Stamps School of Art & Design
University of Michigan
2000 Bonisteel Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
With the generous support of alumna Penny W. Stamps, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings a broad spectrum of creative thinkers and makers to Ann Arbor. Visitors present public lectures and performances, participate in panel discussions, generate site-specific works, and engage with students and faculty at the Stamps School of Art & Design and the larger University of Michigan and Ann Arbor communities.
Unless otherwise noted, presentations are held at the Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor on Thursdays at 5:10 pm, and are free and open to the public.
September 17
Julian Schnabel
Celebrated for a visual language that brings together unexpected materials and radically unconventional techniques, Julian Schnabel has been a pioneering and controversial figure since his first solo exhibition in 1979.
September 22
Stephen Hobbs
Special event: Tuesday, September 22 at 6pm
Detroit Film Theater, 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
South African artist Stephen Hobbs uses video, installation, photography, and sculpture to examine the precarious state of cities undergoing radical change.
September 24
Suzanne Lee
Through her work with design and biology, Suzanne Lee’s research harnesses nature to propose a radical future fashion vision: Can we grow a dress from a vat of liquid?
October 1
Zanele Muholi
Photographer and self-proclaimed visual activist Zanele Muholi explores black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex identities and politics in contemporary South Africa.
October 2
Masimba Hwati
Special event: Friday, October 2 at 6pm
N’Namdi Center, 52 E Forest Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
Zimbabwean multidisciplinary artist Masimba Hwati examines postcolonial themes by re-appropriating historical, culturally imbued items and repositioning them in a contemporary urban setting.
October 8
Anna Sui
Known for her bohemian and retro fashion looks, fashion design legend Anna Sui’s brand includes clothing, shoes, cosmetics, eyewear, accessories, and a line of fragrances.
October 13
Anne Carson & Juliette Binoche
Special event: Tuesday, October 13 at 7pm
Location TBD
Author and translator Anne Carson and Academy Award-winning actress Juliette Binoche will present a reading of Antigonick, Carson’s alternate translation of Antigone, and discuss the ways in which adaptation and translation are shaped by time and place.
October 15
John Luther Adams
American composer John Luther Adams has been called “one of the most original musical thinkers of the new century” (Alex Ross, The New Yorker).
October 22
Sonya Clark
Through her multi-material approach, Sonya Clark addresses issues of race, identity, and heritage. The varied objects she crafts reflect a design sensibility inspired by the rhythmic improvisation of the rich textile and hair traditions of African diaspora.
October 29
Signe Baumane
Signe Baumane’s controversial animated shorts deal with sex, underage pregnancy, dentists, veterinarians, and madness. Her latest film, Rocks In My Pockets, explores the depression that has haunted three generations of women in her family.
November 5
Patricia Urquiola
Architect and designer Patricia Urquiola creates work that is unconventional, emphatic, and experimental, alternating product design for major international companies with architecture projects for private homes, hotels, and show rooms.
November 12
Maira Kalman
Illustrator, author, and designer Maira Kalman is renowned for her unique commentaries on politics and contemporary life.
November 19
Prem Krishnamurthy
Prem Krishnamurthy is a founding principal of the award-winning design studio Project Projects and the director/curator of the critically-acclaimed multidisciplinary exhibition space P!.
December 3
Karen Finley
Karen Finley’s raw and transgressive work on sexuality and disenfranchisement has provoked controversy and debate for over three decades. Finley will present Written in Sand, a spoken word performance with musician Paul Nebenzahl.
December 12
Joseph Keckler
Special event: Saturday, December 12, 1–5pm
MOCAD, 4454 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
Acclaimed for his versatile 3+ octave voice and sharp wit, Joseph Keckler’s work straddles the worlds of music, art, performance, and theater. Keckler will perform Let Me Die, a piece that ties together fragments of hundreds of operatic death scenes.
About the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan
The Stamps School offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in art and design. The School’s unique open curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary study, requires international educational experiences, fosters community engagement, and draws on the resources only available at a top-ten research university.
