Nontraditional conference will explore activist media in the Americas


LAWRENCE — Supported by an Interdisciplinary Starter Grant from The Commons, the University of Kansas will host “Trans/forming Activist Media in the Americas” next week.

The symposium, which will take place Monday, Oct. 24, through Saturday, Oct. 29, will bring together activist communities, artists and scholars from Mexico, Canada and across the United States to investigate how the arts, new media technologies, activist discourse and knowledge production intersect. Unlike many other conferences, the events associated with it include performances, film and media exhibitions, roundtable events and a keynote lecture.

“These events are a chance for the KU and Lawrence community to dialogue with artists and activists from across North America who are directly engaged in the production of media by, for and about social and political struggles against the many forms of violence that diverse communities are resisting in the 21st century,” Rabasa said. “Rather than convene academics to talk about art and activism, this conference provides a space for artists and activists themselves to present their work and demonstrate how they theorize and conceptualize their own practices.”

The grant was awarded to Joo Ok Kim, KU assistant professor of American studies; Joshua Miner, KU assistant professor of film & media studies; Christopher Perreira, KU assistant professor of American studies, and Magalí Rabasa, Lewis & Clark College. The researchers also received a grant from the Center for Migration Research.

Events associated with the conference will take place in The Commons, Spooner Hall. All are free and open to the public. No registration is required.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24 | The Commons
Exhibition viewing

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 | The Commons
Exhibition viewing

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 | The Commons
Exhibition viewing

5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 | The Commons
Film screening and discussion: “Indigenous Environmental Sovereignty and Corporate Energy Development”
Stephanie Fitzgerald, Shereena Baker, Daniel Wildcat

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 | The Commons
Exhibition viewing

5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 | The Commons
Film screening, reading, discussion: “Activist Responses to Violence Against Indigenous Women”
Tanaya Winder and Sierra Two Bulls; Melissa Holder, professor, Haskell Indian Nations University

4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 | The Commons
Roundtable: “Re/Generation of Activist Media Communities in the Americas”
Tanaya Winder, Robert Warrior, Timothy Robbins, Dave Roediger and Betsy Esch

5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 | The Commons
Documentary screening and spoken word set: “Nana dijo: Irresolute Rediography of Black Consciousness”
Bocafloja

10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 | The Commons
Interactive performance and discussion
Gregg Deal

11:15 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 | The Commons
Interactive performance and discussion: “[b]REACH: The Fugitive Chronicles” [open rehearsal #2]
Kai Barrow

2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 | The Commons
Roundtable: “Transmedial Strategies in Current Activism”
Gregg Deal, Bocafloja, Kai Barrow, Victoria Perdomo, and Susy Chávez

3:45 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 | The Commons
Keynote: “Youth Artists and the Radical Imagination of the Oaxacan Social Movement of 2006”
Maurice Rafael Magaña

5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 | Bird Dog Bar, Oread Hotel
Closing reception
Free food; cash bar.

Fri, 10/21/2016

author

Emily Ryan

Media Contacts

Emily Ryan

The Commons

785-864-6293