The Department of Art, Art History, and Design invites visitors to campus throughout the academic year to share their scholarly research, creative practice, and to interact with our students, faculty, and the greater MSU community.

Stanely & Selma Hollander Visiting Artist, Designer & Scholar Lecture Series

Our Stanley & Selma Hollander Visiting Artist, Designer, and Scholar Lecture Series features 15-20 visitors annually from across the globe to give public lectures, offer special workshops, visit undergraduate classes, and visit graduate studios.

During their visit, invited guests present their scholarly and creative research in a public lecture. Planned alongside the lectures are a variety of activities designed to provide students the opportunity to further engage with the lecturer. This associated programming ranges from workshops and class visits to panel discussions and exhibitions. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students also have opportunities to participate in individual studio visits and group critiques with the guest lecturer.

Through the exploration of Contemporary Art, students are better prepared to be informed contributors and critical thinkers in an increasingly visual and international culture where diverse language and learning styles are the norm and creativity and innovation are values of great importance. In total, the Visiting Artist, Designer, and Scholar Lecture Series explores how visual representation in all its complex forms exists as a mode of inquiry for the artist, writer, scientist, community, etc.

Critic-in-Residence

The Critic-in-Residence program was launched in 2022 by Tani Hartman, Chairperson for the Department of Art, Art History, and Design. Each year a nationally/internationally known critic is invited to MSU to write about each of the artists featured in the annual Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, held each spring at the MSU Broad Art Museum. Critics-in-residence come to campus to visit graduate student studios for in-depth conversations and to view their creative research while it is being developed. Additionally, critics are invited to visit with faculty and to offer a public lecture about their research to engage with our broader MSU Community. The program was designed to offer our graduating MFA candidates the opportunity for critical, interpretive writing about their work provided by a voice from outside the University.


PAST PROJECTS

Critical Race Studies Artist/ Designer Residency

The Critical Race Studies Artist/Designer Residency brought two nine-month artists/designers each year to engage critically with issues of race through creative practice. This visiting faculty program invited artists and designers to present a solo exhibition and/or substantial participatory project that was developed and executed during their time in residence. The program was designed to catalyze connections across the department, college, and community to further critical discussions of race and identity on campus. MSU Artists/designers-in-residence made work that engages with historical and systemic experiences of the racially marked body, that explores the structural inequalities of the present, or that sits at the intersections of race and gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity or religious identity.

The Bridge Artist Residency

The BRIDGE Artist Residency, offered in conjunction with our Electronic Art & Intermedia Area, explored new forms of artistic output brought about by science and technology. BRIDGE Artist in Residency Program enabled artists to spend more time on campus, conduct research in connection with departments of their choice, and to produce work by taking advantage of the most diverse facilities and expertise. The mission of the BRIDGE Artist in Residency program is to immerse national and international artists within the creative space of scientific inquiry and research at MSU, connecting the arts, sciences and humanities.