Cultural Practices, the Arts, and Democracy: A Panel of Cultural Workers and Artists for Democracy
September 19 @ 7:30 pm – 8:15 pm EDT
Thursday, September 19, 2024, 4-5:15 PT / 7-8:15 ET
The vibrant panel conversation focuses on the current crisis of democracy in the US and abroad and possibilities for grassroots artist-led creative efforts that contribute to more sustainable, equitable, democratic societies. A redux of the 1930s rise of authoritarian governments, extremely consequential elections in Europe and the U.S., and a rise of populism, anti-immigrant, and anti-government sentiment across the West need to be recognized and addressed by all professional sectors.
The discussion will explore how building on various forms of democracy in everyday life, or building a culture of democracy, contributes to stemming the tide of autocracy and advances more equitable communities. Artists, arts organizations, and their practices included in the book promote the negotiation of difficult topics and divisions through creative strategies to forge participatory, democratic pathways for communication and action. How can a culture of democracy teach us how to do what other methods of communicative rationality cannot?
Several of the panelists are editors or contributors to the recently released Democracy as Creative Practice: Weaving a Culture of Civic Life, which describes multiple ways arts and cultural practices do and must make such contributions. The panel moderator-discussant, Bob Lake, Rutgers University, professor emeritus of geography and urban planning and a democracy scholar, will pose generative questions about the significance and horizons of this work and engage panelists and audience alike.
This program is offered with support from Antioch Works for Democracy
