Lunch & Learn with Guest Speaker / artist: Du Chau

Lunch & Learn is a free monthly in-person program, typically held the first Tuesday of the month, resumes October 1 from 12 noon – 1:30 p.m. at Irving Arts Center. The guest speaker for Oct. 1 is Dallas-based ceramic installation artist and community arts activist Du Chau who has served as the awards judge for Irving Arts Center’s 24^th Annual Art Connection Members Show, currently on exhibit through Nov. 9.

Du Chau’s presentation will provide a close look at and discussion of the award-winning artwork he selected from this year’s Art Connection Members’ Show as well as information on his own background and artistic body of work.

About the Artist / Guest Speaker 

Du Chau, a Vietnamese-born artist based in the United States, transitioned from a medical professional to earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts Degree at Alfred University in Alfred, NY. His artwork has been recognized internationally and exhibited in prestigious venues across the United States and can be found in worldwide collections, notably the Curaumilla Art Center in Chile, C.R.E.T.A. Rome in Italy, and the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum in New York. In addition to his successful career as an artist, Chau continues to work as a Pathology Technical Coordinator at the Methodist Dallas Medical Center and as a professor of art at Dallas College Brookhaven Campus.

Chau was recently named as one of this year’s Art Influencers by Patron Magazine, one of nine individuals recognized for their exceptional leadership, creativity and contributions to the art community. He is the co-founder of  the Goldmark Cultural Center, a renovated office complex that now provides affordable studio space to more than 170 visual artists as well as the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Moss/Chumley North Texas Artist Award. The Moss/Chumley Artist Award is given annually to an outstanding North Texas artist who has exhibited professionally for at least 10 years and has established a proven track record as a community advocate for the visual arts.

About Lunch & Learn

Irving Arts Center’s Lunch & Learn program meets the first Tuesday of the month, October through May, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.  The program is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch or snack.

Since 2014, this informal art education program for adults has provided fun and informative enrichment opportunities as well as a lively discussion forum for exploring current exhibitions at IAC and other art-related topics.

The 2024-2025 series runs from October 2024 through May 2025.  Dates are Oct. 1, Nov. 5, Dec. 3, Jan. 7, Feb. 4, March 4, April 1 and May 6.

In addition to Du Chau’s presentation on Oct. 1, upcoming speakers include the ceramic artist, Marty Ray on Nov. 5; artist and retired architect, Robert Batson on Dec. 3 and Laura Pate, objects conservator and owner of Brown Mountain Art Restoration on Jan. 7.

For more information, please contact Marcie Inman, Curator/ Director of Exhibitions & Educational Programs at minman@cityofirving.org or 972.252.7558, ext. 1225.