Oliver Herring’s striking work with live models.
Photo courtesy of the Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery

Conor Ney
A&E Editor

Internationally renowned artist Oliver Herring will be creating original artwork and engaging with the community during a month long residency at Cuesta’s Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery.

For those interested in meeting the artist and becoming involved in the residency, there will be two introductory events to kick off Herring’s residency.

The first is an introductory party, with free pizza at 12 p.m. on Nov. 14. The next day Herring will give a talk outlining the mission behind his residency, at 5:30 p.m.

The gallery, which is located in room 7170, is also open to the public during the regular gallery hours of 11-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Herring’s artwork has been inspired by engagement with communities and the friendships he develops with the subjects of his work.

Herring first gained major recognition for his series “A Flower for Ethyl Eichelberger,” which served as an elegy to the influential drag playwright Ethyl Eichelberger who committed suicide in 1990 while suffering from AIDS.

In recent years, Herring has created and conducted what he calls TASK Parties, participatory art experiences in which people are encouraged to leave behind their inhibitions and create and fulfill creative tasks in a group setting.

The events have taken on a life of their own, spreading across the world in a grass roots fashion, celebrating individual creativity and bringing strangers together.

After his residency, Herring’s work will be displayed in an exhibition at the Miossi Art Gallery from Dec. 7-22.