News Release
University of South Carolina Lancaster
University of South Carolina Lancaster’s Native American Studies Center announces a summer Contemporary Artist-in-Residence program beginning on Thursday, May 20, featuring Catawba artist Alex Osborn. Osborn will demonstrate his work with photography, digital collage, and drawing, creating an evolving art installation in the Center’s Five Points Gallery.
Working both remotely and on-site at the Center, Osborn’s virtual residency will feature artist talks and interviews, and will give viewers an inside look at his works-in-progress. During each program, the audience will have the chance to interact with Osborn and ask questions about his artistic process and creations. By the end of summer, Osborn plans to have five digitally-created pieces of artwork that show Catawba heritage and culture through a contemporary lens.
“I want people to reflect on their own identities and understand that Native American culture and artwork, especially Catawba culture and art, isn’t only in the past,” said Osborn. “We create it today and will continue to impact society and the community around us.”
Osborn will cover a variety of topics in his presentations, including traditional Catawba artforms, artistic mediums he works with, identity through art, cultural documentation, contemporary art in Catawba and Native American culture today, and more.
Osborn will demonstrate and discuss his work on select Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through August, first appearing Thursday, May 20 and Friday, May 21 from 6-8 p.m., and Saturday, May 22 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Other residency dates include June 17-19, July 8-10, and July 29-31.
On Thursday, Aug. 12 from 6-8 p.m., viewers can join the artist for a talk and demonstration about the exhibit installation. If the current health situation continues to improve, there will be two opportunities on Friday, Aug. 27 and Saturday, Aug. 28 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. where the public can tentatively see a live installation of murals in-person in the galleries.
Artist-in-Residence events can be viewed live via Facebook or Zoom, using the registration links that will be provided on the Center’s social media pages.
This work is supported by a RISE grant from the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of South Carolina.
For more information, call the Native American Studies Center at (803) 313-7172, or visit www.sc.edu/Lancaster/NAS or www.facebook.com/nativeamericanstudies.
