Lincoln, Neb.—Two Hixson-Lied Visiting Artist & Scholar Lectures will be presented on Wednesday, April 9 and Thursday, April 10. The lectures are free and open to the public.
Jack Davis and Sharon Stocker, a husband-and-wife team of University of Cincinnati archaeologists, will present the April 9 lecture at 5:30 p.m. in Richards Hall Rm. 15. Jaque Fragua, a Native American artist known for this powerful and thought-provoking works, will present the April 10 lecture at 5:30 p.m. in Sheldon Museum of Art’s Ethel S. Abbott Auditorium.
The School of Art, Art History & Design’s Hixson-Lied Visiting Artist & Scholar Lecture Series brings notable artists, scholars and designers to Nebraska each semester to enhance the education of students. The series is presented in collaboration with Sheldon Museum of Art.
Jack Davis and Sharon Stocker
Davis and Stocker were directors of an international team of archaeologists led by UC that recently discovered a Bronze Age warrior’s tomb in southwestern Greece filled with more than 1,400 objects and was featured in the New York Times (https://go.unl.edu/nytpylos).
“The discovery of the Griffin Warrior Tomb at Homeric Pylos is the most significant archaeological find in Greece, even in all the Mediterranean, in early a half century,” said Professor of Art History Michael Hoff, who is Director of the Antiochia ad Cragum Excavation in Turkey. “This discovery by Davis and Stocker represents a major breakthrough in understanding the transition of the two great Bronze Age Aegean powers: the Minoans and the Myceneans. There is no doubt that as archaeologists process these finds—many of which will certainly wind up featured in textbooks—our knowledge of the Greek Bronze Age will become clearer.”
Davis is the Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and a former director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. He has directed or co-directed regional archaeological projects in several areas of Greece, including the Nemea Valley, the island of Keos, and Messenia, near the Palace of Nestor (Pylos Regional Archaeological Project). He is a recognized authority in the archaeology of the Aegean Islands. He has published reports on excavations on the islands of Keos (at Ayia Irini) and Melos (at Phylakopi).
In 2017 he received the medal for Special Civil Merits from the Republic of Albania. He has been awarded the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement for 2020 by the Archaeological Institute of America. In 2021, he was made a Commander of the Order of the Phoenix by the President of Greece. In 2021, Davis was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Stocker is a senior research associate at UC. She has participated in excavations in Greece and Albania. She directs the publications program for UC excavations at the Palace of Nestor in Greece. She has served as co-director of archaeological surveys in the hinterlands of the Greek colonies of Epidamnus and Apollonia in Albania and of excavations at a recently discovered Greek sanctuary near Apollonia.
Since 2011, she has represented UC at the Palace of Nestor in excavations conducted in collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Culture.
Jaque Fragua
Fragua’s artistic practice encompasses a diverse range of mediums, including studio painting, mural creation, sculpture, installation and public art. He is from the Pueblo of Jemez and grew up in New Mexico. His art often addresses themes of identity, culture, history, and activism, particularly focusing on issues affecting Indigenous communities in the United States.
Fragua is recognized for his ability to blend traditional Indigenous aesthetics with contemporary artistic practices, creating pieces that resonate with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences. Through his art, Fragua aims to challenge stereotypes, raise awareness about Indigenous issues, and celebrate the resilience and cultural richness of Native peoples.
See his work at https://www.mobilsavage.com/.
The remaining lectures in the series are:
• April 17: Amanda Maciuba. Co-sponsored by the Great Plains Art Museum. Maciuba’s work is concerned with the landscapes, communities, development practices and environmental practices throughout the U.S. Her solo exhibition, “Watershed,” will be on view at the Great Plains Museum from April 4-Sept. 20, and she will be the Elizabeth Rubendall Artist-in-Residence from April 8-19. A reception will take place in the Great Plains Art Museum immediately following the lecture at Sheldon. View her work at https://www.amandamaciuba.com.
• April 24: Norman Akers. Akers’ work is included in the spring exhibition “Exploding Native Inevitable,” at Sheldon Museum of Art. Akers is associate professor in the Department of Visual Art at the University of Kansas. As a Native American artist, he explores issues of identity, culture (including Osage mythos), place, and the dynamics of personal and cultural transformation in his work. View his work at https://normanakers.com.
Underwritten by the Hixson-Lied Endowment with additional support from other sources, the series enriches the culture of the state by providing a way for Nebraskans to interact with luminaries in the fields of art, art history and design. Each visiting artist or scholar spends one to three days on campus to meet with classes, participate in critiques and give demonstrations.
For more information on the series, contact the School of Art, Art History & Design at (402) 472-5522 or e-mail schoolaahd@unl.edu.
