In recent years I have worked to organize and facilitate a wide range of events and gatherings at the intersections of contemporary art and activist practices. Sometimes it is a conference, other times a series of meetings, an exhibition, a networking dinner, public art project or a rigorous seminar. In any case, the work has some similarities – a mix of pragmatic and creative decisions are married with a specific context pressing questions and objectives. Then people come together for a unique exchange. In the end, we can hope it is worthwhile, some relationships were developed, some ideas refined and ideally it catalyzed new work/thought in directions that were previously lacking.
How We Learn, group discussion at Hyde Park Art Center (2007). Organized by AREA Chicago and Stockyard Institute
Curatorial, Editorial and Organizing Projects
2010
- Curator “Public/Private Parties” Video Program for Flat Space [Chisinau, Moldova]
- Organizer/Editor “State of the Arts” Communications Platform for UCIRA
2009
- Organizer/Editor “5 Questions About Socially Engaged Art in Chicago” Online publication by AREA Chicago with Creative Time
2008
- Producer/Facilitator “Energy Plans” public art project at the Nature Museum by Futurefarmers. Worked as liaison with venue and artists; developed partnerships with youth organizations for workshop; developed unique outreach strategy to mix of press, co-sponsoring organizations and relevant grassroots artist and activists.
- Organizer of “Town Hall Meetings” for Creative Time (with Nato Thompson). These group interviews were conducted with 100 socially or politically engaged cultural producers in five cities (Aprox. 20 people per city. Including: Baltimore @ 2640; Chicago @ Experimental Station; New York City @ Change You Want To See Gallery; LA @ Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions; and New Orleans @ Community Book Center). Website and Book forthcoming. Participants included: [Chicago] Sara Black, Brett Bloom, Salome Chasnoff, Aquil Charlton, Marianne Fairbanks, Nicole Garneau, Craig Harshaw,David Isaacson, Jennifer Karmin, Sonjanita Moore, Laurie Palmer, Amy Partridge, Mary Patten,Dan Peterman, Jon Pounds,Laurie Jo Reynolds, Elvia Rodriguez Ochoa, travis, Dan S. Wang, Rebecca Zorach [Los Angeles] Irina Contreras, Sara Daleiden, Armando Duron, Omar Foglio, Marc Allen Herbst, Robby Herbst, Hugo Hopping, Ashley Hunt, Suzanne Lacy, Sandra de la Loza, Ming Yuen S. Ma, Kelly Martin, Pamela Miller-Macias, Amitis Motevalli, Christina Ulke [Baltimore] Michael Benevento, Scott Berzofsky, Laurie Bezold, John Duda, Gin Ferrara, Ashley Hufnagel, Kevin James, Kate Khatib, Nick Petr, Hugh Pocock, C. Ryan-Patterson, David Sloan, Nicholas Wisniewski, Rebecca Yenawine [New Orleans] Willie Birch, Kyle Bravo and Jenny LeBlanc, Asali DeVan, Adella Gautier, M. Brady McKellar & Elsa Dimitriadis, Darryl Montana, Brandan Odums, Kathy Randals, Damon Rosenzweig, Mathew Schwarzman, Natalie Sciortino-Rinehart, Nick Slie,Rebecca Snedeker, Elizabeth Underwood, Vera Williams [New York City] Ayreen Anastas, Maria Juliana Byck, Kevin Caplicki, Stephen Duncombe, Beka Economopoulos, Steven Englander, Jason Jones, Malav Kanuga, Carin Kuoni, Josh MacPhee, Ann Messner, Jeff Stark, Christina Ray, Prerana Reddy, Greg Sholette.
- Collecting and presenting “We Are Here” Maps Archive for the “Experimental Geography” Exhibit Organized by Independent Curators International (Curated by Nato Thompson)
- Organizing “1968/2008 The Inheritance of Politics and the Politics of Inheritance” programs and publication with AREA Chicago at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum
- Selection Committee Member “ThreeWalls SOLO” local gallery for local artists
2007
- Conference panel and “Track Organizer” for NAMAC’s Annual Conference [Austin, TX] with presentations by Sharon Strover (UT), Joshua Levy (Personal Democracy), Carol Pierson (NFCB), Tracy Van Slyke (Media Consortium) Jennifer Flores Sternad (UCLA), Fred Lonidier (UCSD), Alex Halkin (Chiapas Media Project), Kathleen Tyner (UT), Deborah Leveranz (SWAMP), Rhea Mokund (ListenUp), Cynthia Carrion (MNN Youth Channel), Kyle Harris (Free Speech TV), Anne Elizabeth Moore (Punk Planet), Franklin López (Submedia.tv), Sandra de la Loza (Pocho Research Society), Martha Norkunas (UT), Nicolas Lampert (Justseeds), Ryan Griffis (UIUC), Damon Rich (Center for Urban Pedagogy), Julie Ardery (Daily Yonder), Lisa McWilliams (Mobile Film School).
