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AVT 301 Visual Voices Colloquium (1)
Instructor: Harold Linton
Art Bldg, Room 2010
Phone: (703) 993-4615
E-mail: linton@gmu.edu
Section 001, Harris
1 credit, Fall 2014
TR 7:20 p.m. – 8:45 pm
(See Speaker Schedule)
“The contemporary artist today is part theorist, performer, producer, installer, writer,
entertainer, and shaman creating in material, media, text, and time all of which take shape in
real, simulated, and virtual worlds. The characteristics of contemporary art practice change
the way we think about the visual arts, which influences what we do in educational
settings.” – Graeme Sullivan Art Practice as Research: Inquiry in the Visual Arts.
Course Description:
Visual Voices Colloquium is the Professional Lecture Series of the School of Art and represents a
window into the professional world of art and design. Speakers are chosen with faculty guidance to
represent leading and emerging talented practitioners in the disciplines of our curriculum as well as
artists whose work lies beyond the subject areas of our program offerings.
The purpose of the course and the program is to broaden our students’ exposure and vocabulary to
professional work being created today and to simultaneously provide an opportunity for our students
to interact w i t h s p e a ke r s e i t h e r in small groups b e fo re a n d fo l l ow in g ou r le c t u re s in
o rd e r t h a t t h ey m ay h ave a n o p p or tu n i t y to ex c h a n g e i d e a s a n d p o s e q u es t i on s to
o u r g u e s t s p e a ker s .
Discourse:
Visual Voices Colloquium is offered each semester throughout the academic year and is equal to 1
credit hour per semester. The schedule of speakers for the Spring 2014 semester is included below
with this syllabus. A poster has also been created and will be made available to our students for
display that includes the speaker schedule for this Spring Semester 2014.
Attendance and Course Requirements: [VERY IMPORTANT]
Attendance: Full attendance is required for the course. Attendance cards will be available at the front
doors of the Harris Theater 15 minutes prior to the lecture. They are completed w i t h p r i n t e d
N a m e a n d G n u m b e r and handed back to the monitors at the conclusion of the lecture.
Students are advised that late attendance at lectures by any amount is unacceptable and equal to an
absence in the course. For each absence in the course, the attendance portion of your grade will be
reduced by 10%. Students are also advised that no other student may sign-in for you or in place of
your own signature on the roll card(s). We accept only one card per student at the conclusion of the
lecture(s). Class is scheduled to begin at 7:20 p.m. and lectures commence at 7:30 p.m. sharp! Doors
close at 7:30 p.m.!
Paper Presentation:
[ V E RY I M P O R TA N T ]
In addition to attendance, you are required to submit a minimum of a 1,000-word paper on the
Visual Voices program artist of your choice. The paper should focus on the artist’s work and also
their presentation lecture to our audience at GMU. You may wish to write on any of the artists
including the last speaker. Name and G number on top of first page.
Paper Due Date: [ V E RY I M P O R TA N T ]
Papers ( H A R D C O P Y O N LY ) will be accepted throughout the Fall 2014
semester up until and no later than Friday, December 5, 2014 before 5:00 p.m.
in the Art & Design Building, School of Art office, Room 2050.
Papers will not be accepted beyond this date/time (December 5, 2014 at
5:00 p.m.) for any reason! Late papers receive 0 % o r no credit. Only
hardcopy papers are acceptable – no electronic copies via email are
acceptable!
Grading:
50% Full Attendance at all lectures
50% Final Paper
Visual Voices / Professional Lecture Series / Fall 2014
Visual Voices is a yearlong series of lectures by professional artists, art historians
and other art professionals that enriches the School of Art curriculum. Visual Voices
lectures are held on Thursday evenings from 7:20- 9:00 p.m. in Harris Theater.
