VES Visitors

As with creative writing classes, the many courses in the Visual and Environmental Studies Department (VES) are taught by visiting artists whose time at the University ranges from one year to several.

Although some students complain that the turnover creates a less-than-ideal lack of continuity for concentrators, the department has been able to find a consistently varied and accomplished group of artists.

This year's Visiting Lecturers include film scholars and sculptors, painters and photographers.

Filmmaker Isaac Julien, who has a joint appointment with the Afro-American Studies Department, has shown films at festivals around the world, including as Berlin, Paris, Melbourne, and Sundance.

Painter Barbara Kassell has had her works featured at the Maxwell Davidson Gallery in New York and the Venice Biennale, among other venues worldwide.

Painter Paul Stopforth's work depicts the suffering that resulted from the South African policy of apartheid. He has had pieces featured in the Creiger Dane Gallery in Boston; the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Market Gallery, and Everard Read Gallery in Johannesburg; and Gallerie Sandoz in Paris.

Sculptor Patrick Strzelec has work in several museums nationwide and has received a John Simon Guggenheim fellowship and the Prix de Rome, in addition to other awards.

Sheldon Cohen has made a name for himself by animating and directing films. Among his works are "The Sweater," which won the British Academy Award and 14 other international awards and "The Snow Cat," which appeared on British and Canadian television this past winter.

His fellow filmmaker Rose McElwee is responsible for several award-winning films. Among these are "Sherman's March," which won Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival and was called one of the best films of 1986 by the National Board of Film. Her "Time Indefinite" received several festivals' award for the best film, while "Six O'Clock News" won Best Documentary at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

Photographer Nan Goldin is perhaps best known for her photographic monograph "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency." In addition, her travelling exhibition "I'll Be Your Mirror" has appeared at several European museums.

Painter Joe Zucker has had his work shown in numerous public exhibitions throughout the world. Among these are the Whitney Biennial and the Venice Biennale.

The VES Web site calls video and performance artist Joan Jonas "a seminal figure in the worlds of dance/performance and video/film/installation." She is a recipient of several awards, including the Hyogo Prefecture Museum of Modern Art prize, the Polaroid Award for Video and the Maya Deren Award for Video.

Film scholar Antonia Lant has focused on silent cinema. She is currently working on a book-in-progress titled The Red Velvet Seat

, a compilation of women's writings on cinema before 1950, and The Cine-Sphinx, a book-length study of Egyptomania in cinema.

Painter Steven Mueller has had his work featured at the Annina Nosei Gallery; the Tibor De Nagy Gallery; and Mary Boone galleries. His numerous awards include a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and a fellowship from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation.

Most of the visiting lecturers, now returning to their permanent studios, say they have enjoyed their year in Cambridge.

Film scholar Charles Warren, who is wrapping up his fourth year VES visiting lecturer, said his time at Harvard has been positive experience.

"I've enjoyed giving the courses. Students were really good and enthusiastic. People enjoy watching film, people wish there were more courses," Warren said.

Warren also praised the variety within the department.

"VES combines a lot of different things. [It is] a group of many departments," Warren said.