March 24: Artist's Talk features Sligh
Multimedia artist, writer Clarissa Sligh to reflect on her career, obstacles faced
2:45 p.m., March 19, 2015--Multimedia artist and writer Clarissa Sligh will present an Artist’s Talk at 5 p.m., Tuesday, March 24, in 130 Smith Hall on the University of Delaware campus in Newark.
Titled “I Am a Verb in the Shadows, Walking,” the talk will focus on Sligh’s career as an artist and the obstacles she has faced while on her career path. It is free and open to the public.
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June 5: Blue Hen 5K
June 6-9: Food and culture series
Sligh’s visit to the University coincides with the current University Museums’ Mechanical Hall Gallery exhibition, “Forget Me Not: Photography between Poetry and Politics,” which includes three of her artist’s books.
Sligh, who uses text, photography, artist’s books and installations in her line of work, has spent over 25 years depicting the cultural, historical, personal and political themes of memory, transmutation and perceptions of boundaries and identity — themes that have roots in her own experiences.
When she was 15 years old, Sligh became the lead plaintiff in the 1955 school desegregation case in Virginia, Clarissa Thompson et. al. vs. Arlington County School Board. From that moment forward, her work as a student and as a professional has challenged obstacles and fostered change and transformation.
Sligh’s early work gained her recognition as an artist who unflinchingly explored ideas that often challenged traditional values or common assumptions. Her work continues to illustrate the power of art to transform life.
Throughout Sligh’s career, she has received numerous awards and honors for her work. She has been a recipient of awards and fellowships including the Leeway Foundation’s Art and Change Grant (2006), Anonymous Was a Woman (2001), Andrea Frank Foundation (2000) and National Endowment for the Arts (1988).
Sligh has also received multiple grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts. She was the recipient of the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography in 1995 for the use of photography with other media, and the President’s Award from the National Women’s Caucus for Art in 1994.
Additionally, Sligh has held teaching appointments at New York University, the School of Visual Art and the University of Pennsylvania.
Her visit to UD is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Paul R. Jones Initiative and the University Museums.
For additional information, contact the University Museums via phone at 302-831-8037 or via email at universitymuseums@udel.edu.