The fall schedule includes five lectures:
FALL 2014
August 28, 2014
Grad Students Praxis
Here and Now: Studio Praxis
September 4
Ron Graziani
“E(ART)H History””
September 18, 2014
Dale Culleton
“Improvising a Living Beyond the Studio”
October 16, 2014
Carmon Colangelo
“Psychogeographies: Jack Kerouac, Sputnik & Disney World”
October 23, 2014
Ann Fessler
“A Girl Like Her”
B R I E F B I O G RA P H I E S
| V I S UA L VO I C E S
|
FALL 2 0 1 4
Graduate Students
“Here and Now: Praxis in the Mason Studios”
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Anne Smith | Jay Hendrick | Sarah Irvin | Patrick Sargent
Jay Hendrick
Jay Hendrick was raised in Abilene, TX. A place he refers to as the, Buckle of the Bible belt. Hendrick
received a Bachelors of Applied Studies in 2011 and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2012 at Abilene Christian
University. Hendrick studied at the School of Visual arts in 2013. He is currently working on an MFA at
George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. His work has been shown in US and Japan. He was featured in
New American Paintings in 2013.
Sarah Irvin
Sarah Irvin graduated from the University of Georgia with a BFA in Painting and Drawing in 2008. In 2009,
she attended VCU’s Summer Studio Program. In the years following, Irvin worked as a Middle School Art
Teacher, a Gallery Assistant, a Printmaking Instructor, and for Capital One’s Corporate Art Program. She
has participated in exhibits across the country and has had solo exhibitions at the Atlanta Botanical
Garden, The Kennedy‐Douglass Center for the Arts, the H. Scott November Gallery, and the Page Bond
Gallery. Her work is included in the collections of the Federal Reserve Bank, Capital One, The University
of Richmond, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, Western Kentucky University and the Try-Me Urban
Restoration Project. Irvin recently participated in the CulturalDC Fellowship with Flashpoint Gallery.
Anne Smith
Anne Smith grew up in Upstate New York. She later earned a B.A. in Studio Art from Williams College
and is a current MFA student at George Mason University. Her Master's thesis show, in November, will
feature her work in drawing, printmaking and sculpture. In addition to her studio practice, she enjoys
learning about and making furniture, which she has studied at the Penland School of Crafts.
Patrick Sargent
Born in Detroit and raised in Southeast Michigan, I left the ailing car industry for the military at age 17.
After twenty years of service, I retired from the military in 2002, at the same time our nation and those I
served with went to war. Also in 2002, I completed my first degree at George Mason University in
political science. My degree requirements included a basic fine arts class, it was supposed to be one of
those courses that would round out and complete my educational experiences. Instead, and rather
amazingly, it became the beginning of another journey. That course introduced me to the centuries old
traditions of printmaking and papermaking. Since then I’ve earned a BFA in printmaking at George Mason
University (2012), and I am currently in their MFA program where I am continuing to explore
papermaking and printmaking processes, and, by extension, its emphasis on collaboration -- between
artists, communities, and audiences.
Ron Graziani
“E(ART)H History”
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Ron Graziani is an Associate Professor in the School of Art at East Carolina University.
Education includes a Ph.D Art History/Critical theory, University of California at Los Angeles
M.A. Art Criticism, State University of New York at Stony Brook,
B.A. Art history, University of
California at Los Angeles
Art History Philosophy
The Art History and Appreciation Program at ECU offers courses in a broad range of areas that are
representative of world history, from the earliest artistic activities to the present. Taught by a faculty
of experienced teachers and published scholars, These courses lay a foundation in cultural awareness
and in critical thinking for art history as well as other majors who are pursuing careers in teaching,
museum work, studio art or design production, and related fields.
Students learn to think about historical, geographical, social, political, economic, religious,
and other cultural factors and issues that shape the lives of those involved in the making of art
and its reception. Always including a writing intensive element, Art History courses enable students to
improve their verbal and written communication skills. In addition, Art History courses introduce students
to research methodologies of various disciplines that are concerned with visual culture. Successful
students in Art History and Appreciation broaden and deepen their understanding of the contemporary
global world.
Robert Smithson and the American Landscape by Ron Graziani published by the Cambridge University
Press, 2004.
This volume comprises a social history of Robert Smithson's earthworks and their critical reception. In his
analysis of the artist's personal writings and art works, Ron Graziani demonstrates how the earthworks
were part of an aesthetic and civic fault line that ruptured in the 1960s. Moreover, Graziani reveals how
Smithson's earthworks formed part of the "new conservationism" in the late 1960s and how it gave
material form to the contradictions of a sociological issue, inseparable from its economic legacy.
