Lesley Art + Design Visiting Artist Series

The Lesley Art + Design's Visiting Artist Series invites exhibiting artists and designers to speak about their work and practice to the University community and the general public. Visiting artists also work directly with students and often lead hands-on workshops for teens, undergraduates, graduates students, alumni, and the general public through the Office of Community Engagement.

Past Visiting Artists

• Kaz Oomori

  Kaz Oomori's highly regarded illustrations have received international attention and a client list that includes Walt Disney Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucas Film Ltd and Warner Brother's Studios. He has made significant contributions to the film industry through his visual approach that challenges the cultural and societal narratives in films and the way they are promoted.

  

  Oomori also teaches at Nara College of Arts in Nara, Japan where Lesley students and faculty have visited and partnered with as part of the Japan travel course. As part of the Visiting Artist Series, Oomori collaborated with illustration alumni and students to create a permanent large-scale mural in University Hall.

• Alex Jackson

  Jackson's process has been described by him as, “A mining through historical narratives, Afrodiasporic histories and geographies, science fiction, global modernisms, and a discourse on representation.”

  

  Jackson creates a distinctive tableau of painting figuration and narrative imagery. Recent shows of his include Zevitas Marcus, Los Angeles; Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, IL; Green Gallery, Yale University; and Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston.

• Wardell Milan

  Working at the dynamic intersection of drawing, painting and photography, Milan began as an artist in residence at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture before earning an MFA at Yale University. His three-dimensional dioramas gained considerable recognition and have been exhibited at The Studio Museum in Harlem, and The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh.

  

  As part of the series, Milan visited several fine art senior studios where he looked at final projects and shared some helpful advice. He also collaborated with our community partners at the deCordova museum with an installation piece and outdoor lecture.

• JooYoung Choi '12

  MFA in Visual Arts alumna, Choi merges fantasy with autobiography in multidisciplinary work that explores a fictional land called the Cosmic Womb. Her work has been exhibited at The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, The National Museum of Mexican Art, and the Contemporary Art Museum of Houston.

  

  As part of the series, Choi hosted several workshops for Lesley students and participated in classroom critiques. Her work was also exhibited on campus in the Raizes gallery, as part of the "Kith & Kin" show.

• Trenton Doyle Hancock

  Trenton Doyle Hancock creates prints, drawings and collaged felt paintings which tell the story of his mythical characters called the Mounds. His work is influenced by comics, films and music that convey symbolic meaning through traditional painterly forms. Hancock is one of the youngest artists to ever participate in the Whitney Biennial and was also featured in a major exhibit at Mass MoCA. He has also served as an MFA in Visual Arts faculty mentor over the years for many graduate students and artists.

  

  Participating in classroom critiques and gallery talks, Hancock exhibited work in Raizes during the Artist Series.

• Alex Da Corte

  Conceptual artist Alex Da Corte works in painting, sculpture, installation and video art. Known for using surreal imagery combined with everyday objects, his work explores ideas of consumerism, pop culture, literature and mythology. Da Corte's work has been shown at La Biennale di Venezia, 2019 and Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia.

  

  As part of the Visiting Artist Series, Da Corte visited senior studios and participated in one-on-one critiques with fine arts and interdisciplinary students.