Visiting Artist Colloquium

media release: The Art Department Colloquium is a series supported by the Anonymous Fund and the Brittingham Trust. Visiting Artist lectures are held every Wednesday during the academic year, and are free and open to the public.

Discover the latest developments in Fine art, Craft, and Design at our free public lectures by some of the nation’s most prominent artists, critics, and gallery and museum directors.

Wednesdays @ 5 – 6:15 pm, Elvehjem L160

Piñata-based sculptor, Roberto Benavidez (b. 1973, Beeville, Texas) lives and works in the Los Angeles, California, neighborhood of El Sereno. His piñata sculptures have been featured in national, international and on-line publications including American Craft Magazine, ARTnews, Artsy, Atlas Obscura, Audubon Magazine, The Guardian, hifructose.com, Hyperallergic, LUXE Interiors + Design, Politiken, The New York Times, and This Is Colossal. Most recently he was featured in The New York Times series “The Art of Craft.” Benavidez has shown in group and solo exhibitions, including at the AD&A Museum at UCSB, Craft In America, Mingei International Museum, Palo Alto Art Center, Perrotin Los Angeles, Self Help Graphics, Mesa Contemporary Art Museum, and Riverside Art Museum; and last year his work was included in the 2024 Homo Faber Biennial in Venice, Italy. LA Metro commissioned him to contribute to the “Through the Eyes of Artists” poster series (2019); his Bosch fruit fascinators are featured in the finale of The Interview with the Vampire series on AMC+. He is also featured in the “Play” episode of the Craft In America PBS series, and is the subject of the 2024 documentary short “Piñatas of Earthly Delights” directed by Tom Maroney. His work is in the permanent collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, LA Metro, The Museum of International Folk Art, and the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. robertobenavidez.com