Talk to Highlight Impact of Illustration

Scott Anderson, associate professor of art at Westmont, reveals the collective impact of illustration on our culture in a talk Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 5:30 p.m. at University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara Street. The Westmont Downtown Lecture, “The Art All Around Us: Illustration and Visual Culture in America,” is free and open to the public. No tickets are required; the limited seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call (805) 565-6051.

“Our society understands that art shapes culture,” Anderson says, “but people may be less aware of the specific role the niche of illustration plays in affecting the world around us, from creating pop culture iconography to influencing political opinion. While often subconsciously unnoticed, it can nonetheless be profound.”

Anderson will discuss the working life of the contemporary illustrator and present a slideshow of powerful imagery that celebrates various milestones of illustration.

He is an award-winning illustrator with clients including the Wall Street Journal and Variety. His design work has won multiple awards from the American Association of Museums and gold and silver Addys from the American Advertising Association.

Anderson, who joined the Westmont faculty in 1999, has also taught at Santa Barbara City College and Nickelodeon Studios in Burbank.

He earned a Master of Fine Art in illustration from the University of Hartford, a Master of Arts in illustration at Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Willamette University in Salem, Ore.

The lecture series, Westmont Downtown: Conversations about Things that Matter, is sponsored by the Westmont Foundation.