What is an Artistic Practice of Human Rights?

29.04.2017 and 01.05.2017 9:30 a.m. – 05:00 p.m. and 06:00 p.m. – 09:00 p.m.
Logan Center for the Arts
University of Chicago
915 E. 60th St.
Chicago, IL, US

Summit

What is an Artistic Practice of Human Rights?

What is an Artistic Practice of Human Rights? is a multi-day summit hosted by the University of Chicago and composed of a group of distinguished international artists who will propose, examine, and challenge the ways in which creative cultural resistance can broaden our collective understanding of human rights.  

Through artist performances and presentations on April 29 and a public forum on May 1, the summit will delve deeply into how artists are utilizing creative expression to frame conversations and advance action around myriad human rights issues, from criminal justice to LGBTQ rights, youth violence to poverty, immigration rights to refugee crises, and other areas where the personal intersects the political. Co-presented by the Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry, the Logan Center for the Arts, and the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights.

Artists: Lola Arias, Jelili Atiku, Tania Bruguera, Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti of Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency, Carlos Javier Ortiz, and Laurie Jo Reynolds .

Curated by Mark Bradley, Zachary Cahill, Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, Leigh Fagin, Susan Gzesh, David Levin, Steven Rings, Jacqueline Stewart, Sonali Thakkar and Yesomi Umolu (University of Chicago) and Thomas Keenan (Bard College).

What is an Artistic Practice of Human Rights? is presented alongside the Weinberg/Newton Gallery exhibition In Acts, featuring works by each of the summit artists. The exhibition runs April 7-June 10. 

Artist Presentations

Day one features an immersive day of artist presentations to include performances, screenings, conversations, and lectures. Each artist has been provided with a 45-minute slot during which they will either deliver a presentation about their particular practice and the ways in which it illuminates human rights issues, or present a work of art created specifically for the summit. 

Public Forum

Day two features an open forum with the summit artists, including a Q&A and the opportunity for attendees to engage in dialogue with one another.