The School of Art in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is proud to announce that designer Elaine Lopez will speak as part of its Visiting Lecture Series at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, in Hillside Auditorium 202.

A Philadelphia designer, artist and educator, Lopez's research and practice examine the intersections between culture, identity, equity and risograph printing within the design field.

Her studio, LoPress Press, collaborates with cultural and academic institutions, including the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania and the Center for Complexity at the Rhode Island School of Design, to shape research around culture and identity.

"As a multidisciplinary designer and artist, Elaine Lopez's work plays a vital role in defining new narratives within the field of graphic design," said Ryan Slone, assistant professor of graphic design. "We are honored to have her as our first guest speaker of the 2023-24 Lecture Series in the School of Art, as well as to learn from her experiences as a designer and inclusive educator."

Her lecture credits include IDEO, Samsung and Google, as well as academic institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Pratt Institute and Texas State University. In addition to presenting at Where Are the Black Designers? and In/Visible conferences, she received the AICAD Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship for 2019 at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Her career has included leadership roles in several design organizations, including AIGA Chicago and the Type Director's Club. She earned a M.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design and a B.F.A. from the University of Florida in Graphic Design.

Currently, she is an assistant professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City and the associate director of the B.F.A. in Communication Design program.

Learn more about Lopez and her work at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, in Hillside Auditorium 202.