Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies join in inviting the community to attend the African American Art Lecture Series 2004. The three-part lecture series will feature Michigan artists, Marianetta Porter and Beverly Buchanan, and New York writer/curator, Franklin Sirmans. This year's lecture series is the 7th annual African American Lecture Series organized by Wayne State University to showcase prominent African American artists, scholars, and curators from the local area and from across the nation. Two of the lectures this year will be hosted on the Wayne State University campus, and one lecture will be hosted on the campus of the College of Creative Studies (see schedule).

Mixed media and fiber artist, Marianetta Porter, will begin the series on Wednesday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium at Wayne State University. Porter will discuss her own exquisitely crafted sculptural constructions, which evokes memories of the African American past and link collective memories to the present through common objects such as vessels, ironing boards, and church fans. A visual poet, Porter is Professor of Art at the University of Michigan and a recent recipient of a Smithsonian Senior Research Fellowship.

Franklin Sirmans, trend-setting New York-based freelance writer and curator will offer the second lecture in conjunction with the CCS Woodward Lecture Series on Thursday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the Wendell W. Anderson Junior Auditorium in the Walter B. Ford II Building at the College for Creative Studies. Sirmans is the author of books on Jean-Michel Basquiat and contemporary artists of the African Diaspora and has written articles for the New York Times, Newsweek, Flash Art, Art in America, Artnews and other art magazines. He is co-curator of the Bronx Museum's recent "One Planet Under A Groove: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art."

The final lecture will be given by Beverly Buchanan, a nationally-recognized artist whose improvisational mixed media sculptures and bold drawings are inspired by vernacular southern architecture - fragile "shacks" recalling the poverty and fortitude of southern shcarcroppers and slaves. Buchanan, who recently moved to Michigan, is the recipient of Guggenheim and NEA fellowships, the Pollock-Krasner Award, and the Anonymous Was a Woman Award. Her talk will be on Wednesday, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium at Wayne State University.

The African American Art Lecture Series 2004 has been organized by Wayne State University art history professor Mame Jackson with the collaboration of Michelle Perron, Director of the College for Creative Studies Center Galleries. The annual public lecture series highlights the idea and accomplishments of African American artists and scholars in the southeast Michigan area and brings visiting artists and scholars to the community. Previous speakers have included local artists and scholars: Gilda Snowden, Shirley Woodson Reid, Charles McGee, Robert Martin, Edsel Reid, Allie McGhee, Al Hinton, George N'Namdi, Lester Johnson, Valerie Fair, Tyree Guyton, Bamidele Demerson, Carole Harris, Valerie Mercer, and Nii Quarcopomme, and visiting artists: Al Loving, Ben Jones, Beverly McIver, Renee COx, Brett Cook-Dizney, Clarence Morgan and Nanette Carter.

All lectures are free and open to the public. For further information or to obtain a flyer about the 2004 lecture series, please call the Wayne State Department of Art and Art History at (313) 577-2980.

Schedule - African American Art Lecture Series 2004:

Marianetta Porter,
Wednesday, March 24,
7:00 p.m.
Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium,
Wayne State University
5203 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202

Franklin Sirmans,
Thursday, April 1,
7:30 p.m.
Center for Creative Studies
Woodward Lecture
Wendell Ws. Anderson Jr.
Auditorium, Walter B. Ford II Building
301 Frederick Douglas, Detroit, MI 48202

Beverly Buchanan,
Wednesday, April 7,
7:00 p.m.
Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium,
Wayne State University
5203 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202.