Visiting scholar Miranda Lash will discuss what she does as a curator of contemporary art with students Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the atrium of the Tarble Arts Center.

Other subjects Lash said she is eager to discuss will be female contemporary artists and their work.

According to Eastern’s website, Lash is the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Speed Art Museum located in Louisville, Kentucky, and she has curated over 20 exhibitions.

As a curator, Lash said her responsibility is to help plan exhibitions and acquire artwork for the Speed Art Museum.

In order to get art, Lash said she travels often to see artwork from places all over the world that would best suit the museum.

After she finishes attending art exhibitions and shows, she said the next step is to make a proposal to retrieve the relevant artwork, and if the board approves it, the museum plans to purchase the work.

If she had to pick one thing she enjoys most about her profession, Lash said it would have to be working with the artists.

“Artists always surprise you, and they see the world in such different ways, and they have a way of thinking expansively and poetically,” she said.

Lash said the work of female artists is a vessel of interest to her because they have been marginalized and not all of their work is always recognized.

“There’s always room to discuss what it means to be a woman and a practicing artist,” she said, “and the fact that the Tarble (Arts Center) is hosting this exhibition at a time when there are very active discussions within the ‘Me Too’ movement, within the subject of women’s marches, within continuing debate on what feminism means, I think it’s a worthwhile topic to consider and discuss.”

At her visit, she said she will mention a few practiced artists that are women, such as painter Keltie Ferris, multimedia artist Sharon Hayes and fiber artist Sonja Clark to illustrate how their work has affected the art world on a grander scale.

Lash said she has visited other universities in the past, and she enjoys talking to students and sharing ideas about the importance of art with them.

“Students always are putting forward new ideas in new ways,” she said. “I have the most fun with students who aren’t afraid to ask questions, who love engaging in dialogue; so, I really encourage students when I’m with them to be vocal and to participate.”

Something Lash said she appreciates about students is their method of asking questions straightforward and to the point.

“(Students) inspire me to question my methods because they have no filter usually about what they’re asking about, but I think that’s a good thing,” she said. “I feel like it keeps me on my toes.”

Lash said she would recommend everyone to attend her lecture because art starts new dialogue and sprouts interesting discussion that anyone can benefit from.

For Eastern students, Lash said the Tarble Arts Center is a great place to observe art firsthand and communicate ideas about it with peers.

“I also think (Eastern students) have such a special opportunity to have actual artworks in the Tarble (Arts Center they) can see and compare to the issues we discuss,” she said. “Art is most effective when you can see it in person, and so if there’s a chance to engage with the subject matter and then actually go see the artwork, that makes for an enriching experience.”

Logan Raschke can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].