We are living in a Kairos moment. A time of great crisis. The crumbling of all our institutions. The breaking down of society. The mentality that crushes a brother’s neck — as in the case of George Floyd in Minneapolis — or shoots a man jogging because of his skin color — as in the case of Ahmaud Arbery — is the same mentality that sends black and brown and poor and low-income workers of all colors into the lethal path of the COVID-19 pandemic without needed protections, health care and economic resources. The current crises reveal that a moral fusion movement is necessary to transform the nation. We have no option but to organize, we have no option but to mobilize, and art and culture are at the center of this moral response. This session will explore the relationship of arts and movement building in the work of the Kairos Center, one of the convening organizations of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. We will examine the role artists and cultural organizers can play in bringing about a revolution of values and a radical redistribution of political and economic power when politically grounded in the everyday lived experiences of those most impacted by deep injustices of our society. Echoing the words of W.E.B. DuBois, that “All art is propaganda and ever must be,” this session speaks to deep collectivity and analysis that is needed to produce effective movement art.

Moderated and organized by Daniel Blake.

The Arts Platform Fall 2022 theme is Staging a Revolution: Black Arts Now which explores the relationship between artistic expression, social justice, and politics during the contemporary Black arts movement that has exploded over the last decade. As such, we welcome presentations by artists, activists, curators, scholars, and other practitioners who are working toward and reimagining racial justice within the arts industries. While the course was born out of this boom in Black theater and arts, it is also interested in coalition-building across different identities and communities.

Hosted by Lang staff and faculty from the Department of The Arts at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School. All events are free and open to the public, but prior registration is required.

Zoom link will be sent in advance of the event.