- Co-Curator of Exhibition and “How We Learn” Event Series Coordinator for Pedagogical Factory at Hyde Park Art Center (with the Stockyard Institute). Including presentations by Andrew Gryf Paterson, Josh MacPhee, Feel Tank Chicago, Waite White, Chicagoland Bike Mechanic Orgs, Chicago Underground Library, Mess Hall, Platypus, Free Geek, Chicagoland/Calumet Underground Railroad Efforts, Bronzeville Historical Society, Chicago Women’s Health Center, The Odyssey Project, Stephen Haymes, Meredith Haggerty, Lavie Raven, Dave Pabellon, Scott Berzofsky, Dane Nester, Nicholas Wisniewski, Jesse Seay, Lou Mallozzi, Christina Kubisch Daniel, Kunle/Holger Lauinger, John Dewey, Charlie Vinz, Material Exchange, Nance Klehm, Vocalo.org Producers, Anne Elizabeth Moore, Counter Cartography Collective, and Kristen Cox of Fire This Time Fund. (see photos and listen to opening event on Chicago Public Radio).
2006
- Infrastructure Series sponsored by AREA Chicago featuring Claire Pentecost, James Tracy, Nato Thompson, and Xabier Barandiaran
2005
- “Unhoused” Video Program at Mess Hall (with InTheField) [Chicago, IL]
2004
- Co-Curator of “Border/Hacking/Mapping/Culture” School of The Art Institute of Chicago, Visiting Artist Program Series [Chicago, IL] with presentations by Brian Holmes, Coco Fusco, Eric Triantifillou, Emily Forman, Ellen Rothenberg, Deborah Stratman, Mess Hall, Mark Bradford, Elena Jovanova, Paige Sarlin, Center for Land Use Interpretation and more.
- Co-Curator of “Mapping pt.2″ MessHall [Chicago, IL] with No RNC Guide, Fallen Fruit, Salem Collo-Julin, Free Walking, Nikolaus Gansterer, Justin Goh, Ryan Hollon, Temporary Travel Office, Lize Mogul, Laurie Palmer/Wendy Jacob, Subrosa, Richard Van Orman, and video program curated by Dara Greenwald.
- Co-Organizer “Version>04 invisibleNetworks” [Chicago, IL] with over 100 artists and activists presenting lectures, screenings, workshops and public performances. (Details here)
- Organizer of “Nfo-Xpo Networking Fair” Chicago Cultural Center [Chicago, IL]. Part of the VersionFest activities, this event brought together 40 ar, activist and community organizations in a F2F/Face2Face networking environment based on the design of a high school science fair. Participants included including The Stockyard Institute, The Cooperative Image Group, FeelTank Chicago, Genewise, The Temporary Travel Office, Children’s Studio Presents, EnosWilliams with Films and Cities, Trans Media Festival, The Network of Casual Art Audio Visual Department, Carbon Defense League, Piedmont biofuels, Cabalster, Chronozone 2, Animal Factory, Lumpen, Angels of Def, No RNC, Free Walking, Paris’ Not Grata Class, New York’s Microrevolt, and L.A.’s Journal of Aesthetics and Protest. (See photos here)
- “Discount Cinema” (Ongoing Experimental Video Series) 2002-2004 [Chicago, IL]
2002
- Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) Protest/After Party/City-Wide Creative Actions [Chicago, IL]
- “Fooday” exhibit and potluck A-zone 1-26-02 (with “B.Y.O.”) [Chicago, IL]
2001
- “Globalization Teach-In, Building a World Bank Bonds Boycott ” Co-organizer, School of The Art Institute of Chicago [Chicago, IL]
