The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Campus welcomes artist-in-residence
Lake Erie College will be welcoming Painesville native Iris Dawn Parker as 2020 spring semester artist-in-residence.
Parker is a world-traveled photographer who has spent the last decade in South Africa, the focus for several of her exhibits. The college has stated that during her visit Parker will conduct visual storytelling workshops, class presentations and touch on topics related to cultural exchange.
She will also deliver two talks to which both LEC students and the general public are invited, on her experiences abroad. The first talk “Democracy in Action: Hello from South Africa” is on March 25 at 5:30 p.m. Parker’s second discussion “My Afternoon with Madiba (Mr. Nelson Mandela)” takes place March 28 at 2 p.m. Both talks will be held at the James Lincoln Library on the campus.
Those events follow an initial reception for Parker’s arrival being held March 19 at 5:30 p.m. at
the same location. The reception event will feature a couch conversation with Parker and educator Janine Hamilton.
Hamilton was also raised in Painesville. The Harvey High School alum served as Youngstown State University’s adjunct professor in the department of Africana studies for five years in addition to co-authoring “Life Lessons for Little Learners.”
An LEC news release expanded on what Parker’s presentation would showcase.
“The images shown in this exhibition reflect women engaged in the power of democracy through their participation in quotidian celebrations
of democratic and religious freedoms impacting contemporary South Africa today, a nation once ruled under Apartheid.”
Parker brings an intimate eye to the subject, having spent over 22 years in South Africa in total documenting social and cultural shifts. The photos also serve to celebrate Women’s History Month by highlighting the impact women make upon society.
Parker is a Fulbright Memorial Fellow scholar and was awarded the 2018-2019 Arts Alive partnership from Johannesburg. She has worked as an American accent coach for theater productions across South Africa for the past six years.