Polak, Scott to deliver visiting artist talk

· 2 min read

Polak, Scott to deliver visiting artist talk

A still from Jenny Polak and Dread Scott’s 2004 video collaboration “Welcome to America,” which explores brutality against immigrants in U.S. detention after Sept. 11, 2001.
A still from Jenny Polak and Dread Scott’s 2004 video collaboration “Welcome to America,” which explores brutality against immigrants in U.S. detention after Sept. 11, 2001.

The Hixson-Lied Visiting Artist and Scholar Lecture series continues with a Jan. 31 talk by Jenny Polak and Dread Scott.

The lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. in Richards Hall Rm. 15. It is free and open to the public.

Organized by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s School of Art, Art History and Design, the series brings notable artists, scholars and designers to campus each semester to enhance the education of students.

In her work, Polak makes site/community responsive art that reframes immigrant-citizen relations, amplifying demands for social justice. Scott devcelops revolutionary art with the goal of propelling history forward.

Polak examines detention centers, resistance to prison expansion, border control and strategies for surviving hostile authorities. Originally from England, Polak’s art draws on her background in architecture and includes public and socially engaged projects such as architectural installations, drawings and useful commemorative objects.

Scott first received national attention in 1989 when his art became the center of controversy over its use of the American flag while he was a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The U.S. Senate outlawed his artwork when they passed legislation to “protect the flag.”

The couple’s collaborations on state violence and transgression complement their solo work. In 2017 they were awarded a Camargo Foundation residency to work on a new collaboration exploring the intersections of contemporary migration from North Africa and the Middle East to Europe with the legacy of forced migratios of the slave trade.

Remaining lectures in the series are: Feb. 21, Sarah McEneaney; Feb. 28, Trevor Amery; March 28, Patricia Johnston; April 5, Robert Storr; and April 11, Raun Hoffman.

Each lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. in Richards Hall, Room 15. The lectures are free and open to the public.

Along with public lectures, the visitingscholars spend one to three days on campus to meet with classes, participate in critiques and give demonstrations.

For more information on the series, send e-mail to schoolaahd@unl.edu or call 402-472-5522.

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