The Art of State Street: Politics, Policing, and Protest

In the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police, artists and activists took to the streets to protest for racial justice. They created art as part of the protest, lining boarded-up store fronts with visual memorials and calls to action. This event brings together in conversation two of these artists with UW-Madison faculty from the Art Department and the Chazen Museum. What role does art play in the contested public spaces of our communities? How does art shape social consciousness? How might we view the aesthetics of protest?

Please join us to hear from artists Shiloah Symone Coley (2022 MFA candidate, American University) and Taj Matumbi (2021 MFA candidate, UW-Madison). The conversation will be moderated by Amy Gilman, Director of the Chazen Museum of Art, and Faisal Abdu’Allah, Professor of Art and Faculty Director of The Studio at UW-Madison. There will also be a Q&A with the artists and moderators. 

This event is co-sponsored by the UW-Madison Division of the Arts. Please register in advance for this conversation.