Visual Studies Speakers Series

The Visual Studies Speakers series kicked off on Monday evening with the 2000 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship award winner Deborah Willis.

Willis' lecture is part of the weekly, one-credit speaker series hosted by the Departments of Media Study and Art. Featured topics range from theory to the history of all sorts of printed and visual art. Guest speakers from the art industry will address issues related to design practice and contemporary art.

Willis, a photographer specializing in African-American subjects, is currently a professor of photography and imaging at New York University. She spoke to students about how her photography reveals the true side of African-American history.

"The goal of my photography is to show a history that is ignored and neglected," said Willis. "It is an opportunity to see the history that existed - the normalcy of black life that is not different, as suggested."

To accompany her presentation she showed the history of her research, in addition to her collection of photographs, as a student of the craft.

"Photographs are one of the best tools to tell a story," Willis said while she displayed pictures where African-Americans were either stereotyped or sexually objectified. "There was a time where beauty is considered not within the black race. There was so much negativity in the community."

For Willis, using photography is one way to combat racism.

"Through photography, we can use humor to deal with racism," she said as she showed a parody of "Absolut Vodka" called "Absolut Power," where the bottle of Vodka was represented as the blueprint of a slave ship.

Students who attended the first installment of the series were impressed.

"The long list of achievements got my attention, showed that she was a professional and that she gets my respect," said Sean Murphy, a junior art major. "You learn about the different perspectives of art."

"It was really informative," said freshman fine arts major Jessie Sipling. "The stories were really eye-opening."

According to Caroline Koebel, assistant professor in the department of media studies and a key organizer of the series, the event was arranged to bring contemporary art closer to UB students.

"The goal of this series gives an opportunity for UB students to have access to more international and contemporary art exchange or communication," says Koebel. "Buffalo doesn't have a hyper-exchange of ideas and concepts that one has in New York City. We would like a more national and international forum for contemporary art."

Tyrone Georgiou, professor of art, echoed Koebel's sentiments about the Visual Speakers Series.

"I think the speakers series is a great concept to show the work and the artist within contemporary culture," said Georgiou.

The different experts in their respective fields in the Visual Speakers Series have a lot to offer to the students.

"Every speaker is different from the next," said Koebel. "There is a possibility for one member of the audience to get something out of every speaker."

Georgiou agrees that the speakers provide a valuable discussion of the art world that everyone can benefit from.

"The series will show a multi-faceted view of what art is and what possible career opportunities there are in art. Also, to see who has blazed the trail before them," said Georgiou.