October 6, 2017, 9:30am
A symposium for artists, activists, and cultural producers to gather and consider the interconnectedness of visual culture, community, and social change today
“Community” is a potent, yet overused word, meaning dramatically different things to different people. Similarly, it can be hard to see the extent to which visual culture—the media, images, art, memes around us—is the way we know our “communities”, and how that visual work might play a creative and productive role in social change.
“What’s at Stake?” focuses on the intersection of visual culture and the complex and contradictory notions of community. Join us for conversations with artists, community organizers, cultural organizations, public agencies, and the general public about how visual culture plays a role in defining community, helping community members to understand themselves, and define or redefine who is included or excluded from “community.” In a lively and wide-ranging conversation, we will seek to pose probing questions about the role of visual cultural practice in the everyday life of communities.
Confirmed speakers, facilitators, and participating organizations include: Nicholas Mirzoeff, Ruth Sergel, Stephanie Dinkins, Chinatown Art Brigade, The Point, the NYC Commission on Human Rights, Kemi Ilesanmi, the Laundromat Project, Emily Raboteau, Laura Y. Liu, Erin Barnett, Kristen Lubben, Danielle Jackson, Quito Ziegler, Bayeté Ross Smith, Amin Husain, Nitasha Dhillon, Adam Melaney, Shana Agid, and Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani.
What does community look like to you?
The symposium will include a group breakout session where you can share an image that conveys what community means to you. When you register to attend the symposium, we will provide instructions on how to select and upload an image.
Hosted by the International Center of Photography and The New School.
Register here
About the International Center of Photography
The International Center of Photography (ICP) is the world’s leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture.
Cornell Capa founded ICP in 1974 to preserve the legacy of “concerned photography”—the creation of socially and politically minded images that have the potential to educate and change the world—and the center’s mission endures today, even as the photographic medium and imagemaking practices have evolved. Through its exhibitions, school, public programs, and community outreach, ICP offers an open forum for dialogue about the role that photographs, videos, and new media play in our society. To date, it has presented more than 700 exhibitions and offered thousands of classes at every level.
ICP brings together photographers, artists, students, and scholars to create and interpret the realm of the image. Here, members of this unique community are encouraged to explore photography and visual culture as mediums of empowerment and as catalysts for wide-reaching social change.
About the Center for Visual Culture
Established in 2016, the Center for Visual Culture will strengthen public humanities programming and content development at ICP. The Center will bring together diverse communities—museumgoers, students, alumni, faculty, and members—and lead cross-disciplinary discourse and public engagement about the ever-transforming photographic practice and the impact of visual culture in today’s society.
ICP’s Center for Visual Culture and accompanying programs have been made possible through the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support for public programs has been provided by The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
