Toward an Anti-Racist Art Ecosystem

This spring, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) hosted the third of a three-part series of discussions about making the art and design world more inclusive and equitable. Aiming to raise necessary questions and propose actions, the series brought together thought leaders from throughout the art industry to examine the challenges, strategies, and opportunities in creating an anti-racist art world. The final discussion, Toward an Anti-Racist Art Ecosystem in the World, featured a panel of international experts: Zoe Butt, curator, writer, and founder of in-tangible institute, Chiang Mai, Thailand; Victoria Noorthoorn, director of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Smooth Nzewi, curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art; Vipash Purichanont, curator and lecturer at Silpakorn University in Bangkok, Thailand; and Gio Swaby, interdisciplinary visual artist represented by Claire Oliver Gallery.

“The entire Toward and Anti-Racist Art Ecosystem conference series has been an opportunity to push against racialized marginalization by providing a platform for sharing experiences, critiques, and strategies that decenter whiteness,” said SAIC’s Dean of Graduate Studies Delinda Collier, one of the organizers of the conference series. “With this final discussion, we expand our frame to consider productive change globally, widen our localized and nationalized imaginations and, hopefully, expand our toolkit for fostering social justice.”

The discussion was moderated by SAIC’s Magdalena Moskalewicz, full-time visiting professor who teaches in the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism and Department of Arts Administration and Policy. She led the panelists in a discussion on the usefulness of the term “anti-racist” in international contexts, how their practices address racist marginalization, and strategies to circumvent replicating those structures. Prior events in the series took place during the previous two academic years. A recording of this discussion can be found on our website along with recordings of the previous two panels.

This series of community dialogues is among the direct outgrowths of work by SAIC’s Anti-Racism Committee, formed in the summer of 2020 to support and extend the work of the School’s existing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and catalyze DEI and anti-racist work throughout all areas of SAIC.

The Toward an Anti-Racist Art Ecosystem conference series was generously supported by Hindman Auctions. It was free and open to the public. To be notified of future public events, sign up for SAIC’s email list.