Barry, who is also a professor of interdisciplinary creativity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a playwright, an illustrator, and a commentator, visited Hamilton’s campus on April 9 to talk about her work, teaching, and the question of “What is an image?”
She started by describing her childhood and the way her grandmother raised her with stories. Barry presented many of her comic strips inspired by her relationship with her grandmother, for example when they watched horror movies together.
Barry attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., where she met a professor who served as a great mentor and remains a lifelong friend. Engaging the audience, Barry asked everyone to say the name of a teacher who influenced them, aloud and in unison.
With a projector behind her, Barry shared images of cartoons from her book — both drawings made by the 4-year-olds she works with and drawings that her college students created. She explained the different exercises she does with students, from drawing with their eyes closed to 30-second timed drawings.
Barry focused on the way we draw when we’re children. She mentioned that when adults say that something they drew looks like a 4-year-old made it, she thinks, “What if that’s the way a drawing looks when it’s giving you an idea?” That’s why Barry finds it so important to not ask kids “What is that?” when they draw, but instead to let their creativity flow. She actually made many of her comic strips after spending the day working with preschoolers, inspired by their conversations and ideas.
As she presented images on the projector, Barry emphasized that images are all around us — “the formless thing which gives things form.”
The Tolles lecture is an annual series sponsored by the Winton J. Tolles Lecture Fund, established in 1991 by members of the Class of 1951 in memory of Winton Tolles, Class of 1928 and dean of the College from 1947 to 1972. The fund enables Hamilton to bring distinguished speakers in the fields of literature, journalism, and theatre to lecture and meet with students.
Posted April 15, 2026
