Taliesin Thomas, Ph.D. is an artist-philosopher, lecturer, writer, and arts professional based in Troy, NY. Since 2007, Thomas is the founding director of AW Asia and Art Issue Editions, Inc., two private art collections that serve as the basis for collaborations and curatorial projects with museums, institutions, and artists worldwide. Thomas is a visiting critic for The Arts Center of the Capital Region and other regional institutions, including Bennington College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, SUNY New Paltz, and SUNY Plattsburgh. Thomas has lectured widely on contemporary art and has published with Yale University Press, The Brooklyn Rail, Hyperallergic, Chronogram, Dirt, Artpulse, Journal of Daoist Studies, Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, and ArtAsiaPacific. Thomas studied studio art, aesthetic theory, and philosophy at Bennington College, Columbia University, and The Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts.