In the spring semester of the thesis year, students formally present their research to the public. The day-long Visual & Critical Studies Symposium groups graduating students into thematic panels moderated by prominent scholars representing relevant fields. The event is a rite of passage for the students and a proud moment for those who ushered them to this professional threshold.

The 2023 VCS Spring Symposium will take place on Saturday, April 22, at 12:00 noon, in Blattner Hall, 75 Arkansas St, San Francisco, CA 94107. Reception to follow. To register for the event, and for more information, please click here.

This year there are three VCS students presenting:

Liz G, Envisioning an Enchanted World: On Christi Belcourt’s The Wisdom of the Universe

Alexander Antai Hwang, Transgressive Motion: Glitched Being in Na Mira’s Night Vision(Red as never been)

Wenmimareba Klobah Collins, Most Campy Objects Are Urban: Transgression in Villano Antillano’s “Muñeca”

Joining the VCS Class of 2023 will be two graduate students from San Jose State University:

Vickie Simms, Willie Cole: Found Objects - Fine Art

Matthew Skurdahl, Retelling History: The Historical Mural at Chicano Park

The five speakers will be grouped into two thematic panels. The VCS Spring Symposium is an opportunity for students to hone their public speaking and presentation skills while demonstrating their ability to interpret visual information and promote critical revisioning. Each presentation is approximately 12 minutes long, with each panel followed by a Q+A and capped by the presentation of the 2022 VCS Alumni Award to Dr. Gigi Otálvaro-Hormillosa (Class of 2012). 

For more information about the day's events, including a pdf of the program, and to register for the event, please click here.