MDC Events

ART-jacent Conversations – Living and Sustaining a Creative Life
Sharon Louden

The annual ARTISTS, SCHOLARS & CURATORS: A LECTURE SERIES at NWSA will focus on ART-jacent Conversations this academic year. NWSA Visual Arts will host a variety of local and national experts to talk about what happened once the research is completed, the experimentation in the studio is done, and the body of work is produced. The invited experts will cover topics like how to put together a successful portfolio, how to connect with local art institutions, how do artist build their networks, and what opportunities for graduate education exist in Miami.  This series of lecture-conversations are organized in the spirit of helping students to build their tribe and their art communities.

Sharon Louden wears many interchangeable hats including artist, educator, advocate for artists, consultant, community builder, and editor of the Living and Sustaining a Creative Life series of books. As an artist, her work has evolved from using writing as a medium, to figuration then abstraction through her paintings and drawings, to creating many physical environments that involve an inclusive advocacy using a varied range of media. In addition, Sharon is a visionary leader with decades of experience as an educator in academia, community connector & catalyst fighting for underrepresented artists within established institutions. She is a collaborator who convenes initiatives with siloed stakeholders across the non-profit and business sectors. All of her work is considered a creative practice under the umbrella of a working artist. Louden graduated with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Yale University School of Art. Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues including the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, the Drawing Center, Carnegie Mellon University, Weisman Art Museum, National Gallery of Art, Birmingham Museum of Art, Weatherspoon Art Museum and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.