Visual Arts Presents Equity and Awareness in the Arts Virtual Lecture Series

Sharadin Arts Building.

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Rose DeSiano Galjanic, professor of Photography and Studio Art, in collaboration with Kutztown University Visual Arts have curated the Equity and Awareness in the Arts virtual lecture series for the 2022 spring semester. The series of remote, live events are broadcast via KU's Art and Design YouTube channel.

This lecture series brings together artists, designers, curators, public artists, children's book illustrators, interactive media and museum union leaders who share their creative processes, research and their diverse artistic practices. Speakers will address issues of climate change, social injustice, minority biases and arts as activism. In addition to KU students, faculty and staff, it is free and available to the public.

Speaker presentations correspond to related KU courses so students can engage in conversation directly with high profile professionals that share KU's core commitments to diversity and inclusion, social justice and community empowerment. Individuals and students from outside these courses will benefit from the exposure and learn about the important work being done in contemporary art that is grappling with injustices and inequities currently plaguing communities.

There are six speakers who will join the live YouTube channel over the course of the remainder of the semester.

Tanda Francis, a public and sculpture artist will speak at 1 p.m., Friday, April 1. The following week, Chika, an augmented reality and interactive design artist, will present at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 5. Award-winning painter, feminine activist and union leader, Rosemary Taylor will join the event at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 12. Nekisha Durrett is an artist of social practices, installation and design who will share her insights at 10 a.m., Friday, April 15.

Kathleen Lynch, director of the Art Production Fund, will join to speak 4-5 p.m., Thursday, April 21. The final event of the lecture series will be held at 3 p.m., Thursday, April 28, and will feature Klaudia Ofwona Draber, curator and founder of a unique organization called KODA, as well as the founder of the Ofwona Foundation.

For more information about the speakers of the Equity and Awareness in the Arts lecture series, please visit https://kutztown.universitytickets.com/w/?cid=177.

To join the live events on their respective dates, Kutztown University Art and Design's YouTube channel is found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYui9NxV9JPyKhRlqzwv5yA.