North Dakota State University plans to bring a guest artist to campus each year to interact with visual arts students and the community.
Campus officials announced Tuesday establishment of the James Rosenquist Artist Residency Program, named after the internationally known artist from Grand Forks, N.D.
Starting in the fall of 2007, NDSU will host an artist for a semester each year who will develop his or her work on campus while acting as a resource for students.
The artists would be expected to give guest lectures, maintain studio hours and potentially teach a one-hour seminar.
The program will give students a mentor who is a practicing artist, said Thomas Riley, dean of NDSU's College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
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The artists will also produce one piece of art to leave at the university, Riley said.
Visual arts professor Kimble Bromley said students could assist the artists in the studio and learn new techniques.
"Watching an artist's concepts and ideas develop on a daily basis could give students insights into their own development as working artists," Bromley said.
One goal of the residency program is to continue attracting new students to NDSU's visual arts program, Riley said.
Since the addition of the NDSU Downtown campus and other efforts to improve the program, the visual arts department has grown to just under 100 students. Two years ago the department had about 50 students, Riley said.
Rosenquist, considered one of the greatest living artists of the Pop Art movement, will serve as an adviser for the program, Bromley said.
Rosenquist has recently been commissioned to do a mural for the Plains Art Museum in Fargo. He was traveling Tuesday and unavailable for comment.
"We're very excited to have Jim Rosenquist lend his name to the program," Riley said. "It adds a lot of credibility to the program."
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
