I was recently invited to prepare and present a lengthy discourse on “Art, Life, and Merchandising” at Wade College in Dallas, Texas.

As a bit of background, Wade College, founded in 1962 in Dallas, by Sue Wade, offers degrees in Merchandising and Design. The school has grown immensely over the last 50 years and originally started with an “endowment” of $1500 and 10 students. Today the school is located in the Infomart building near Uptown and offers its much larger enrollment of students many different classes ranging from their exceptional fine art program to fashion, graphics, and design.

My initial impression of the school was very positive (as would be expected entering (in my opinion) Dallas’ most aesthetically pleasing building (pic above)) and it was very refreshing to see students and professors interacting on such a personal and positive level. And the audience was WAY receptive!

In a certain way, I felt a little envious of the art education these students were getting and felt that much of what was being taught – in graphics, design, and merchandising – would be very valuable in general and for me personally.

I was invited to speak to the students on a relatively broad range of topics that touched mostly upon the philosophy of art and its relevance in today’s society (whether from fine art or merchandising). To this end, I spoke mostly about developing an individual artistic voice (sometimes referred to as artistic philosophy/aesthetic/ethos).