Join cultural historian TK Smith for a public talk on the use of “self taught” to describe contemporary artists—including Robert Peterson, whose exhibition Somewhere in America is currently on view at WAM—without formal training. Smith is Curator, Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. Smith is the editor of the forthcoming Somewhere in America exhibition catalogue.

This talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Robert Peterson: Somewhere in America.

5:30 PM | VIP Happy Hour
Mingling with the speaker. Hors d’oeuvres. Cash bar. Includes VIP seat for the talk and Robert Peterson: Somewhere in America exhibition admission.
$30 general public. $20 WAM members.
RSVP deadline is Friday, October 25.

6:30 PM | Talk with TK Smith: The Problems and Potentials of “Self-Taught” in the 21^st Century
FREE. Open to the public. No reservations required.
Exhibition tickets sold separately: FREE to members. $12 General Public/Seniors. FREE for college students w/ID + youth 18 & under/

Join cultural historian TK Smith for a public talk on the use of “self taught” to describe contemporary artists—including Robert Peterson, whose exhibition Somewhere in America is currently on view at WAM—without formal training. Historically, use of this term, as well as “folk artist” and “outsider,” have been problematic, as they undermine the legitimacy of learning outside of the academy. Self-taught also signals a particular class, culture, and even aesthetic that becomes increasingly narrow as it is accepted into the canon of Western art. At the same time, the definition of artist becomes increasingly expansive as technology improves. This lecture will examine the problems and potentials of labeling oneself as “self-taught” and the effects of that label on how the art produced moves through the world. Smith is Curator, Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. Smith is the editor of the forthcoming Somewhere in America exhibition catalogue.

Special thanks to the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum (FWAM) for their support of the exhibition catalogue, Robert Peterson: Somewhere in America.