Schedule
Thursday, October 13
7:00PM – 10:00PM //
Kick-off Party, co-hosted by Transformer
Blind Whino
700 Delaware Ave SW
Special Performance by Martha Wilson (as Donald Trump)
Live musical performance by the Gogo Allstars, Featuring Michelle Blackwell
DJ Sets by DJ Baby Alcatraz & DJ Name Names
Creative icebreakers by artists Carolina Mayorga & Paul Shortt
Food Trucks
Day One: Friday, October 14
Presentations and performances at the Lincoln Theatre
10:00 AM //
INTRODUCTIONS
Katie Hollander
Arthur Espinoza, Jr.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
Nato Thompson
10:35 AM //
SECTION 1: OCCUPY POWER
What would it mean for a grassroots social justice movement to actually take power? What would be required to turn resistance into revolution? Presenters in this section are reevaluating current political structures to produce radical alternatives and redistributions of power.
Keynote: Haneen Zoabi
Jonas Staal
Peter Svarzbein
Liberate Tate
Keyti and Xuman (Journal Rappé)
11:55 AM //
REPORT FROM: SYRIA
SouriaLi Radio (Video)
12:05 PM //
IN CONVERSATION: DEAR AMERICA
Waris Ahluwalia and Nato Thompson
12:30 PM //
VIDEO: CAN I JUMP?
Khaled Jarrar (CULTURUNNERS)
12:40 PM //
KEYNOTE
Hans Ulrich Obrist with Eileen Myles: The Case for Nonsense
A century ago, at Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, Switzerland, a subversive anti-art movement was founded in response to the devastation of what would be World War I. Dadaism used the absurd and the irrational to critique the unreasonable politics of the time. Upon the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Dada, this series embraces the irrational as a productive political space.
1:10 PM //
ARTIST LUNCH
The Great Tortilla Conspiracy
Get your daily serving of edible art with “the world’s most dangerous tortilla art collective,” who will be screen printing political messages for you to fill with your favorite ingredients.
2:30 PM //
PERFORMANCE
Step Afrika!
2:40 PM //
SECTION 2: DO IT YOURSELF
As this Summit finds itself in the birthplace of DC hardcore — a punk movement of the early 1980s with a DIY ethos — this section offers an opportunity to highlight cultural practices that produce their own economic reality.
Keynote: Ian MacKaye
Marina Moscoso Arabía, Sofia Unanue & Cynthia Burgos López (CASA TAFT 169 & La Maraña)
Eva Barois De Caevel
Jun Yang
JKE (Crew Peligrosos)
4:00 PM //
REPORT FROM: WASHINGTON, DC
E. Ethelbert Miller
4:10 PM //
BREAK
4:25 PM //
VIDEO: O ABUSO DA HISTÓRIA
Héctor Zamora
4:30 PM //
THE CASE FOR NONSENSE
Elissa Blount-Moorhead & Arthur Jafa (TNEG™)
4:40 PM //
SECTION 3: UNDER SIEGE
In the last few years several international social movements have fought to bring inequities and systematic violence into the foreground of public discourse. Now, protest battle cries such as “I can’t breathe,” “Non, Merci,” and “Water is Life” have become part of our vernacular. This section invites artists and activists to discuss their work pertaining to communities facing immediate threat.
Keynote: Alicia Garza
Sheila Pree Bright
Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige
Shuddhabrata Sengupta (Raqs Media Collective)
Mary Kathryn Nagle
6:00 PM //
CLOSING REMARKS
6:30 – 8:30 PM //
HAPPY HOUR
@ Busboys and Poets
2021 14th St, NW
Featuring Executive Order Karaoke with Finishing School
Day Two: Saturday, October 15
Presentations and performances at the Lincoln Theatre
10:00 AM //
INTRODUCTION
10:10 AM //
SECTION 4: QUEER AND NOW
As queerness continues to challenge normative binaries and contemporary assumptions about gender and sexuality, so queerness itself is subject to ongoing interrogation. This section celebrates the leaders and artists whose work at the forefront of constructing queerness provides us with new ways of imagining ourselves.
