Thursday, Jun 11, 2020

4:00 pm PST

View archived lecture here, available for the duration of the Virtual Lecture Series.

As a country, we are grappling with how inequalities like the murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd were committed with such complete disdain and disregard for black life, and with such confidence in complete impunity. But for many, these events were not surprising in the least, but a continuation of a system that values American lives very differently.

Particularly in gallery and museums spaces, and even more so in academic areas, we are obligated to address, and work to dismantle, systems of privilege that allow inequality to proliferate. In this regard, art is uniquely positioned to address structural disparities, and make that work accessible. Join us as we speak to artists about our current political climate– how it affects the arts and how the arts shape it.

Cole M. James is an interdisciplinary artist. Their work uses both figurative and abstract images, sound and scent to amplify the subtle ways perception can collapse and expand time. “I make work as a negotiator, navigating the African Diaspora, circling the expanse of queerness and fumbling through womanhood.  I am interested in the intersections between digital production and the analog collecting of lived experiences.” James received an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in Installation & Digital Media and a BA from Cal State San Bernardino in Painting. Born in Chicago, raised in Moreno Valley, CA, James works and lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Robin Holder’s work centers on the complexities and conflicts of cultural and racial identity. Over her career she has developed innovated approaches in her mixed technique works through a variety of media, which are often influenced by community dialogues and extensive artist interviews. She has completed several site-specific public art commissions and is a 2020 Clark Hulings Fund for Artists Executive Fellow. Her work is in such collections as the Library of Congress, Yale University, the Washington State Arts Commission, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. She lives in Brooklyn, NY and works from her studio in New Jersey.

This dialogue will be in a webinar format. Community questions and engagement are welcome and will be available through the Q&A and chat functions.

Cole James (left) Photo Credit: Brenna Youngblood