Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series Welcomes Artist Mickalene Thomas

Photo by Malike Sidibe

Mickalene Thomas

In partnership with the University of Arkansas School of Art and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, multimedia artist Mickalene Thomas will deliver a moderated conversation as a part of the Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series Friday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. in the Crystal Bridges Great Hall.

Crystal Bridges chief curator Austen Barron Bailly will lead the conversation with Thomas at this free event that is open to the public by reserving a ticket on the Crystal Bridges website. 

Thomas’s acclaimed body of work invites consideration of the complexities of Black female identity in Western culture. Her work includes Guernica (Resist #3), 2021, on view in Crystal Bridges Contemporary Art Gallery.

“The Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Advisory Committee is especially pleased to sponsor Mickalene Thomas’ lecture with the University of Arkansas and grateful for the opportunity to work closely with the School of Art and Crystal Bridges Museum of Art,” said Jeannie Whayne, University Professor and U of A faculty liaison for the Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series. “We have been following Mickalene’s brilliant career and feel deeply honored to have our name associated with her.”

All are invited to expand their knowledge and join the dialogue with Thomas and Bailey as they explore the intersection of art, society and the human experience.

ABOUT MICKALENE THOMAS

Mickalene Thomas was born and raised in New Jersey and lives and works in New York. One of the most influential artists today, her innovative practice has yielded instantly recognizable and widely celebrated aesthetic languages within contemporary visual culture. 

Not only do her masterful mixed-media paintings, photographs, films and installations command space, they occupy eloquently while dissecting the intersecting complexities of black and female identity within the Western canon. 

Outside her core practice, Thomas is a Tony Awards nominated co-producer, curator, educator and mentor to many emerging artists. While embarking on her own monumental solo shows, she simultaneously curates exhibitions at galleries and museums. Thomas’s work has become an undeniable force within the contemporary art world and an indispensable inspiration to younger generations of artists.

ABOUT THE WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES

The University of Arkansas is the official home for the administration of the Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture program. The program was established in 1972 and endowed by friends of Governor Winthrop Rockefeller to assist faculty at six universities in obtaining visiting lectures to communicate ideas that stimulate public discussion, intellectual debate and cultural advancement.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.