Art and Design Lecture Series

The Department of Art and Design’s Distinguished Lecture Series seeks to inspire the next generation of artists, designers, art historians, curators, and creators by bringing the smartest, most engaging, influential, and distinguished artists, designers, art historians, and curators to campus. The Distinguished Lecture series encourages thought-provoking conversations and broadens the educational experience of the Arcadia and greater Philadelphia communities.

Fall 2019: Spencer Finch

Artist Spencer Finch discussed the evolution of his highly original and diverse interdisciplinary art practice, which has garnered international attention since the 1990s. Finch (born 1962, New Haven, Connecticut) lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Hamilton College, and Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. His recent and current projects include Cosmic Latte, Mass MoCA (2017); The Garden in the Brain, Brown University School of Engineering, Rhode Island (2017); and Lost Man Creek, an outdoor installation organized by Public Art Fund in downtown Brooklyn. His project A Cloud Index, a site-specific commission for the new Paddington Station in London, is set to open in Fall of 2019. His work is currently featured in the solo exhibition As Lightning on a Landscape at Arcadia University’s Spruance Art Gallery through December 2019.

Spring 2018: Anna Marley

Anna O. Marley is curator of Historical American Art and Director for the Center of the Study of the American Artist at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). She is a scholar of American art and material culture from the colonial era to 1945, and holds a B.A. in Art History from Vassar College, an M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware. In her talk, “Making History: The Challenges of Curating American Art in an International Context,” Marley discussed why she believes it is important to examine the art of the United States in a broad international context. She presented her comparative exhibition of history paintings from the first three academies founded in the Americas: PAFA in Philadelphia, the Academy San Carlos in Mexico City, and the Imperial Academy in Rio de Janeiro. “Making History” was a behind-the-scenes look at the process of developing and organizing a large-scale, international traveling exhibition.

March 2015: Flash Rosenberg

Flash Rosenberg presented "Attention Span for Hire" at Arcadia University on March 25, 2015. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and “Attention Span for Hire” who draws, photographs, writes and performs. She translates complex concepts into instant drawings for major clients, such as Visa, Gatorade, the nation of Mexico, Verizon, Ford Foundation, and United Nations, and has created feisty animations for PNC Bank, Advanced Solutions International, CNBC, Random House, Houghton Mifflin, Amazon Publishing, and more. 

April 2014: Oliver Uberti

On April 21, 2014, award-winning visual journalist Oliver Uberti presented “Snails Are Actually Pretty Good Role Models: Perhaps a New Way of Looking at Life After Art School” at Arcadia University. His designs, information graphics, and art direction have won numerous international awards. Oliver has spoken at TEDx on creativity and the time required to produce good, soulful work. In 2012, he formed his own studio, Oliver Uberti Creative, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, specializing in book design, data visualization, and branding.

Our lecture series connect our students and community with the thriving network of successful alumni by bringing them to campus. 

Spring 2017: Art History Program Alumnae

Kajette Solomon ‘06, Lauren Reid ’12 and Alexandra Schilt ’12 shared their post-Arcadia experiences on March 28 with graduate school and work in museums, galleries, auction houses, and other art institutions. Kajette is Education Assistant at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum where she manages the Docent Program. Lauren is currently Collections Technician for the Fine Art Department of the New Jersey State Museum. Alexandra is currently the Fine Art and Jewelry Expert and expert coordinator.

Fall 2015: Jennifer Titone ’11

Jennifer Titone earned her BFA from Arcadia University in 2011, and her MFA from Colorado State University in 2014. A native of New Jersey, Jennifer now resides in Fort Collins, Colorado. Aside from being an artist and bookseller, she also spends her summers working for a whitewater rafting company on the Cache La Poudre River. In her spare time, Jennifer can be found enjoying outdoor activities and practicing her saxophones. 

Spring 2015: Linda Bills ’65

At Beaver College, Linda Bills majored in graphic design with a minor in printmaking, which gave her the chance to work directly with Benton Spruance (1904-1967). Bills' work includes sculpture, installation, drawings, prints, and a collaborative dance performance. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the US, including the Baltimore Museum of Art. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Delaware Art Museum, the American Museum of Arts and Design, the National Museum of American Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Racine Art Museum.

Fall 2014: Jannalyn Bailey ’09

Jannalyn Bailey is Philadelphia artist whose practice is based in several different media. Originally trained as a painter, Bailey works with found objects, fabric, paint, paper and metal. Recently, she has presented strictly paintings and works on paper, but identifies herself as a “maker of things.”  Spontaneous connections and pairings of objects keep her work unpredictable, yet somewhat familiar. In 2012, Anthropologie featured a design Bailey created on a skirt that was released in stores across the country. She received a BFA in Painting from Arcadia, and earned an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 2012. 

Fall 2013: Christopher Thomas ’94

Christopher Thomas received a Master of Arts Degree and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Iowa, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Arcadia. Additionally, he studied at the Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, Scotland. He is a Fellow at the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts in Rabun Gap, Georgia, having been an artist-in-residence there three times. Recognized for his paintings as well as his drawings and artist books, Thomas’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

Spring 2013: MaryKate Maher’01

MaryKate Maher received her BFA from Arcadia in 2001 and her MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2004. She also studied at the Glasgow School of Art and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Her work as an artist addresses nature, not as a harmonious self-regulating state, but as a series of tenuous negotiations and truces liable to fall apart at any second. Maher's work has been featured in national venues including Real Art Ways (Connecticut), Hinge Gallery (Chicago), and BRIC Rotunda Gallery (New York), and internationally.

Fall 2012: Bill Goodwin ’88

Bill Goodwin founded Goodwin Design Group in 1996, a leading authority on strategy and design. Goodwin is widely recognized as a thought leader, author and speaker in the areas of strategic design, marketing, and the many client industries the group serves. Goodwin’s clients are domestic and global leaders including Campbell's, Carolina Health System, Colgate-Palmolive, Crayola, Disney, General Mills, Gerber, Hasbro,  Johnson & Johnson, Ian's Natural Foods, Mattel, and Nickelodeon.

Spring 2012: Scott Richards ’09

Scott Richards is a Creative Director and Brand Consultant at Accenture, a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Upon finishing his BFA from Arcadia in 2009, Scott was the recipient of the Spruance Daumier Award for excellence in design. In addition to design, Scott considers himself an artist; his pieces have been shown in galleries both nationally and internationally.