Wylie Campus Artist Lecture Series to Host Public Lectures From Art Historian G. James Daichendt

The Collin College Wylie Campus Artist Lecture Series will host two public lectures titled “Street Art and Contemporary Culture,” from Art Historian Dr. G. James Daichendt. The lectures will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, March 4 at the Wylie Campus Conference Center, and from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5 at the Wylie Campus Student Center, located at 391 Country Club Road in Wylie.

Daichendt is an art critic, curator, and art historian who serves as a vice-provost, a dean of colleges, and a professor of art history at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. He is the founding editor of the academic journal, “Visual Inquiry: Learning and Teaching Art,” and is the author of several books, including: Robbie Conal: Streetwise: 35 Years of Politically Charged Guerrilla Art (2020); The Urban Canvas: Street Art Around the World (2017); Kenny Scharf: In Absence of Myth (2016); Shepard Fairey Inc: Artist/Professional/Vandal (2014); Stay Up! Los Angeles Street Art (2012); Artist Scholar: Reflections on Writing and Research (2011); and Artist-Teacher: A Philosophy for Creating and Teaching (2010).

Daichendt most recently co-curated Street Legacy: SoCal Style Masters at the California Center for Arts Museum (2022) and Sidewalk Activism at the Oceanside Museum of Art (2020). He is also the recipient of a 2021 Lifetime Achievement award from the Office of the President of the United States for his service to the arts community and holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate from Harvard, Boston, and Columbia universities.

“The concept of street art has exploded as a creative outlet and progressed from a counterculture movement based on graffiti in previous decades to a legitimate business platform in design, fashion, film, publishing, and art,” Daichendt said. “This presentation explores the uniqueness of the movement along with some of the successes and pitfalls these creative artists encounter. This includes the failure of Modernism, the legacy of Warhol, and what has become the new normal in the contemporary art world. Questions whether street art is the next major art movement, the differences between graffiti and street art, and how the movement fits within post-modern era are all explored. The major themes presented will familiarize the audience with the international street art scene and provoke further discussion about its role of art in the 21st century art world.”

Collin College serves more than 58,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity, a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Construction Management, and a new Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Clinical Operations Management. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government, and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.