California art professor to lecture on connection between art, education
Julia Marshall Lecture
WHERE: Shemin Auditorium
WHEN: Nov. 30, 6:30 p.m.
HOW MUCH: Free
Julia Marshall has constructed an alliance with her two loves: art and research. The result: postmodern art integration.
As an artist, teacher, published researcher and wife, Marshall has developed interest in what she calls ‘art that is outside of art.’ She will present her personal artwork as well as student artwork focused on how other areas of the curriculum, such as science and history, are imperative to an artist’s creation.
Marshall’s presentation, titled ‘Art-Based Research and the Intersection Between Making Art and Teaching Art,’ will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Shemin Auditorium of Shaffer Art Building. The event is free of charge.
Marshall has been a practicing art educator for 27 years and is now a professor of art education at San Francisco State University. Most of Marshall’s work is art-based research that serves to remodel primary and secondary school art education.
James Haywood Rolling Jr., chair and associate professor of art education at Syracuse University, invited Marshall to speak because he believes she will expose the postmodern art world to the university — that is, the world of studio arts, architecture, design majors and practitioners.
‘(She has) the critical relevance of arts and design education principles in rethinking the arts in the 21st Century,’ Rolling said.
Despite her authority in the arts world, Rolling said it was Marshall’s eloquence that made her the perfect lecturer for the presentation.
‘I was enamored with Julia Marshall’s work through the power of her writing,’ Rolling said.
Marshall’s work concentrates the role of education in contemporary art. When she received her doctorate, Marshall said she couldn’t sleep because of the overwhelming amount of information she learned.
‘There is no separation,’ said Marshall, on teaching and art. ‘The teaching part and writing part are really sort of the spine of it, the nerves, which are the art projects. It kind of stems from the spinal cord.’
Rolling said Marshall erases boundaries that can crop up in art and uses this ability to communicate different messages through her craft.
Rolling said he hopes people will leave the event with a deeper understanding of the arts, design in general education and in educational research. Marshall will also be sharing her expertise with the university’s art education majors in classes held on Nov. 30.
Marshall said she always knew she wanted to be an artist since she was 5 years old. But once she entered the art industry, she wanted to get out.
‘The art world, it’s all very commercial. It’s very fashion-oriented. One day you’re in, the next day you’re out,’ Marshall said.
She said she wanted to be more contributive to the world. When she found her passion in art education, it gave her an opportunity to be more socially engaged with others — artists and art lovers — and allowed her to be involved in teaching others to understand art on a more academic standpoint.
Marshall said she hopes that students, art majors and practitioners will see how teaching, writing and the art weave together.
At the presentation, Marshall will show projects from Berkley High School — an art-based research project in which she is currently involved. She will also show some of her research workbook, as well as her paintings.
‘I’m going to show some metaphorical stuff,’ Marshall said.
One of her favorite works is a big marble ship planted in China — a piece she made with her husband.
‘He designed the marble ship, and I designed the images of viruses, weapons and drugs on it. It has cultural connotation and (irony) from popular culture,’ Marshall said. ‘There’s kimchi, Elvis Presley and kids from ‘South Park’ on it.’
Published on November 29, 2010 at 12:00 pm
