'Star Wars' Artist on Panel Encouraging Students in the Arts

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI – An official artist for the “Star Wars” franchise is among the panelists who will speak to students interested in pursuing arts careers at an upcoming event sponsored by the Farmington Area Art Commission.

“Star Wars” illustrator Chris Trevas joins five others on a panel selected for “The Art of the Matter” to be held from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, in Wexford Hall at the Costick Center in Farmington Hills.

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“The Art of the Matter,” which coincides with the annual Festival of the Arts, is free, open to the public, and geared toward students in middle and high school, as well as interested community members. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required here.

Others on the panel include:

• Cybelle Codish (photographer),
• Kyle “RISE” Irving (painter),
• Vaidehi Dongre (classical Indian music and dance),
• Austen Brantley (sculptor) and
• Vince Carducci (writer and dean of undergraduate studies at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit).

Trevas has been an official “Star Wars” artist since 1995 and has created related artwork for licensees including Random House, DK Publishing, Wizards of the Coast, Golden Books, Scholastic, and Topps.

“I consider myself extremely fortunate to be living that childhood dream today, making my own mark in the ‘Star Wars’ universe,” Trevas said.

Carducci, publisher of the blog “Motown Review of Art,” writes about arts and culture, with a special interest in Detroit. His essays and reviews have appeared in many publications, from academic press to alternative weeklies and webzines.

He received a Kresge Arts in Detroit Literary Fellowship for art criticism in 2010. He holds a BFA in art practice from Michigan State University and an MA in liberal studies and a PhD in sociology from the New School for Social Research.

For more details about the panelists, visit www.farmingtonarts.org and look under “Festival of the Arts,” or call the Farmington Hills Cultural Arts Division at (248) 473-1859.