CLARKSVILLE, TN – Austin Peay State University’s Department of Art Design, with support from The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, will welcome Colombian American figurative ceramicist Natalia Arbelaez to continue the 2023-24 CECA Visiting Artist Speaker Series.

Arbelaez will give a public lecture about her ceramic sculptures and creative practice at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in Heydel Hall, located in the Art + Design Building Room 120.

“Arbelaez’s work tells narratives about her Colombian family’s immigration, her pre-Colombian South American heritage and her American latchkey, after-school cartoon-filled childhood in whimsical yet poignant works of art,” said Michael Dickins, chair of the Visiting Artist Speaker Committee. “[She] mines tidbits from historical research, familial narratives and cartoon culture to create surreal stories in clay much the way Gabriel García Márquez did with words.”

Through her artistry, Arbelaez also engages in cultural and historical research to shine a light on often overlooked communities.

“The making of her work reveals undervalued histories from Latin American, Amerindian and women of color often lost through conquest, migration and time,” Dickins said. “She regains her associated identities through familial traditions, cultural preservation, exploration and genetic memory. This process has allowed Arbelaez to find value in her history and to preserve and honor her culture through her work.”

In addition to her public lecture, Arbelaez will conduct studio visits and a ceramics workshop to benefit Austin Peay students during her time on campus. As part of her artistic practice, she also creates experimental videos that combine surrealist dance performances and South Beach house beats – further exploring her Colombian and Miami roots. Her videos will be part of <terminal> gallery’s February programming, located in the first-floor stairwell of the Art+Design Building.

For more information on this lecture, contact Dickins at dickinsm@apsu.edu. To learn about future CECA Visiting Artist Speaker Series events, visit https://www.apsu.edu/art-design/exhibitions-speakers/visiting-artists.php. All events are free and open to the public, and attendees of all ages are welcome.