DETROIT (September 14, 2010) - Professor Bill Gaskins is preparing to bring his unique and profound perspective on art and American life to Wayne State University as a visiting faculty member in January during WSU's winter 2011 semester. This past spring, Gaskins was appointed to the Elaine L. Jacob Endowed Chair in the Visual Arts in WSU's James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History. The position is funded via a gift from artistic visionary and WSU alumna, Elaine L. Jacob, and allows Wayne State to host prominent artists-in-residence to the great benefit of WSU's art students. During his residency, Bill Gaskins will teach a seminar in photography, advise graduate students, participate in public lectures and immerse himself in the arts and culture milieau of Detroit.

Professor Bill Gaskins

Distinct among his activities at Wayne State University will be the creation of a project titled The Meaning of Hope, a video production in which Gaskins will have children in Detroit address the question "What does hope mean to you?" At the same time, a cross-section of residents will read excerpts from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech titled Hope. Excerpts from the speech will be juxtaposed with the views of citizens who have lost hope. "I want to extend my work in photographic portraiture into video," Gaskins said. "I want to transform the meaning of Martin Luther King, Jr., beyond ‘I Have A Dream' in the American imagination. And I want to create a work that engages this city in an important dialogue about a concept that most people beyond Detroit rarely associate with its citizens or with the city itself." Participants in The Meaning of Hope will be engaged with a contemporary artist in a collaborative process of creating a portrait of a people and a period of time in the history of Detroit and the world. Once finished, The Meaning of Hope will take the form of a three-channel video projection exhibited on campus.

"We are thrilled to welcome to Wayne State University an artist with the vision and insight Bill Gaskins brings and we greatly appreciate the support of the Elaine L. Jacob Endowed Chair in the Visual Arts," said Dr. Matthew W. Seeger, interim dean of the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. "Ms. Jacob's appreciation for the arts and commitment to enhancing student experiences at her alma mater continue to have a profound impact on the quality of education we provide. This endowed chair faculty position elevates our programs' visibility, diversity and quality and illustrates once again the deep commitment our alumni have to supporting excellence."

Bill Gaskins is a professor at Parsons The New School for Design in New York. His artwork, writing, lectures and teaching examine photography, the history of photography, race and representation, the politics of visual culture, media literacy, issues in art education and the artist as citizen. From a professional base in photography and arts writing, and an academic foundation in fine art and the history of photography, the work of Bill Gaskins explores questions about photography and the portrait in the 21st Century. An entry point for the viewer is his fascination with the myths of photography and American culture and representations of African American people. His approach to photography as both producer and critical spectator has garnered attention through commissions, artist residencies, grants, public lectures, solo and group exhibitions, exhibition catalogs and books.

Elaine L. Jacob is a native Detroiter who received a BFA in industrial design from Wayne State University in 1942. Her career spanned the early history of plastics development and led to her becoming the first woman president of the National Association of Container Distributors. She helped develop the plastics division of her family's glass container business, M. Jacob and Sons, founded in 1885 by her grandfather, Max Jacob, whose house now serves as Wayne State's president's residence. Her generous donation to endow an art gallery on campus led to the creation of WSU's Elaine L. Jacob Gallery in 1997, a top venue for exhibitions of important local, national and international contemporary art. Elaine L. Jacob remains active in the arts community through, among many distinctions, her support of Wayne State University and her service to California's Gualala Arts Center.

The James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History is a division of Wayne State's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, educating the next generation of visual artists and art historians. Wayne State University, located in the heart of Detroit's midtown cultural center, is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students.