Designed by Henry Littleworth ’23

The Escalette Collection is excited to share our new mini podcast series hosted by Catalyst: A Creative Industries Podcast, titled “The Artist is Present.” In this series, students interview Escalette Collection artists, asking questions about their artistic practice, career, and interests. A new episode will drop every Thursday during the month of July. You can find “The Artist is Present” wherever you listen to podcasts – just search “Catalyst: A Creative Industries Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, ITunes, Spotify, etc.

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“The Artist is Present” is a special series which is being hosted under the Catalyst: A Creative Industries Podcast of the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries. “The Artist is Present” was developed under the direction of the Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Collection of Art’s Director, Fiona Shen, and Registrar, Jessica Bocinski, so that a wider audience would have the opportunity to hear directly from the artists in the Escalette Collection at Chapman University. The Collection is fortunate to include artists from diverse backgrounds whose work fosters new and interesting ways of knowing the world. In listening to these perspectives, we hope that “The Artist is Present” serves as an educational resource and an enjoyable reminder of how art shapes our understanding of the past, present, and who we might become in the future.

Referencing the important performance art piece by Marina Abramović, the title of the series, “The Artist is Present”, evokes the sense of closeness and deep engagement inherent to the interview-based style of the podcast. All the interviews were researched by Chapman University students and conducted by Chapman University, students, staff and Alumni.

This season was hosted and produced by recent Chapman University Alum, Even Johnson ’22. Speaking about their experience creating “The Artist is Present,” Even said “working on this series was the best way I could’ve ended my time at Chapman. Being able to interview living artists was an experience I’ll carry with me everywhere.”

We invite you to explore all the works in the Escalette Collection by visiting our eMuseum.

Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences is the proud home of the Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Art Collection. The Escalette Collection exists to inspire critical thinking, foster interdisciplinary discovery, and strengthen bonds with the community. Beyond its role in curating art in public spaces, the Escalette is a learning laboratory that offers diverse opportunities for student and engagement and research, and involvement with the wider community. The collection is free and open to the public to view.