The virtual forum, Race, Activism and Photography, examines recent societal injustices, systemic racism, and the continued underrepresentation in the art world through the lenses of art and activism. This three-day symposium, featuring panel-led roundtables, lectures, and artist presentations, will amplify the voices of artists, writers, and arts professionals, the majority of whom have participated in our residency program, WOODSTOCK AIR.
Race, Activism and Photography will address an array of issues including the history of photography through the prism of race, representation and identity, and activism, and examines how these topics have evolved from 1839 to the present; the economic and social impact of systemic racism, and how these inequities have been represented in the media; how artists, within the context of fine art, are using their work to address oppression and discrimination; and, finally, how artists are responding to the challenging and unique opportunities that lie ahead in the art world.
This forum was created with the direct support of the Arnold and Augusta Newman Foundation. Additional support for this event and Woodstock AIR was provided by the Joy of Giving Something Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York Council on the Arts.
The event launches the newly endowed Arnold Newman Lectures at Woodstock with a keynote address by Carrie Mae Weems.