Brooklyn Conference: Inspiring Social Change

Event features talks by important thought leaders, engaging workshops, cutting-edge exhibitions, and powerful performances

Speakers include Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, musician/singer Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, journalist Charles Blow, poet and essayist Claudia Rankine, artist Hank Willis Thomas, political activist Linda Sarsour, and more

Tickets on sale now.

The Brooklyn Museum today announced The Brooklyn Conference: Inspiring Social Change. The Brooklyn Conference brings together artists, leaders, and innovators for dynamic and thought-provoking programming. Taking place Friday and Saturday, October 20 and 21, with a kickoff event on Thursday, October 19, at the Brooklyn Museum, the gathering will explore the intersections of art and social justice.

Advance tickets for The Brooklyn Conference will provide access to conversations, workshops, and keynotes from luminaries including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; Director of Political Engagement at New York Immigration Coalition, Murad Awawdeh; musician/singer Black Thought; journalist Charles Blow; artist Tania Bruguera; media entrepreneur and Girlgaze founder Amanda de Cadenet; President Barack Obama’s special assistant for Native American affairs Jodi Archambault Gillette; artist Jeffrey Gibson; artist Ebony Noelle Golden; writer and political commentator Sally Kohn; Women’s March on Washington co-founders Bob Bland and Linda Sarsour; poet and essayist Claudia Rankine; artist Laurie Jo Reynolds; Open Society Foundation’s Patrick Gaspard, Alvin Starks, and Rashida Bumbray; artist Hank Willis Thomas; #BlackLivesMatter founders Opal Tometi and Alicia Garza; and Director of Arts in A Changing America Roberta Uno, among many others. The full list of speakers and events, along with ticket pricing and purchase information, can be found at www.eventbrite.com.

The Brooklyn Conference will also offer workshops including: THE RESISTANCE REVIVAL: A Restoration of Force presented by organizers from the Women’s March on Washington; Protest Poster Making hosted by Amplifier, during which attendees will create their own silkscreened posters; Mirror/Echo/Tilt, a performance workshop developed by Shaun Leonardo, Sable Elyse Smith and Melanie Crean; a hands-on program led by The Laundromat Project, and several other programs and activities throughout the building.

“We are excited to see what happens when cultural figures are in conversation with political and social change advocates through our first ever Brooklyn Conference,” says Anne Pasternak, Shelby White and Leon Levy Director of the Brooklyn Museum.

The Brooklyn Conference is part of the culminating weekend of A Year of Yes: Reimagining Feminism at the Brooklyn Museum. Other programs marking the occasion include the Yes! Gala and the opening of Roots of “The Dinner Party”: History in the Making, both on Thursday, October 19. The robust agenda for The Brooklyn Conference features a full day of programming in the Cantor Auditorium on Friday, October 20, along with workshops, film screenings, and a concluding presentation on Saturday, October 21.

Generous support for The Brooklyn Conference has been provided by Open Societies Foundation and JP Morgan Chase.  

About the Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum presents important art in eye-opening ways and has long been at the forefront of engagement with underserved and younger audiences, from its widely popular Target First Saturdays program and creative reinstallations of its permanent collection, to its pioneering online presence and inventive use of technology in reimagining the visitor experience.

With roots dating back to 1823, the Brooklyn Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums in the United States, with a collection representing nearly every culture, ranging from some of the most important ancient Egyptian works in the nation; to the arts of the Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa, and the Islamic world; to American and European art; to international contemporary works. The Brooklyn Museum is home to the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, the only facility of its kind in the country.

Fall exhibitions include Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt; Proof: Francisco Goya, Sergei Eisenstein, Robert Longo; and Roots of “The Dinner Party”: History in the Making. The Museum reaches audiences across the country and internationally with a full schedule of traveling exhibitions, including current tours of Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern; Who Shot Sports: A Photographic History, 1843 to the Present; Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic; Divine Felines; and Iggy Pop Life Class by Jeremy Deller. 

For more information, visit www.brooklynmuseum.org.

Press contact:
Brooklyn Museum, press [​at​] brooklynmuseum.org / T 718 501 6354
Meryl Cooper, meryl [​at​] thecooperationinc.com / T 917 974 0022