SCAD is honored to host avant-garde director and visual artist Robert Wilson for a special performance of his lecture 1. HAVE YOU BEEN HERE BEFORE, 2. NO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME. Combining hundreds of striking images from throughout his prolific career, Wilson provides an experimental self‐portrait of his creative process. He references his landmark original works for the stage such as Deafman Glance (1970), A Letter for Queen Victoria (1974–75), Einstein on the Beach (1976, created with composer Philip Glass), The CIVIL warS (1984), and The Black Rider (1990, created with musician Tom Waits and writer William S. Burroughs). Wilson also cites his acclaimed work within the canonical operatic and theatrical repertoire, including his luminous stagings of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, and Müller’s Quartett. After the performance, Wilson invites the audience to engage in a discussion of the vanguard ideas his work proposes during an informal Q-&-A session.

The performance is presented as part of SCAD deFINE ART 2020, the university’s annual program of exhibitions, lectures, and performances held Feb. 18–20 at university locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia.