April 04, 2014
Contemporary Artist, Curator, Scholar Diana Thater Named Faculty Chair of Graduate Art at ArtCenter College of Design
Internationally respected pioneer of immersive video installation art
(PASADENA, Calif.) April 4, 2014 — ArtCenter College of Design has named internationally renowned contemporary artist Diana Thater as the next faculty chair of the Graduate Art department, it was announced today by ArtCenter Provost Fred Fehlau. Widely recognized as one of the most innovative and diverse graduate art programs in the nation with many influential alumni, the department has grown significantly under the 11-year leadership of painter and critic Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, who will continue teaching in the program.
“ArtCenter’s Graduate Art program is one of the best in the country, if not the world,” said Thater. “I’m proud to follow in the footsteps of Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe as its chair and look forward to working closely with our distinguished faculty to produce a new generation of internationally practicing artists.”
Thater is known for exploring the unpredictable relationships between culture and nature, human and animal, and science and magic. A dedicated activist in the movement to protect dolphins from slaughter, Thater with T. Kelly Mason and Rick O’Barry, made the film Welcome to Taiji, which served as the basis of the Academy award-winning documentary The Cove. She co-founded the artist lead group, MOCA Mobilization, calling for changes at the Museum of Contemporary Art when it was at the height of its financial crisis and about to close. In 2015, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will present a mid-career survey of her work.
Prolific contemporary art scholar and faculty member Jason E. Smith will serve in the position of associate chair when Thater takes the helm as faculty chair in May. He is currently a fellow in the Society for the Humanities at Cornell University.
“Diana and Jason together represent the Graduate Art department’s strong focus on practice and discourse, in which we lead students through a rigorous program of studio work and theory,” said Fehlau. “I can think of no better next step in the program’s trajectory.”
ArtCenter’s Graduate Art department stands out among its top-ranked peers for attracting internationally known artists and theorists who teach in a concentrated and intense environment which is responsive to the needs of the individual student.
Among the many influential Graduate Art alumni are Lynn Aldrich, Lisa Auerbach, David Bailey, Olivia Booth, Mason Cooley, Aaron Curry, Kevin Hanley, Nate Hylden, Melissa Kretschmer, Sharon Lockhart, T. Kelly Mason, Rebecca Norton, Steve Roden, Sterling Ruby, Frances Stark, Jennifer Steinkamp, Alexis Teplin, Diana Thater, Pae White, Jennifer West and T.J. Wilcox.
“We are deeply grateful for Jeremy's leadership and look forward to his return as a full-time faculty member in 2015, following a well-earned sabbatical,” said Fehlau.
"I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished,” said Gilbert-Rolfe. “Together, with the core faculty, we continue to strengthen our program’s depth and range reinforcing the identity established with help from two extraordinary artists and student mentors, Mike Kelley and Stephen Prina.”
Gilbert-Rolfe helped transform the program from a small department of 10 students to a full cohort of more than 30 students housed in facilities designed specifically for the Graduate Art program at 950 South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena, in the recently expanded ArtCenter South Campus complex. He was instrumental in launching the department’s international symposium series and established exchange programs with institutions in Berlin, Cologne and Paris.
About Diana Thater: An exhibiting artist since 1992, Diana Thater has received international acclaim for her pioneering film, video and installation-based works. During the past decade, her work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at prominent institutions including the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane (2011); Kunsthaus Graz, Austria; Natural History Museum, London (both 2009); Kunsthalle Bremen, Germany; Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen, Germany (both 2004); Dia Center for the Arts, New York (2001); and the Secession, Vienna (2000). In 2011, she was honored with an award for artistic innovation from the Center for Cultural Innovation in Los Angeles. Additional notable awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and the Phelan Award in Film and Video. A mid-career survey of her work is set for 2015 at LACMA. A prolific writer, educator and curator, Thater lives and works in Los Angeles.
About Jason Smith: Jason Smith’s writing and research is largely concerned with contemporary art and aesthetics, modern continental philosophy and post-1968 political thought. His work has appeared in Artforum, Critical Inquiry, Diacritics, Grey Room, SAQ and Theory & Event, among other places.
About ArtCenter: Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, Calif., ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and six graduate degrees in a wide variety of art and design disciplines, as well as public programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for its ties to industry, ArtCenter is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status, providing opportunities for students to create design-based solutions for humanitarian and nonprofit agencies around the world. During the College’s 84-year history, ArtCenter’s alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.
Images: A high-resolution image of Diana Thater is available for download from this online gallery.
Contact:
Teri Bond
Director of Media Relations
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teri.bond@artcenter.edu