VCS SPRING SYMPOSIUM

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 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. The 2023 VCS Spring Symposium took place on Saturday, April 22, with talks by the three members of the VCS Class of 2023. They were join by two graduate students from San Jose State University. 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). 

Video of the 2023 Symposium is posted below and can be watched, along with previous cohorts’ presentations, on the CCA YouTube channel.

Opening Remarks by Jacqueline Francisc and Elizabeth Travelslight

Panel 1: Representing Resistance -- Moderator: Jacqueline Francis

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

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

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

Panel 2: The Spirit of Craft -- Moderator: Elizabeth Travelslight

Vickie Simms -- Willie Cole: Found Objects - Fine Art

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

Alumni Award Presentation -- Dr. Gigi Otálvaro-Hormillosa (Class of 2012)