October 21, 2022–March 31, 2023
EADJ, Engine for Art, Democracy & Justice in Nashville, Tennessee, founded by Dr. María Magdalena Campos Pons is pleased to announce five artist interventions to take place this fall as part of “Artistic Activism and the Power of Collective Resistance” curated by independent curator, Selene Wendt. EADJ is a trans-institutional partnership between Vanderbilt University Department of Art, The Frist Art Museum, Fisk University and Millions of Conversations focused on building spaces of empowerment at the intersection of art, democracy, and justice. Dr. Campos Pons is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair Professor of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University and launched EADJ as part of her appointment to build visuality and cross disciplinary partnerships between Vanderbilt University and cultural institutions and communities across Nashville.
The EADJ 2022/2023 program, “Artistic Activism and the Power of Collective Resistance” places emphasis on contemporary artists and thinkers who are at the forefront of decolonial thinking. The program includes 16 panel discussion featuring more than 70 participants from around the world, with particular emphasis on the Global South and the Southern United States. The program also includes numerous artworks including installations, performances, film screenings, sonic works, poetry readings, creative workshops and collaborative projects to take place in cultural venues, historical sites, and public spaces throughout Nashville.
“We are at a time in history when socially engaged practices are more important than ever. In direct response to the countless social, economic, and racial injustices experienced by individuals throughout the world, an increasing number of contemporary artists are extending beyond their studio practices and leading the way in terms of raising sociopolitical awareness and implementing societal change through art.” Selene Wendt, 2022.
Artistic Activism and the Power of Collective Resistance, EADJ Program, curated by Selene Wendt.
EADJ fall 2022 artist interventions:
Nyugen E. Smith, Bundle House (Te’nashcity)
Large-scale sculpture and live performance. This migrating found object sculpture, created in Nashville, draws upon Nashville’s history related to The Great Migration, and its vulnerability to climate disaster as the flood of 2010 demonstrated. October 26, 2022 4pm CST Outside Little Theatre on the quad, Fisk University Carl Van Vechten Galleries / 5pm CST Reception & exhibition tour of, African Modernism in America, 1947-1967.
The Carl Van Vechten Galleries, Fisk University, Jackson St & Dr DB Todd Jr Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208.
Christopher Cozier, Version #7 Home/Portal
Artistic action. This work addresses the idea of a place or condition that is in between—the location you leave and to which you never fully return. Activated in collaboration with the Nashville-based photographer LeXander Bryant. Ongoing starting October 20, 2022.
Ebony G. Patterson, She Is…
Monumental digital photographs. Originally commissioned by Monument Labs for the Staying Power project in Philadelphia, these large-scale works, installed in public spaces, honor the under-acknowledged labor of women. Ongoing starting November 2022 in multiple sites across Nashville. For updates on physi, visit here.
Jeannette Ehlers, We’re Magic. We’re Real (These Walls), 2021
Live performance & braiding circle. Presented in the United States for the first time, this ongoing series of work makes use of hair as an important marker of identity across communities of African descent, as a simple but powerful gesture. November 16, 2022 4pm CST, Cravath Hall first floor foyer, Fisk University. Cravath Hall, 1000 DB Todd Blvd. Nashville, Tennessee.
Cristal Chanelle Truscott, Plantation Remix: Community Collaboratives
A series of ensemble workshops throughout fall 2022. Visit here for more about the project. Check the EADJ website for updated performance dates in March 2023. To view the past and ongoing virtual panel discussions currently being offered, please visit here.
2023 spring EADJ virtual panel discussions:
Episode eight: Mending the Social Fabric of Our Time (registration link)
Virtual panel discussion. Wednesday, January 25, 2023, 10–12pm CST in Nashville.
Episode nine: The Power of a Collective Chorus (registration link)
Virtual panel discussion. Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 10–12pm CST in Nashville.
Episode ten: Bodies in Motion as a Call to Freedom (in-person live event/livestream)
Livestream panel discussion, for registration, please check the EADJ website. Wednesday, March 1, 2023, 10–12pm CST in Nashville.
Episode eleven: Through the Lens of Social Justice (registration link)
Virtual panel discussion. Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 10–12pm CST in Nashville.
For updates to our program, please visit here or email Nisi (Anais) Daly, EADJ Program Manager at anais.j.daly [at] vanderbilt.edu.
