Otis College of Art and Design’s Undergraduate Fine Arts Department will present the Mandy and Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Lecture featuring artist Trenton Doyle Hancock on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Fine Arts Chair Meg Cranston will provide an introduction to the artist’s in-person lecture, which will be followed by a Q&A.
Registration for the lecture is now open. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in The Forum of Otis College’s Goldsmith campus at 9045 Lincoln Boulevard in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and raised in Paris, Texas, Hancock received his MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia and his BFA from Texas A&M University–Commerce. He currently lives and works in Houston, Texas. He has exhibited internationally in solo and group presentations in venues including the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh; Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art; Mass MoCA; The Menil Collection, Houston; The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam; The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum; the Studio Museum in Harlem; and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. One of the youngest artists in history to participate in the Whitney Biennial, the artist was featured in both the 2000 and 2002 editions of the prestigious biennial.
According to Art21, “Hancock’s prints, drawings, and collaged-felt paintings work together to tell the story of the Mounds—a group of mythical creatures that are the tragic protagonists of the artist’s unfolding narrative. Each new work by Hancock is a contribution to the saga of the Mounds, portraying the birth, life, death, afterlife, and even dream states of these half-animal, half-plant creatures.”
Prior to the lecture, Hancock will spend two days visiting the studios of the Fine Arts students, viewing their work and giving valued feedback. Funded through a generous gift from Mandy and Cliff Einstein, the Mandy and Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Lecture Series provides Otis College students an opportunity to learn and engage directly with major figures in the art world today. Invited artists spend time with Otis students and give a free public lecture. Past guests have included Doug Aitken, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Edgar Heap of Birds, Shirin Neshat, Jeffrey Vallance, Kara Walker, Zoe Whitley, and Anicka Yi.