William Zorach, Visiting Artist Lecture 1955

William Zorach gives a lecture talking about his life experiences becoming an artist. He reflects on his time being a student in New York and how New York taught him that one can learn so much being an artist outside the tradition of an academic school. Some of the activities Zorach personally engaged with as an artist included participating in murals and working on projects with his friends throughout the city. Zorach tells the participants that no one knows who the true masters of art will be that are currently living, and which artists will be remembered hundreds of years to come. Zorach then explains to the students the importance of learning how to discriminate between style/fashion and art. He states that there is a great difference between the two, and one must always be careful of the trends that come and go in art. Zorach elaborates on this point, telling the participants that the art world is now steeped in an age of over promotion and advertising, and that the participants must not be worried about the ivory tower or commercial success. Zorach tells them that everything will solve itself out if they believe in themselves and their work and have confidence as artists, while also finding people who believe in their work.