Dale Culleton
“Improvising a Living Beyond the Studio”
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Dale Culleton trained as a functional and sculptural ceramicist/potter. His interests expanded over time to
embrace a robust independent business in the design-related field of materials for architecture and allied
design disciplines through his fascination with materials and their intrinsic qualities of beauty and grace
when handled carefully and in context with the project at hand.
His firm Blue Cloud Marble, http://bluecloudmarble.com/?page_id=209, covers a wide assortment of
projects including public buildingd, residential design, landscape design projects, and other special
circumstances where his expertise with marble is especially important to the successful outcome of a
design problem or aesthetic result.
Blue Cloud Marble produces tile, counter-tops, garden benches and posts, steps, walls and garden follies
with re-purposed stone from an abandoned marble quarry in western Massachusetts.
Blue Cloud Marble is an offshoot of Culleton Art Tile Company. Dale Culleton, a studio potter began
experimenting with architectural tile making in the mid 1970s before becoming a builder and site
developer. He would often incorporate his tile in building projects.
In 1999 Dale Culleton became involved in cleaning up an abandoned quarry site in western Massachusetts.
The site contains a large selection of cast off stone from a marble quarrying operation that spanned 100
years (approx. 1795-1895). He has found a great many uses for the material as evidenced by the images
on this site.
Blue Cloud Marble is located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Prices and product information are
available upon request at culleton@roadrunner.com.
Carmon Colangelo
“Psychogeographies: Jack Kerouac, Sputnik & Disney World”
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Canadian Born. Lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri.
Carmon Colangelo is one of the preeminent artists of his generation-a pioneering printmaker whose
work combines surrealism and abstraction with the exploration of art history, science and technology.
Carmon Colangelo's work explores ideas about the creation of the universe and man-made changes in the
environment-from the Big Bang to the Big Melt. This paradoxical relationship expands on Colangelo's
investigation of the biological aspects of evolution and takes a closer look at the physical environment. His
imagery presents a playful odyssey that references the meta-narratives of art history and natural history
by juxtaposing utopian ideals of modernism with the contingent aesthetics of surrealism and conceptual
art. His taxonomy ranges from primitive organisms to bears and rhinoceros to other more bizarre and
ambiguous creatures. The animals function in or independently from architectonic forms and urban
landscapes, producing a vivid, chimerical vision Colangelo's works push the physical and haptic qualities of
the print, using new methods and transformative materials such as wax and iridescent inks.
An enduring feature of Carmon Colangelo's work is the unraveling of free-floating symbols and texts in an
aggressive exploitation of wet and dry media. His prints and paintings are marked by neo-primitives forms,
which are then tempered by soothing veils of light. He challenges conventional readings, producing
disorienting spatial topologies and striking visual poetics. His images may swing from the obsessively
personal to the openly topical, allowing disparate formal structures and semiotics to inspire the
production of remarkable forms that are somehow freed from the preceding visual context and grammar.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Carmon Colangelo received his M.F.A. from Louisiana State University, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana. He is one of the foremost figures in the print-drawing world in America and the world.
His work has been exhibited widely, from Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. to Argentina, Canada,
England, Puerto Rico, and Korea. His works are in collections at the National Museum of American Art,
the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University. He is the Dean
of the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis and holds the E.
Desmond Lee Professorship for Collaboration in the Arts.
Ann Fessler
“A Girl Like Her”
Thursday, October 23, 2014
For more than 30 years, Ann Fessler’s work has focused on the stories of women and the impact that
myths, stereotypes, and mass media images have on their lives and intimate relationships.
Fessler turned to the subject of adoption in 1989 after being approached by a woman who thought Ann
might be the daughter she had surrendered for adoption forty years earlier. Though the woman was not
her mother, Fessler—an adoptee—was profoundly moved by the experience. The conversation that
ensued changed the focus of her work.
Since that time she has produced three films, audio and video installations, and a non-fiction book on
adoption. Between 2002-05, Fessler conducted over 100 interviews with women who lost children to
adoption during the 28 years that followed WWII, when a perfect storm of circumstances led to an
unprecedented number of surrenders.