Keynote: Vaginal Davis
Andrea Bowers
Ryan Hammond
Patricia Ariza
Sheldon Scott
11:30 AM //
REPORT FROM: UKRAINE
Anna Hutsol, FEMEN
11:40 AM //
THE CASE FOR NONSENSE
Janani Balasubramanian
11:50 AM //
VIDEO
Excerpt from Political Advertisement IX 1952–2016 by Muntadas and Reese
12:00 PM //
PERFORMANCE
Voices of a People’s History of the United States
Anthony Arnove, Director
Deva Mahal
Hari Kondabolu
Wallace Shawn
Laura Gómez
Staceyann Chin
12:30 PM //
LUNCH
Ethiopian Feast
Enjoy a sampling of local Ethiopian food and learn about the significance of this community – the largest outside of east Africa – in DC’s cultural fabric.
2:00 PM //
VIDEO
Adel Abidin, Love Song #3 (excerpt from the video installation Three Love Songs, 2010)
2:05 PM //
THE CASE FOR NONSENSE
Gelitin
2:15 PM //
SECTION 5: ENTER THE ANTHROPOCENE
The mid-20th century saw the beginning of a new epoch on Earth: the Anthropocene, characterized by the geographical and environmental changes made by humans. This section invites scientists, artists, and activists to speak for the true protagonist in the drama of human rights and survival: planet Earth.
Keynote: May Boeve/350.org
Newton Harrison
Terike Haapoja
Nut Brother
3:35 PM //
REPORT FROM: FLINT, MICHIGAN
Melissa Mays, Water You Fighting For
3:45 PM //
BREAK
4:00 PM //
VIDEO AND DEMONSTRATION: SHIT WARS
Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung
4:10 PM //
PERFORMANCE: DEBATES ON DIVISION
Gluklya and Anna Bitkina
4:30 PM //
SECTION 6: TROUBLED DEMOCRACY
Looming in the background of this year’s Summit is the specter and reality of the US election. This section explores the complexities of representation, democracy, and global responsibility. Given the international impact of our national decision, whose rights and interests are politicians really speaking for?
Keynote: Thomas Frank
Pedro Reyes
Hank Willis Thomas & Eric Gottesman (For Freedoms)
@KhalidAlbaih
Carrie Mae Weems
5:50 PM //
CLOSING REMARKS
6:30 PM //
EVENING EVENTS
Cocktails at The Corcoran
500 17th St NW, Washington, DC
Open Studios at Arlington Arts Center
3550 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA
Day Three: Sunday, October 16
Breakout Sessions at The Corcoran
Co-organized with Provisions Library
On day three of the Summit, attendees and presenters are invited into a more intimate space of exchange. These sessions cover an array of thematic content from mural making in Tehran and DC, to poetry with incarcerated youth, and skateboarding in Palestine, while allowing participants to learn, debate, and network in smaller groups. Sessions take the form of small group discussions, workshops, and field trips.
Please sign up for only one group per time slot.
10:00 AM //
PERFORMANCE
Sheldon For DC: Our Culture. Our Future.
