Bringing the Art World to KU: Guest Artists, Speakers, and Residencies

Recent Examples

In the fall of 2010, the Department of Dance initiated its Choreographic Fellowship competition, which drew 135 applications from artists around the world. The fellowship has supported choreographic residencies by Dusan Tynek of Dusan Tynek Dance Theatre (New York), Jennifer Hart of Ballet Austin (Austin, TX) and Carl Flink of Black Label Movement (Minneapolis, MN).

Tazwell Thompson, professional director, writer and actor, joined the Theatre Department in the fall of 2009 for seven weeks to direct Shakespeare’s MACBETH and to teach courses in audition techniques and acting.

In fall 2011, the textiles area in Visual Art hosted Virginia Davis and Polly Barton (image below, left), both artists working in ikat, a process taught in introductory to weaving courses that involves dyeing warp threads into patterns.  In addition to a public lecture, the artists met individually with students to critique their work.  Several students are now focusing on ikat weaving, and two will be having an exhibition of their work at the Kansas Memorial Union Gallery this spring.  Both guest artists were funded by endowments that bring textile artists to campus.

Acclaimed Chinese director, Guo Hua Lei spent fall 2011 in residence in the Theatre Department.  She directed the University Theatre’s production of All My Sons and conducted master classes.  Her visit, like Tazwell Thompson’s residency was funded by the LeWan Alexander Spiritship Fund.

In January 2012, the Film and Media Studies Department brought Henry Jenkins to campus to serve as critic for the Annual KU Film Symposium organized by graduate students and faculty. Jenkins, widely recognized for his writing in media and culture in the digital age, is the Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.