Independent scholar, author, and lecturer Ellen Dissanayake presented an MFA in Applied Craft & Design Lecture. This PNCA Graduate Visiting Artist Lecture took place at the MFA in Applied Craft and Design Studios at The Bison Building, Portland, Oregon on October 29, 2009.
Dissanayake's writings about the arts synthesize many disciplines and draw upon 15 years of living and working in non-Western countries. Her Darwinian viewpoint provides a broader understanding of the arts than is customary in most theoretical approaches: the arts are integral to human nature and they evolved to help individuals adapt to their physical and social environments. DIssanayake is Affiliate Professor in the School of Music at the University of Washington, Seattle.
"Listen to a podcast of Dissanayake's lecture":http://homeroom.pnca.edu/download/592410
