Denver Westword has listed RMCAD as the “Best Incubator for Visiting Artists and Scholars” under its Best of Denver: Arts & Entertainment category. The award comes in large part through the Visiting Artist, Scholar, and Designer (VASD) Program‘s continuous efforts and successes in bringing a diverse and renowned selection of distinguished artists to the college campus.
Gretchen Marie Schaefer, Director of the VASD Program, is devoted to challenging audiences with new perspectives and content through her selection of guest lecturers. “We hope to make a program that inspires curiosity about the world and our contemporary lives,” states Schaefer. “[The program] is a reflection of the college’s commitment to fostering boundary pushing and critical conversations around how to lead a successful, creative life.”
Original Westword article:
The Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design’s Visiting Artist, Scholar and Designer Program is an interdisciplinary lecture series exploring topics like the humor in art and the role of race, gender and identity in the art world. Open to students and non-students alike, the series is overseen by notable visual artist Gretchen Marie Schaefer, who brings a diverse array of established and up-and-coming creators to Denver. Under Schaefer’s leadership, the program has heard feminist icon Judy Chicago discuss her decades-long career working in many artistic mediums, explored sexual politics within the music industry with Mykki Blanco, and stepped into illustrator Lynda Barry’s magical world. The program continues to push the intellectual and inventive envelope by celebrating and exploring the work and words of artists from across the cultural spectrum.
