The Enabling Difficult Conversations series is an ongoing initiative hosted by the Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, designed to create open, inclusive spaces for dialogue on complex global and social issues. Rooted in public scholarship, pedagogy, and civil discourse, the series invites students, faculty, and the broader Charlottesville community to engage meaningfully with diverse perspectives.
Each event brings together academic voices, public intellectuals, artists, and thought leaders to foster shared understanding on topics that are often avoided or contested. The format often includes panel discussions, film screenings, artist talks, and receptions to facilitate conversation across academic and cultural boundaries.
As part of a major fall exhibition curated by Federico Cuatlacuatl and Erika Hirugami, Global Spanish and the Art Department will welcome international artists for a public dialogue focused on:
- Artistic sovereignty and resistance
- Migration and cultural inheritance
- The role of art in confronting nationalism and state borders
The conversation aligns with the Enabling Difficult Conversations mission by engaging themes often marginalized in institutional discourse.
Exploring how Indigenous and transnational artists engage histories of displacement, cultural resistance, and identity through visual and narrative expression. This year's programming uses art and film as entry points to open dialogue on colonial legacy, ancestral knowledge, and the politics of belonging.
Panelists: Paulina Ochoa, Karen Milbourne, Sam Amago, Porfirio Gutierrez
Supported by the University of Virginia's College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the Peter B. and Adeline W. Ruffin Foundation, and the University of Virginia's Institute of the Humanities and Global Cultures (IHGC).
