Bray Series

The Roots of Rock & Roll Posters
October 23 @ 6:00p
Darryl Baird
Associate Professor of Art
University of Michigan-Flint
FIA Theater

In conjunction with the exhibitions Graphic Beauty: Contemporary Rock and Roll Posters and Flashback: Posters from the Golden Age of Rock & Roll, Darryl Baird will survey the history of posters as a formidable mass communication tool. He will discuss posters in the context of the cultural and social times in which they rose to popularity. The influence of the late 19th century Paris scene and the Arts and Crafts period on early rock and roll posters will be included.
Currently teaching photography and history at the University of Michigan-Flint, Darryl Baird previously worked as an architectural and advertising photographer in Texas. During his tenure at the University, he has conducted study-abroad classes in England and Wales entitled, Landscape and History, and worked on a multi-year research project on the development of an 18th century landscape classification system known as The Picturesque.

One Woman’s World
November 5 @ 6:00p
Claudia DeMonte
FIA Theater

Claudia DeMonte’s work deals with issues of women in contemporary society, with a touch of humor. In this illustrated lecture, the artist will provide an overview of her life’s work. She will discuss the development of her art from early autobiographical pieces to her current work on the Luxury of Exercise.

Claudia DeMonte has been an artist for over 30 years. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from the College of Notre Dame, in Baltimore, Maryland; a Master of Fine Arts degree from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; and a Doctor of Human Letters, Honoris Causa, from the College of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work is represented in numerous museums and in major corporate collections. She has also completed public commissions for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Brooklyn Library System, Queens Supreme Court, Prudential Life Insurance, the State of New Mexico, and the New York City School Construction Authority. DeMonte is also the curator of Women of the World: A Global Collection of Art, a traveling exhibition presented at the Flint Institute of Arts in 2000. For over thirty years, DeMonte has served on the faculty of the University of Maryland, where she was named Distinguished Scholar Teacher and professor Emerita. She presently lives with her husband, artist Ed McGowin, in New York City and Kent, Connecticut.