Activist art is meant to deepen understanding, question the status quo, and inspire action. Themes of social justice, racism, human rights, inequity, and the degradation of our environment (among others) can be communicated through the visual arts in unique and powerful ways where other media may not be as effective. However, the audiences reached in typical art venues are, for the most part, proponents of this messaging and are not provoked by these themes. Although galleries and museums serve an important role in activist art, there are vastly wider audiences that could and should be exposed to these ideas, especially in our region.

This event will bring together artists, curators, educators, the media, commercial gallerists, art and culture institutions, not-for-profit organizations and activists/community organizers in the Hudson Valley for a region-wide roundtable to discuss how do we move activist art out of galleries and into public space, and conversely how do we bring new audiences into the galleries?

Panelists for this event include:

Matt Dilling

Matt Dilling is the cofounder of Lite Brite Neon Studio—a collective of craftspeople that specializes in the production of neon art, display, luminous visual props and architectural lighting through a collaborative approach, based in Kingston. Lite Brite seeks to transform and transmit the power of light art and display as a viable medium to convey the mystical truths that surround us in everyday life.

Described as “the darling of artists and designers,”Lite Brite treats each project and every client as a unique experience that grows their understanding of the craft and contributes to the renaissance of design/build studios. In-house capabilities currently include neon and cold cathode fabrication, vinyl plotting, CNC cutting of wood, metal and plastics, and fabrication for large-scale, international display rollouts.

Jack Shainman

Jack Shainman opened his first gallery in 1984 in Washington, D.C., and is now a leading force in the international gallery and art world. On top of his two New York locations, he runs one of the most important galleries in the Hudson Valley, The School in Kinderhook, which has been a major influence in the region’s flourishing creative culture. His entire career has been dedicated to promoting and developing young and mid-career artists who have gone on to gain worldwide acclaim. Today, the Jack Shainman Gallery is celebrated for its multicultural roster of emerging and established artists who engage in the social, cultural, and political issues of their time.

Melissa auf der Maur

Bassist Melissa auf der Maur was part of seminal rock bands Hole and Smashing Pumpkins. In 2010, Auf der Maur, with filmmaker Tony Stone, founded Basilica Hudson, a non-profit multidisciplinary arts center in Hudson, supporting the creation, production, and presentation of independent and innovative arts and culture while fostering sustainable community. Basilica Hudson makes its home in a spectacular reclaimed, solar-powered 1880s industrial factory on the city’s waterfront.

Ama Josephine B. Johnstone

Ama Josephine B. Johnstone is a speculative writer, artist, curator, and pleasure activist whose work navigates intimate explorations of race, art, ecology, and feminism, working to activate movements that catalyze human rights, environmental evolutions, and queer identities. Johnstone was recently named Keith Haring Fellow in Art and Activism at Bard College. Johnstone describes her research as taking “a queer, decolonial approach to challenging climate colonialism in Sub-Saharan Africa with a particular focus on inherently environmentalist pleasure practices in Ghana and across the Black universe.”

Jean-Marc Superville Sovak

Jean-Marc Superville Sovak is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is deeply rooted in the community around him. His current project, “a-Historical Landscapes” involves altering 19th century landscape engravings to include images borrowed from contemporaneous Anti-Slavery publications. His public works include building a “Tiny House of Steel”, staging a portrait-drawing-studio-as-oral-history project, producing videos of his doppelgangers, and giving guided tours of NYC housing projects. A graduate of Bard College (MFA Film/Video), Jean-Marc’s art has been exhibited at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, Manifesta 8 European Biennial, and ISCP in New York.

Register now for Zoom event information!