Her short films on adoption have won top honors at festivals and have been screened internationally. Her
book, The Girls Who Went Away (Penguin Press, 2006) was chosen as one of the top 5 non-fiction
books of 2006 by the National Book Critics Circle, and was awarded the Ballard Book Prize, given
annually to a female author who advances the dialogue about women’s rights. In 2011, her book was
chosen by readers of Ms. magazine as one of the top 100 feminist books of all time.
Fessler’s audio and video installations, artists’ books, photographs and short films have been shown in
galleries, museums and film festivals internationally. In 2003 she was awarded a Radcliffe Fellowship at the
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University to research and conduct interviews with
women who surrendered children for adoption. The resulting book,THE GIRLS WHO WENT
AWAY (The Penguin Press), was chosen as one of the top 5 nonfiction books of 2006 by the National
Book Critics Circle. Fessler is the recipient of visual art and film grants from the National Endowment for
the Arts, the LEF Foundation, the Rhode Island Foundation, Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, Art
Matters, NY; and the Maryland and Rhode Island State Arts Councils. Fessler’s work is in the collection of
the Whitney Museum, NY; Museum of Modern Art, NY; the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson;
and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
University and School of Art Policies
In accordance with George Mason University policy, turn off all beepers, cellular telephones and
other wireless communication devices at the start of class. The instructor of the class will keep
his/her cell phone active to assure receipt of any Mason Alerts in a timely fashion; or in the event that the
instructor does not have a cell phone, he/she will designate one student to keep a cell phone active to
receive such alerts.
Commitment to Diversity
This class will be conducted as an intentionally inclusive community that celebrates diversity and welcomes
the participation in the life of the university of faculty, staff and students who reflect the diversity of our
plural society. All may feel free to speak and to be heard without fear that the content of the opinions
they express will bias the evaluation of their academic performance or hinder their opportunities for
participation in class activities. In turn, all are expected to be respectful of each other without regard to
race, class, linguistic background, religion, political beliefs, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation,
ethnicity, age, veteran’s status, or physical ability.
Statement on Ethics in Teaching and Practicing Art and Design
As professionals responsible for the education of undergraduate and graduate art and design students, the
faculty of the School of Art adheres to the ethical standards and practices incorporated in the professional
Code of Ethics of our national accreditation organization, The National Association of Schools of Art and
Design (NASAD).
Open Studio Hours
SOA teaching studios are open to students for extended periods of time mornings, evenings and
weekends whenever classes are not in progress. Policies, procedures and schedules for studio use are
established by the SOA studio faculty and are posted in the studios.
ArtsBus - Dates for Fall 2014
September 20st
October 18th
November 15th
ArtsBus Credit

Each student must have up to 5 AVT 300/Artsbus credits before graduation. For credit to appear
on your transcript you must enroll in AVT 300. This also applies to anyone who intends to travel
to New York independently, or do the DC Alternate Assignment.

If you plan/need to go on multiple ArtsBus trips during a semester and need them towards your
total requirement, you must enroll in multiple sections of AVT 300. Please go to the ArtsBus
website: http://artsbus.gmu.edu "Student Information" for additional, very important information
regarding ArtsBus policy.

Non-AVT majors taking art classes do not need Artsbus credit BUT may need to go on the
Artsbus for a class assignment. You can either sign up for AVT 300 or buy a ticket for the bus
trip at the Center of the Arts. Alternate trips must be approved by the instructor of the course
that is requiring an ArtsBus trip.
Visual Voices Lecture Series Fall 2014
Visual Voices is a year-long series of lectures by artists, art historians and others about contemporary art
and art practice. Visual Voices lectures are held on Thursday evenings from 7:20- 9:00 p.m. in Harris
Theater.
August 28 Anne Smith, Jay Hendrick, Sarah Irvin, Patrick Sargent
“Here and Now:Praxis in the Mason
Studios”
September 4 Rob Graziani “E(ART)H History
September 18 Dale Culleton “Improvising a Living Beyond the Studio”
October 16 Carmon Coangelo “Psychogeographies:Jack Kerouac, Sputnik & Disneyland”
October 23 Ann Fesler “A Girl Like Her”
Important Deadlines
Last Day to Add Tuesday, September 2
Last Day to Drop (No Tuition Penalty) Tuesday, September 2
Selective Withdrawal Period – September 29- October 24
Incomplete work from Spring 2014 due to instructor Visual Voices Papers Due: Friday December 5th before 5:00 p.m. Art Office Room 2050, Art Bldg.