Campaign Rally and Performance Organized by Washington Project for the Arts and Sheldon Scott
11:30 AM //
SESSION 1
Discussions
Making Murals in Washington and Tehran
Led by Mehdi Ghadyanloo, Nancee Lyons (Murals DC), Mazi Mutafa (Words, Beats & Life), and Cita Sadeli (CHELOVE)
Tubman Table: Locating the Power of Baltimore’s Cultural Producers
Led by Amy Sherald
On the Unionization of Art Schools
Led by Andrea Bowers
No One Works Best on an Empty Stomach: The Labor of Art
Led by Bruce McKaig
Territorial Recovery: An International Coalition
Led by Fiona Hillary
Led by Jonas Staal
Hip-hop and Shifting Roles for the African Artist
Led by Journal Rappé
National Museums, Local Artists: A Discourse
Led by Kayleigh Bryant-Greenwell, Adriel Luis, and Sheldon Scott
Exploring the Force Majeure, Manifesto for the 21st Century
Led by Newton Harrison
Fostering an Ecology of Practices: Intersections of Art and Science
Led by Nicola Triscott, JD Talasek, Adrian Cerezo, Mary Miss, and Changwoo Ahn
Aesthetics and Efficacy: An Evaluative Framework for ‘Arts for Change’
Led by Pam Korza (Americans for the Arts) and Jessica Solomon (Art in Praxis)
Art School / Field School: Democratizing Arts Education through Locational and Community Practices
Led by Sanjit Sethi (Corcoran School of Art & Design) and Richard Saxton (M12 STUDIO and University of Colorado, Boulder)
Case Study: Losing the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Led by Jayme McLellan, Joseph Orzal, Camila Rondon, and Johab Silva
Workshops
Led by Omolara Williams & Tanya Bernard
Occurred during Sessions 1 and 2
After the Debates: Utopian Clothing Reflection and Construction Workshop
Led by Gluklya + Anna Bitkina
Field Trips
Museums, Fossil Fuels, and Culture: A Walking Tour
Led by Mel Evans, Hayley Newman, and Kevin Smith of Liberate Tate
Led by Julian Hunt, Craig Cook, Philippa Hughes, and David Ross of Dupont Underground
Occurred during Sessions 1 and 3
Collective Movement Workshop on the Mall
Led by Robby Herbst
Occurred during Sessions 1 and 2
Finding a Line: Community-Based Skatepark and Art Project
Led by Ben Ashworth
Off-site near Union Market and Open 12-5
Pushing Boarders: Skateboarding and Self-Development
Led by Maen Hammad
Occurred off-site at Finding a Line (see more above)
CULTURUNNERS Mobile Excursion
CULTURUNNERS’ mobile conversation space will be serving as a shuttle between the Corcoran and Finding A Line (See Above), departing from the Corcoran at 11:15 AM, 12:45 PM, 1:45 PM, and 3:15 PM.
12:30 PM //
LUNCH
Lunch on Day 3 is not provided.
2:00 PM //
SESSIONS 2 and 3
2:00 to 3:00 PM and 3:30 to 4:30 PM
Discussions, workshops, and field trips in Session 2 repeated in Session 3 unless otherwise noted.
Discussions
What is the State of Gender Equality Within the Arts?
Hosted by Hamiltonian Artists and ArtTable DC
DC Nonfiction Filmmaking and Storytelling in the 51st State
Organized by Giovanna Chesler and Dawne Langford
Featuring Producers, Directors, and Editors including Brandon Kramer, Melissa Regan, N’Jeri Eaton, Jon Goff, Heather Courtney, Madeleine Hunt Ehrlich, Jason Osder, Melissa Bisagni, Maura Ugarte, Montre Aza Missouri, Angelica Das and Leena Jayaswal
Occurred only during Session 2
Engagement and Alliance-Building in the Undocumented Youth Movement
Led by Andy Fernandez
Led by Anna Hutsol
Occurred only during Session 3
Political Content: Black Art from the “Mecca”
Led by Carol Dyson
Rethinking Democratic Decision-Making
Led by Carmen Montoya
#DisplacementFreeZone: Equitable Economic Development
Led by Kymone Freeman
Who Constructs the Future? Creativity, Participation, and Democracy in Our Communities
Led by Matthew Slaats
Obscured Vision: Contexts, Publics, and Artists of Color
Led by Niama Safia Sandy
Cultural Strategy Development and the Role of Cultural Producers in Broad-based Movement Building
Led by members of Oak Hill
How Did We Make It Work? The 2000s in Future Retrospect
Led by Terike Hapooja
Occurred only during Session 2
Workshops
I Want a President…(a collective reading)
Led by Saisha Grayson and Natalie Campbell
Led by Gretchen Coombs
On the Same Page UNITED: Poetry readings with Free Minds Poet Ambassadors
Led by Tara Libert (Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop)
How to Fight an Internet Shutdown
Led by Matt Mitchell
How to Listen to Survivors Stories with FORCE and Gather Together
Led by Rebecca Nagle, Saida Agostini, Ama Chandra, Rachael London, Melani Douglass
Field Trips
Explore 23rd Century U Street with Future Cartographic Society
Led by Erik Moe
5:30 PM //
PERFORMANCE
I Want a President…(a collective reading – DC) organized by Natalie Campbell & Saisha Grayson