Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Honors Program Coordinator Archana Shekara will be the speaker for the School of Art Research Colloquium at noon Tuesday, March 3, at University Galleries. The event is free and open to the public. A pre-lecture reception with light refreshments will begin at 11:30 a.m.

Prior to teaching at Illinois State’s School of Art, Shekara worked in several design studios creating projects for diverse clients. This experience compelled her to focus her research on cultural identity in design. Her current teaching, practice and research are interdisciplinary, based on ethnography, anthropology, sociology and cultural studies.

Shekara was the recipient of the College of Fine Arts Service Initiative Award in 2014, University Research Grant award in 2012 and Town of Normal’s Harmon Arts Grant Award for Festival of India at Illinois State.

She received her bachelor’s degree of fine arts in painting from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a master’s degree of fine arts in graphic design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.