At UW–Madison

Photo of a woman wearing a dress with a large red skirt, which covers a wheeled device.

Gabriele & Thomas Neumaier Rolling Woman II 2003

While in residence, Ritschel will teach a course entitled “Curatorial Practice—Alternative Places and Concepts,” in which an interdisciplinary mix of students will explore the process of developing original exhibition frameworks. Reflecting Ritschel’s view that curating is a self-taught skill, the course will emphasize the practical aspects of curating, such as securing funding, creating catalogues, invitation cards, and press materials, and other basic skills required to make sure the vision behind an exhibition comes to fruition. According to Ritschel, the aim is for each student to create her or his own idea for an event, and to start planning it.

“Projects change by talking about them. I want to give the artists opportunities to be in dialogue and work together.”

Outside of the classroom, Ritschel will also convene naturalists, environmental scholars, curators, and artists to explore the role of art in promoting ecological equilibrium in a two-day conference entitled “Native-Invasive,” scheduled for April 20-21, 2007. Conference participants will engage in dialogue about native and invasive trends in ecology and society. This conference will provide the theoretical background to the “Forest Art Wisconsin” exhibition, a separate project taking place after the residency in one of the Wisconsin state forests from May 28th to June 16th, 2007. (Press release)

Ritschel’s residency is sponsored by the Department of Art and cosponsored by the Visual Culture Cluster, the Chazen Museum of Art, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and the departments of Theatre & Drama, Anthropology, Art History, and Environment, Textiles & Design.

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