Renowned artist, educator Larry Walker leads off visiting artist series

In addition, his exhibition, Other Voices, Other Spaces: Structural and Figurative Passages, will be on display Sept. 1-30 in the Department of Art Gallery in McComas Hall.

Walker is nationally recognized for his large, complex paintings involving collage, assemblage, and topical figures such as Louis Farrakhan, Michael Jackson, contemporary rappers, and archetypal figures set in urban environments.

Walker will deliver a lecture Sept. 7 at 9:15 a.m. in the McComas Hall Theatre to welcome more than 200 art majors and 17 faculty members to the 1994-95 season of visiting fine artists and exhibitions.

That afternoon, he will conduct an open critique for a selected group of senior fine art students.

At 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7, in McComas Hall Theatre, Walker will present a public slide lecture, Ideas, Images, and Structure: A Personal Retrospective, concerning the genesis and evolution of his artistic life.

Following the presentation, a reception will be held in the Department of Art Gallery. Refreshments will be served and the public is welcome.

On Sept. 8, Walker will conduct a life-drawing workshop for experienced figure drawing students.

Walker was born in Franklin, Ga., but his aesthetic bent is associated with the urban environment. His formative experience while growing up in New York's Harlem provides a strong basis for his work.

Following graduation from the renowned High School of Music and Art, Walker earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit. He then began a teaching career with the Detroit public school system.

He later became a faculty member in the Department of Art at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. During his 19 years there, he served a seven-year stint as department head.

In 1983, he became director of the School of Art and Design at Georgia State University in Atlanta. In March of this year, he returned to teaching there.

Over the course of his 30-year career, Walker has had 36 solo exhibitions, has had work accepted in more than 100 juried exhibitions, and has participated in more than 70 invitational and group exhibitions.

Walker's visit is made possible by the Department of Art's Visiting Fine Artist Committee with major support from private sources.

Gallery hours and tour arrangements are available by calling 325-6900. For workshop and lecture information, call Brent Funderburk at 325-2970.