Educator and Artist Louise Kames to Speak on October 29

 Clarke University and the Mackin-Mailander Lecture Series invite the public to campus for “Seeing Deeply,” a lecture from Art + Design Program Director and Professor of Art Louise Kames ’77 on October 29. The talk is free to attend and will begin at 7 p.m. in Jansen Music Hall. 

“Slow down your seeing,” is a directive Louise often gives to students in drawing classes, as well as a practice she endeavors to follow herself. It opens the door to seeing and feeling the sensitive and often ephemeral relationships between forms. Whether in drawings, prints, or art installations, her work follows a history of slowed seeing. Louise will share elements of her creative practice that moves from observation to memory, to artmaking, and more. 

Louise holds an MFA degree in drawing and printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Art in Art History from the University of Illinois, and a Bachelor of Art degree in studio art and art history from Clarke University. Her recent artwork includes drawings of transitory organic imagery arranged to honor personal history and present the viewer with meditative spaces. Her drawings, print, and installation-based work are exhibited widely including solo exhibitions across Iowa and the Midwest region.  

“This year, the Mackin-Mailander Lecture Series is focused on the therapeutic nature of art. Louise’s years of experience as an artist and an educator offer unique insights into the power of art for both individuals and communities to understand the world around them,” said Michael Knock, Professor of History and Chair of the Mackin-Mailander Lecture Committee.   

The Clarke University Mackin-Mailander Lecture Series was established in 1997 after Clarke received gifts from two alumnae, Mary Mackin ’34 and Verna Slattery-Mailander ’20, to establish an endowed lecture series. The annual series consists of three lectures, including a prominent outside speaker, a faculty lecture, and an alumni lecture.  

Learn more about this and other Clarke events at clarke.edu/newsroom.