Preposterous Propositions: Report from the Frontier of Contemporary Art
Public Lecture, Monday, February 14, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
MIAD hosted distinguished writer, artist, educator and curator Linda Weintraub as part of a two-day experience for first-year students.
Weintraub’s visit included a free public lecture titled “Preposterous Propositions: Report from the Frontier of Contemporary Art” at the Eisner Museum on Monday, February 14, at 7:00 p.m.
The lecture focused on how environmental challenges inspire today’s most adventurous works of art, with artists propelling the professions of “official design/science/technological/engineering into uncharted territories of energy use, resource management, waste cycling and many other issues that will determine the future of life on earth.”
During her visit, Weintraub conducted studio visits with students across disciplines and explored a variety of topics with faculty.
Weintraub is the acclaimed author of “In the Making: Creative Options for Contemporary Art” and “Art on the Edge and Over: Searching for Art’s Meaning in Contemporary Society.”
She has originated over 50 exhibitions, co-curated an international touring exhibition and has a long and distinguished career in academia, including as the Henry R. Luce Professor of Emerging Arts at Oberlin College.
“In the Making” is considered to be “the ideal launch pad for anyone wanting to understand all the essential, but sometimes elusive, aspects of art-making in the 21st century.” It is a required text for freshman enrolled in Understanding the Visual.
As part of her two-day visit, 15 local art and design professionals gathered at MIAD for a “Portfolio Development Symposium” with all first-year students.
With Weintraub as the plenary speaker, each professional exhibited his or her portfolio with examples of earlier portfolios to demonstrate how their work has evolved.
Vice President for Academic Affairs David Martin said, “Our students begin their professional formation even as they start their studies. Professional formation begins with self-formation. The best way to introduce new art and design students to the varieties of professional formation is to provide them an opportunity to meet with art and design professionals … so that students can see evidence of the journey that these professionals have made.”
“Portfolio development is a critical part of the semester as students create digital portfolios that demonstrate who they are becoming, display their best work, and also make visible their formative questions and key ideas as they select their majors and begin their professional curricula.”
Weintraub’s lecture and the Portfolio Development Symposium continue MIAD’s unique First-Year Experience. To read more about the first-year curriculum, click here.
Linda Weintraub, lindaweintraub.com.
