening remarks. Hebdige has published widely on youth subculture, contemporary music, art and design, and consumer and media culture. His books include: Subculture: The Meaning of Style (Methuen, 1979); Cut 'n' Mix: Culture, Identity and Caribbean Music (Methuen, 1987); and Hiding in the Light: On Images and Things (Routledge, Methuen, 1988).
In Focus: The Presidential Lecture Series Presents:
NOT IN THE AGE OF THE PHARAOHS
Inaugural Lecture by Bruce W. Ferguson, President, Otis College of Art and Design
November 12, 2015 at 7:00 pm – Admission is free - Register Now: http://www.otis.edu/in-focus
Pacific Design Center (Silver Screen Theater)
8687 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069
http://www.pacificdesigncenter.com
(Please enter the Pacific Design Center parking garage on Melrose Ave. Parking is $10.)
ABOUT OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN
Established in 1918, Otis College of Art and Design is a national leader in art and design education. The College mission is to prepare diverse students of art and design to enrich our world through their creativity, skill, and vision. Alumni and faculty are Fulbright, MacArthur, and Guggenheim grant recipients, Oscar awardees, legendary costume designers, leaders of contemporary art movements, and design stars at Apple, Abercrombie & Fitch, Pixar, DreamWorks, Mattel, Nike, and Disney.
Otis enrolls approximately 1,100 full-time students, and offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Architecture/Landscape/Interiors, Digital Media (Game and Entertainment Design, Animation, and Motion Design), Fashion Design, Communication Arts (Graphic Design, Illustration, and Advertising Design), Fine Arts (Painting, Photography, and Sculpture/New Genres), Product Design, and Toy Design. Otis also awards the Master of Fine Arts degree in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Public Practice, and Writing.
The five-acre main campus is located on L.A.’s Westside near the beach and LAX; Fashion Design is in the heart of the downtown fashion district; and the Graduate Studios are on the Creative Corridor in nearby Culver City, and in the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica.
2,700 adults and children participate in Continuing Education art and design classes and workshops.
Additional information is available at http://www.otis.edu
Communications, Otis College of Art and Design, http://www.otis.edu, +1 (310) 665-6857, [email protected]
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