October 2011 through April 2012 

Microsoft Conference Center, Building 33, Redmond, Washington

Microsoft’s art programs began in 1999, and our community enjoys and learns from them to this day. Art programs are designed to introduce employees, guests, customers, and the public to the array of artists represented in this unique corporate collection. Our programs have built a strong, ongoing relationship between Microsoft and the visual arts community.

Members of the general public are welcome to attend as guests of current Microsoft employees. Guests are required to register with a receptionist and must be escorted at all times by their Microsoft employee host. Please register for the lecture series by sending an e-mail message to artevent@microsoft.com.

Friday, October 7, 2011; 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Chris Jordan is a Seattle-based photographer. His work explores the detritus of contemporary mass culture, from photographs of mountains of garbage to photo-based conceptual works that visually connect to the viewer to otherwise abstract statistics associated with the things we waste. Jordan’s work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, blogs, and documentary films around the world.

Kinect and Art

Friday, November 4, 2011; 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Microsoft’s Kinect is the motion-activated gaming platform for Xbox 360. At this lecture, a Studio Manager will introduce how digital artists around the world are using the device in unexpected ways, revealing new features and uses for Kinect.

Microsoft Digital Art

Friday, January 13, 2012; 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Program Manager Stefania Crisci will speak about how artists and engineers collaborated to create a new and innovative drawing program.

How to Write an Artist Statement

Presented by Artist Trust

Friday, February 10, 2012; 12:00 - 1:00pm

Bring out your artistic ideas on paper and get noticed! Come to this informative discussion with the professional team from Washington’s Artist Trust.

Maggie Orth

Friday, March 2, 2012; 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Maggie Orth is one of the first creative and technical practitioners of electronic textiles. At this lecture she will describe her unorthodox approach to textile design using computer technology. Presenting high technology in a low tech aesthetic questions our modern preconceptions about form and function and preferences of the "modern" aesthetic over the decorative.

Roger Shimomura

Friday, May 4, 2012; 12:00 – 1:00 pm
New location: 34 /2615- Quinault

Inspired by diaries kept by his immigrate grandmother for 56 years, Roger Shimomura’s work addresses the sociopolitical issues of Asian Americans. Using images from both American and Japanese cultures, Shimomura creates a complicated layering of pictorial information and social observation.