Cartoonist and author Lynda Barry is spring artist in residence

Lynda Barry, acclaimed cartoonist and author, will be the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s spring artist in residence, the Arts Institute and Department of Art announced today.

As part of her residency, Barry will offer four free public lectures about cartooning and writing featuring renowned guests Ivan Brunetti, Ryan Knighton, and Dan Chaon, with special guest Chris Ware. A full schedule is included below.

Barry is an author and cartoonist credited with expanding the literary, thematic, and emotional range of American comics. She is best known for her groundbreaking weekly comic strip “Ernie Pook’s Comeek,” which ran for 30 years throughout the U.S. and Canada. She also adapted her novel, “The Good Times are Killing Me,” into a long-running off-Broadway play.

Barry has authored 17 books, worked as a commentator for National Public Radio, had a regular monthly feature in publications such as Esquire and Mother Jones, and has been a frequent guest on David Letterman. She is the recipient of many awards, including the 2009 Eisner Award for her graphic novel “What It Is.” She lives in rural Rock County, Wisconsin.

The Arts Institute’s Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program brings innovative artists to campus to teach semester-long, interdepartmental courses and to publicly present their work for campus and community audiences.

In spring 2012, Barry will teach “What It Is: Manually Shifting the Image.” Using writing and picture-making, students will investigate the relationship of the hand to images, creativity, and the brain, and will each produce a short book and teach an off-campus workshop.

Barry’s residency is sponsored by the Art Department and co-sponsored by the Center for Visual Cultures, the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, the Department of Art History, the School of Library and Information Studies, the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center. Community partners include the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, the Madison Children’s Museum, Isthmus, and the Goodman Atwood Community Center.

For more information and the current schedule of events, see http://www.arts.wisc.edu/artsinstitute/IAR/barry/

Here is a list of Barry’s free public lectures:

• Wednesday, Feb. 15, 4:30-5:45 p.m.: Art Department Visiting Artist Series: “Seeing, Drawing, Writing, and Cooking through a Cartoonist’s Eye” by cartoonist Ivan Brunetti with Barry. Special guest: Chris Ware. L160 Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Ave.
• Wednesday, Feb. 22, 4:30-5:45 p.m.: Art Department Visiting Artist Series: “The Blind Stare” by author Ryan Knighton with Barry. L160 Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Ave.
• Thursday, March 8, 7 p.m.: “The Friendship that Would Not Die: Lynda Barry on Matt Groening,” Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Lecture Hall, 227 State St. Note: Free tickets are available at MMoCA’s lobby desk beginning at noon on Friday, March 2. Tickets are limited to two per person; no telephone or Internet reservations, please. Museum hours are noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
• Thursday, May 3, 7 p.m.: “Stay Awake” by writer Dan Chaon with Barry, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Lecture Hall, 227 State St. Note: Free tickets are available at MMoCA’s lobby desk beginning at noon on Friday, April 27. Tickets are limited to two per person; no telephone or Internet reservations, please. Museum hours are noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.