Cranbrook Academy of Art Announces the Appointment of Shannon Stratton Critical Studies Fellow for Fall 2012
Cranbrook Academy of Art Announces the Appointment of Shannon Stratton Critical Studies Fellow for Fall 2012
Bloomfield Hills, MI — Cranbrook Academy of Art is pleased to announce the appointment of the Chicago-based curator and critic Shannon Stratton as the Critical Studies Fellow for the 2012-2013 academic year. Operating as a critic at-large at the Academy, Ms. Stratton will meet directly with students to promote dialogue on issues of prominence in the world of art and design. The general public will also be invited to meet Shannon Stratton and hear about her work during two public lectures at Cranbrook in the fall of 2012.
As one of the top leaders in the arts in Chicago, Stratton was named a Chicagoan of the Year in 2011 by the Chicago Tribune for her work as a founder and current Executive and Creative Director of threewalls Chicago. Founded in 2003, threewalls is a not-for-profit residency and exhibition space that supports contemporary visual arts in the city.
“We are thrilled to welcome Shannon Stratton to campus. Her work at threewalls combined with her teaching represents the seamlessness of her creative practice” says Reed Kroloff, Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art. “She knows what it takes to be successful in the world of art and design and we expect her to lead some great conversations about the workplace, economy, and contemporary culture during her time at the Academy.”
At Cranbrook, Stratton has developed a theme for the semester entitled, “The Social Capital of the Amateur.” She will present a series of lectures, discussions, and projects that address the shift in the “amateur” in contemporary culture: from a renewed interest in DIY practices (small business, home brewing, vernacular shelter, free schools, hacking) to a surge in hobby methodologies, aesthetics, and materials in culture.
Shannon Stratton travelled from her hometown of Alberta, Canada to Chicago in 2001 to pursue a master’s degree in Fiber Art at the School of the Art Institute (SAIC). She subsequently received a master’s in contemporary theory in 2008 from the SAIC, where she currently teaches in the Art History, Theory, and Criticism Department as well as the Fiber and Material Studies program. In 2010, Stratton was named one of the top 5 most vital people in the visual arts in Chicago by NewCity. And in 2011, she was a fellow of the NAMAC Visual Arts Leadership Institute and a finalist for the Chicago Community Trust Emerging Leader Award. Her curatorial projects are wide-ranging and have been presented across the country, including at: The Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland; The Glassel School of Art in Houston; and the Soap Factory in Minneapolis. With the Green Lantern Press, she founded and publishedPhonebook, a guide to contemporary and independent artist-run projects which is now in its third volume.
The Critical Studies Fellowship at Cranbrook Academy of Art was launched in 2009 in conjunction with the annual Critical Studies academic program. The Fellowship program is designed to respond to the most current intellectual climates within contemporary art, design and architecture. The addition of the one-semester Critical Studies Fellow creates an opportunity for students to have a sustained and active role in exploring the ideas of a noted scholar, artist, and critic from outside the Cranbrook community.
