The Denison University art department is hosting James Barsness, a Vail visiting artist, for class visits and for a public presentation at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday (Nov. 10), in the Cleveland Hall Annex (201 N. Mulberry St.).

Barsness usually works in very large formats on canvas surfaces that have been altered with collage-type elements such as newspaper comics or dress patterns. "I like to work on a surface that's already been screwed up," he says. The Boise Art Museum's curator, Sandy Harthorn, noted in a catalog for his show there "Barsness integrates a wide range of images that come across like a strange hybrid of Italian Renaissance idealization and comic book exaggeration."

After earning a bachelor's and master's degrees at Boise State University, Barsness earned a master of fine arts degree at the San Francisco Art Institute. He has had solo exhibitions at galleries and museums across the country including New York City, Mill Valley, Calif., Winston-Salem, N.C., and San Francisco. He also has participated in numerous group exhibitions such as at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College in Florida, the Charles Moore Gallery in Philadelphia and the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock. His works have been added to the permanent collections of the Davison Art Center at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City among others.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Vail Visiting Artist James Barsness will give a talk; 7:30 p.m., Thursday (Nov. 10), Cleveland Hall Annex (201 N. Mulberry St.). Free and open to the public. Contact 740-587-6597 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575