A new season of Research Talks

Nipissing is pleased to launch the 2011-12 season of Research Talks featuring Dr. Kurt Clausen on November 18, from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. in room A226.Clausen will discuss Art for Education: The Life and Legacy of Robert Kunz.Robert Kunz (1921-1969) wore many hats during his short career including: teacher, draftsman, book illustrator, commercial artist, cartoonist, filmstrip creator and cartographer. A passionate artist from a young age, he chose the motto “art for education” as his personal and professional creed. Although his name may not be commonly known in Ontario today, his extensive creation of educational materials during the 1950s and 1960s helped to shape the perceptions of Ontario school-children at the time.

Drawing upon the many diverse art forms that Kunz pioneered throughout his career, this presentation will discuss and display the influences on his style, his journey from war-torn Serbia to Toronto, and the impact that he had as a celebrated children’s artist and textbook illustrator throughout his later life. Finally, Clausen’s presentation will discuss how Kunz’s works’ slid into obscurity after his death, and the unexpected influences that his art has had in Ontario in the past 50 years.