UW Art Museum to Host Artist Talk and Dance Performances March 30-April 1

The University of Wyoming Art Museum will host Michiko Itatani for an artist talk Thursday, March 30.

Chicago-based artist Itatani will discuss her work, inspiration and processes at 6 p.m. in the museum galleries as part of the Salvagio Art Talk Series. A reception will precede her talk at 5:30 p.m. The reception and talk are free and open to the public.

Itatani’s exhibition, “Michiko Itatani: Infinite Hope/High-Point Contact,” is on view at the UW Art Museum through Saturday, April 1. The exhibition is composed of large-scale paintings that explore humans’ place in the larger universe through two distinct series: One negotiates the importance of human contact, and the other presents fantastical cosmic monuments to human knowledge.

Growing up in Japan, Itatani studied literature and philosophy and wanted to become a fiction writer. Following her writing teacher’s advice, she decided to do something she had never done before in a place she had never been before. She came to the U.S. in the early 1970s and studied visual art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She started to show her paintings and installation work in 1973, and she has been active in the field ever since.

In addition to being an artist, Itatani is a professor emeritus at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she taught for 40 years.

In honor of Itatani’s exhibition, the UW Art Museum has commissioned an original dance work by choreographers Aaron Wood, an assistant professor in the UW Department of Theatre and Dance, and Sarah Donohue, an associate professor of dance at Utah Valley University. Composer David Jacoby, a multi-instrumentalist based in Fort Collins, Colo., will provide the dance production’s score.

“Paralleled Universe” will explore the themes of human contact and understanding that resonate in Itatani’s “High-Point Contact” series. The dance production will feature duets by Wood and Donohue, as well as ensemble movements featuring UW dance students.

Performances of “Paralleled Universe” will take place Friday, March 31, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 1, at 2 p.m. in the museum galleries. Friday’s performance will be followed by a talkback with the choreographers and Itatani. Performances are ticketed, and space is limited. Tickets are $10. To reserve tickets in advance, click here.

For more information, call Will Bowling, education and public programs coordinator at the UW Art Museum, at (307) 766-3496 or email wbowling@uwyo.edu.

The UW Art Museum exhibits, preserves and interprets visual culture from around the world to engage academic, local, state, national and global communities. The museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 E. Willett Drive in Laramie. Hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday hours are extended to 7 p.m. Admission is free.