Honorary degree recipients 2025

Each year, the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (IDSVA) awards the Honorary Degree to distinguished members of the art and philosophy community. We are excited to announce that Kahil El’ Zabar and Magali Lara will receive this special honor on Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 1:30pm at the IDSVA Commencement Ceremony at the Morgan Library, Gilder Lehrman Hall in New York City.

Sir Kahil El’Zabar was knighted by the Consul General of France in 2014 for his long standing international contributions to the arts. Dr. El’Zabar earned a PHD in Interdisciplinary Arts from Lake Forest College in 2006. He served as an associate professor of music and collaborative arts at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) from 1985 to1995 and the University of Illinois (Chicago) from 1999 to 2004. El’Zabar chaired the iconic Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) from 1975 to 1983. He has collaborated with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Pharoah Sanders, Cannonball Adderly, Donnie Hathaway, Lester Bowie, Neneh Cherry, Archie Shepp, David Murray, Nona Hendryx, and Ntozake Shange.

Known firstly as world renowned multi-percussionist, El’Zabar is also a veteran bandleader, composer, conductor, vocalist, arts curator, and educator. His pioneering sound and improvisational practice, described as his ‘spiritual groove’, is influential and widespread, inspiring musicians as well as artists across disciplines, who recognize the importance of freedom through artistic expression. Kahil El’Zabar will perform at Commencement with The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble.

Born in 1956 in Mexico City, Magali Lara resides in Cuernavaca, Morelos, where she taught arts at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos and was recognized in 2022 for 20 years of service. She studied Visual Arts at ENAP and earned an MFA in Arts from UAEM, MX. She has been a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte since 1994.

In 2023, Lara was appointed as a full member of the Academia de Artes, CONACULTA, INBAL, MX. She was awarded the Medal of Merit in Arts by Mexico City’s Congress in 2019, as well as the Medalla Bellas Artes by INBAL and the Secretariat of Culture in 2024.

Lara’s work bridges literature and visual arts, particularly visual poetry, with a practice spanning painting, drawing, ceramics, tapestry, and video animation. Notable accomplishments include multiple national and international solo and collective shows, including her most recent exhibitions at the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), the Museo de Arte Moderno (MAM), and a retrospective at the RGR Gallery in Mexico City.

IDSVA is a low-residency PhD program in philosophy, aesthetics, and art theory for artists and creative thinkers. Founded in 2006 in Portland, ME, the Institute fuses interactive online education with immersive residencies, aiming to foster a global sense of community and generate new visions for a changing world.

We are accepting applications for September 2025 enrollment. Inquire today or email info [​at​] idsva.edu for more information.