Thursday, Feb 18, 2021

2:00 pm PST

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

*Please note that this recording has been condensed from its original version to exclude a section that was participatory by audience for their privacy.

We are not a country divided. Rather, divisions define our country. How can we challenge this definition? Existential threats like persistent inequity, climate change and COVID-19 have yet to unify us. How can we translate division into action? Artist, curator, and educator Vero Rose Smith has a few ideas. Join Smith for a chat! Investigate climate change, collective action, and the power of creative collaboration. Virtually gather with other people! Get excited about the infinity of hopeful possible futures! Smith will share examples of her past data-driven installations and current artistic projects. Then, Smith will lead a fun (and optional) participatory exercise. Together, those in attendance will write an improvised song. Smith will end the conversation with a debut performance of the co-written song.

Vero Rose Smith is an artist, curator, and educator. In the studio, Smith makes climate change personal through data-driven installations and performances. In the gallery, Smith produces community-focused exhibitions and participatory art experiences. From 2016 to 2020, Smith served as a curator at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art and designed innovative collegiate-level curriculum in the visual arts for both the University of Iowa and Kirkwood Community College. Simultaneously, Smith co-created collaborative arts experiences for learners of all ages and academic backgrounds. Currently, Smith teaches at a nontraditional primary and secondary school in Chicago while writing about the future of classrooms. Smith holds masters degrees in design (Harvard Graduate School of Design), art and architectural history (University of Iowa), and business administration (Quantic Institute of Business and Technology). Smith also earned a triple bachelors degree in environmental studies, studio art, and art history (Augustana College, Rock Island, IL).

Image credit: Photography by Jeremy Ziegenhorn. Depicted: Vero Rose Smith (left, playing French horn) collaborates with Justin Comer (cello), Christine Burke (clarinet), and Keegan Hockett (bassoon) to perform her work “Extractions,” an art installation that doubles as a musical score.

Note: A previous version erroneously stated the event would be Mar. 18– it has been corrected to Feb. 18.