Once the add and drop deadlines have passed, instructors do not have the authority to approve requests
from students to add or drop/withdraw late. Requests for late adds (up until the last day of classes) must
be made by the student in the SOA office (or the office of the department offering the course), and
generally are only approved in the case of a documented university error (such as a problem with financial
aid being processed) , LATE ADD fee will apply. Requests for non-selective withdrawals and retroactive adds
(adds after the last day of classes) must be approved by the academic dean of the college in which the
student’s major is located. For AVT majors, that is the CVPA Office of Academic Affairs, Performing Arts
Building A407.
Students with Disabilities and Learning Differences
If you have a diagnosed disability or learning difference and you need academic accommodations, please
inform me at the beginning of the semester and contact the Disabilities Resource Center (SUB I room
234, 703-993-2474). You must provide me with a faculty contact sheet from that office outlining the
accommodations needed for your disability or learning difference. All academic accommodations must be
arranged in advance through the DRC.
Official Communications via GMU E-Mail
Mason uses electronic mail to provide official information to students. Examples include communications
from course instructors, notices from the library, notices about academic standing, financial aid
information, class materials, assignments, questions, and instructor feedback. Students are responsible for
the content of university communication sent to their Mason e-mail account, and are required to activate
that account and check it regularly.
Attendance Policies
Students are expected to attend the class periods of the courses for which they register. In-class
participation is important not only to the individual student, but also to the class as a whole. Because class
participation may be a factor in grading, instructors may use absence, tardiness, or early departure as de
facto evidence of nonparticipation. Students who miss an exam with an acceptable excuse may be
penalized according to the individual instructor's grading policy, as stated in the course syllabus.
Honor Code
Students in this class are bound by the Honor Code, as stated in the George Mason University Catalog.
The honor code requires that the work you do as an individual be the product of your own individual
synthesis or integration of ideas. (This does not prohibit collaborative work when it is approved by your
instructor.) As a faculty member, I have an obligation to refer the names of students who may have
violated the Honor Code to the Student Honor Council, which treats such cases very seriously.
No grade is important enough to justify cheating, for which there are serious consequences that will
follow you for the rest of your life. If you feel unusual pressure about your grade in this or any other
course, please talk to me or to a member of the GMU Counseling Center staff.
Using someone else’s words or ideas without giving them credit is plagiarism, a very serious Honor Code
offense. It is very important to understand how to prevent committing plagiarism when using material
from a source. If you wish to quote verbatim, you must use the exact words and punctuation just as the
passage appears in the original and must use quotation marks and page numbers in your citation. If you
want to paraphrase or summarize ideas from a source, you must put the ideas into your own words, and
you must cite the source, using the APA or MLA format. (For assistance with documentation, I
recommend Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference.) The exception to this rule is information termed general
knowledge—information that is widely known and stated in a number of sources. Determining what is
general knowledge can be complicated, so the wise course is, “When in doubt, cite.”
Be especially careful when using the Internet for research. Not all Internet sources are equally reliable;
some are just plain wrong. Also, since you can download text, it becomes very easy to inadvertently
plagiarize. If you use an Internet source, you must cite the exact URL in your paper and include with it the
last date that you successfully accessed the site.
Writing Center
Students who are in need of intensive help with grammar, structure or mechanics in their writing should
make use of the services of Writing Center, located in Robinson A116 (703-993-1200). The services of
the Writing Center are available by appointment, online and, occasionally, on a walk-in basis.
The
Collaborative
Learning
Hub
Located in Johnson Center 311 (703-993-3141), the lab offers in-person one-on-one support for the
Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, Blackboard, and a variety of other software. Dual monitor PCs
make the lab ideal for collaborating on group projects, Macs are also available; as well as a digital
recording space, collaborative tables, and a SMART Board. Free workshops are also available (Adobe and
Microsoft) through Training and Certification; visit ittraining.gmu.edu to see the schedule of workshops
and to sign up.