DMC Cultural Programs Committee bringing two guests, artist and author, for campus and community presentations over next two weeks
26
September
2025
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18:00 PM
Europe/Amsterdam
Oct. 2 Fall Art Talk and Oct. 9 Literary Reading offer different thought-provoking opportunities with ceramic artist William McKinney and memoirist and author Jody Keisner
Article by Melinda Eddleman
Ceramic Artist and Educator William McKinney
Ceramic artist and educator William McKinney will present a Fall Art Talk in Richardson Performance Hall on Thursday, Oct. 2, beginning at 11 a.m. Presented by the CPC and the Art Program with the Art and Drama Department, the West Virginia Morgantown-born artist explores the intersection of industry, nature and environmental action. McKinney’s sculptural work reflects the environmental impact of coal and gas industries on Appalachia’s landscapes, serving as both a critique and a call to action.
An Assistant Professor of Art and Ceramics and the Gallery Director at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., McKinney uses stoneware, colored porcelain slip and wood firing techniques to create forms that embody the tension between natural forces and human intervention, often incorporating multiple firings and Egyptian paste to enhance surface depth and complexity of his work.
Ceramic Sculpture by Artist William McKinney
McKinney earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from West Virginia University in 2016 and completed his Master of Fine Arts degree at The University of Mississippi in 2019. He has served as a Resident Artist at the Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project in Lake County, Ca., and as an Adjunct Professor at Mendocino College. From 2022 to 2024, he was the John Hirschi Family Ceramic Resident Artist at Midwestern State University. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally at venues such as Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum (Mesa, Ariz.), Dallas College (Irving, Tx.), Miaobei Art Center (Miaoli County, Taiwan), Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue (Jingdezhen, China) and The Pottery Workshop (Jingdezhen, China).
To learn more about McKinney and view his work, visit his website.
Questions related to the Oct. 2 Fall Art Talk may be directed to the DMC Art Office at 361-698-1216 or art@delmsr.edu. Online seating registration is requested on the DMC web page for this event.
Memoirist and Author Jody Keisner_Photo credit_Annie Johnson.png
On Thursday, Oct. 9, the committee and the Department of English and Philosophy will host memoirist and author Jody Keisner for a Literary Reading beginning at 11 a.m. in the Reading Lab (Room 119) in the Coles Building.
One reviewer, author Sue William Silverman, describes Keisner’s book, Under My Bed and Other Essays (2022), as an exploration of “our aversion to scary things, as well as the emotional, physical, cultural and psychological allure of fear. Keisner examines everything from horror movies to giving birth—and does it fearlessly.” You can explore Keisner’s writing further during her reading on the Heritage Camus.
Keisner––a writer, teacher, mother, first-generation college graduate and ex-waitress––has had essays appear in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Fourth Genre, Cimarron Review, Post Road, Brevity, VIDA Review, So to Speak, Brain, Child, Assay, Threepenny Review, Hunger Mountain, The Rumpus, The Normal School, Adroit Journal, Literary Mama, Hippocampus, Essay Daily, Women’s Studies, and many other literary journals and magazines. Her essay “Runaway Mother” is a notable Best American Essay 2022. Keisner serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Linden Review, a journal of creative nonfiction focused on health.
Jody Keisner_Under My Bed and Other Essays_Book Cover
The graduate of Wayne State University (Bachelor of Arts), University of Nebraska-Omaha (Master of Arts) and Western Michigan University (Master of Fine Arts) is a Professor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where she teaches creative nonfiction. You can learn more about Keisner on her website at www.jodykeisner.com/.
Questions about the Oct. 9 reading may be directed to Assistant Professor of English Sarah Lenz at 361-698-1453 or slenz2@delmar.edu.
If you have some free time the next couple of Thursdays or maybe want to take an early lunch, mark your calendar for Oct. 2 and 9 to join DMC Cultural Programs Committee and departmental event organizers for two thought-provoking presentations that offer a different learning experience.
About Del Mar College
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.
Latest DMC News
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