The Visiting Artist Program at ISU has been going strong since 1996. Its primary charge is to foster exposure to contemporary art discourse and encourage dialogue about new forms and ideas amongst ISU students, faculty and the broader university community. The continuous flow of interesting and talented artists and scholars who visit throughout the school year adds greatly to the excitement and intellectual stimulus offered by our academic faculty and programs.
Program Coordination
The Program is coordinated by rotating members of the School of Art faculty with the assistance of a graduate student who acts as liaison to various aspects of the program. For further information, please contact the current program coordinator at:mdoresk@ilstu.edu
Long-term Residencies & Short-term Speakers
Each semester, the School of Art at ISU hosts a number of distinguished national and international visiting artists for long-term residencies which last up to four weeks, and short-term speaking engagements of up to two days. The Visiting Artists Program showcases artists who work in various media and processes including: photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation, video, new media, performance, and interdisciplinary practices. In addition, the program presents curators, critics and art historians, ranging from emerging to established professionals and scholars.
Long-term Visiting Artists
Long-term visiting artists give a one-hour public lecture on their work and teach a two hour weekly seminar on the topic of their expertise. The seminar, which may engage studio practice and/or theory, is open to both graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the School of Art. Additionally, visiting artists develop their own creative research in a studio located in the Center for the Visual Arts. The artists maintain an “open door” policy and are available to students who wish to engage in dialogue. They also meet with each of the students individual for critique/discussion sessions on the students’ work and ideas. Visiting artists may be invited by art faculty to give talks in various classes, and are welcome to engage in the College of Fine Arts´ community life and activities.
Short-term Visiting Artists/Scholars
Short-term artists/scholars present one-hour public lectures and meet with interested students for a one to one or group feedback session about their work or other discussions.
What We Offer Long-term Visiting Artists
The School of Art provides long-term visiting artists with studio space located in the Center for Visual Arts building. It is a private, Internet enabled 12′ x 40′ space, intended for work on new or on-going projects. A private, fully furnished, internet enabled, apartment on campus within short walking distance of the Center for Visual Arts and uptown Normal is available to incoming artists throughout their stay. In addition, they are remunerated with a $3,300 stipend. Travel and other expenses are the responsibility of each visiting artist.
What We Offer Short-term Visiting Artists/Speakers
The School of Art may provide short-term speakers with a stipend, air fare and hotel accommodations.
The Visiting Artist Selection Process
Long-term: The Visiting Artist Program coordinator and a visiting artist committee composed of School of Art faculty and graduate student members, select visiting artists from a pool of applicants.Short-term: The visiting artist committee, as well as School of Art faculty and graduate students may recommend short-term visiting artists for lecture presentations. The visiting artist committee, chaired by the coordinator, reviews these recommendations and makes selections.
Application
If you are interested in applying for a long-term residency position, please submit an application to:Visiting Artist Selection Committee ChairSchool of ArtCenter for Visual ArtsCampus Box 5620Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL 61790-5620A downloadable application and guideline is available by clicking on this link, Visiting Artist Application (PDF)Please email your questions to the current visiting artist coordinator mdoresk@ilstu.edu> or art@ilstu.eduIllinois State University is an equal opportunity employer. The visiting artist selection committee considers ethnic and gender balance, and a range of disciplines and approaches, while trying to select artists of diverse backgrounds from a variety of geographic locations. Artists of all disciplines are encouraged to apply. Previous teaching experience may be a factor in the selection of visiting artists.
