Roski Talks
About The Series
The USC Roski School’s Roski Talks lecture series offers engaging weekly presentations from leading visual artists, design innovators, scholars, performance artists, architects, and other influential figures throughout the academic year. These events are popular among the Roski community and frequently attract members of the public.
Held in an intimate setting, Roski Talks encourage audience participation and open dialogue. Each session concludes with lively group discussions and Q&A opportunities.
When and Where
Roski Talks take place on most Tuesday evenings beginning at 7pm and are free and open to the public, reservations are usually required.
Talks are presented, unless otherwise noted, at the Roski Graduate Building in the L.A. Arts District at 1262 Palmetto Street, Los Angeles.
Please see the individual event postings for exact dates, times, and location.
Grad Student Discussion Series
The USC Visiting Artist and Scholar Seminar, known as VASS, is linked to Roski Talks and creates an intimate context for group discussion. First-year MFA and MA students may attend closed-session seminars with visitors and USC Roski faculty before or after a Roski Talk for an intensive dialogue on issues posed by the lecture and assigned readings.
Upcoming Talks
Past Talks
Roski Talks’ past guests have included artist Andrea Bowers, designer Karin Fong, cultural historian Robeson Taj Frazier, artist Theaster Gates, designer Rick Griffith, artist Senga Nengudi, curator Pablo José Ramírez, and curator and artist Legacy Russell, among many others. Below, look at videos of a selection of conversations.
To view all past Roski Talks, visit Roski’s Youtube Channel.
To see the lineup of previous speakers, see the Roski Talks History.
Some of our previous speakers include…
Roman Ley
This designer and branding specialist currently works at Google, where he leads the packaging creative team.
Toni Smalls
Smalls, a queer Black image-based artist and spoken word poet, employs themes of primal emotion quintessential to human experience in their work.
Carolina Caycedo
Colombia-born multidisciplinary artist Caycedo creates immense geographic photographs, lively artist’s books, hanging sculptures, performances, films and installations.
More to Explore
You’ll find other opportunities to get immersed in art and design at the USC Roski School and across the USC campus.