Art as Community Platform: Transforming Practices of Engagement

In conjunction with the exhibition “A Place We Share”, Mia will host a round table discussion with prominent arts and community leaders to explore the powerful role art can play in community building. Aimed at fostering cohesion between those living in the Phillips and Whittier neighborhoods and arts institutions such as Mia, the event will highlight several successful local models that inspire public engagement with the arts. Participants include: Aliza Nisenbaum (artist), DeAnna Cummings (CEO, Juxtaposition Arts), Chaka Mkali (artist / Director of Organizing and Community Building, Hope Community), Rory Wakemup (artist, Wakemup Productions / Gallery Director, All My Relations Arts), and Gabriel Ritter (Curator of Contemporary Art, Mia).

Key topics and questions for discussion will include: How can a museum or public art space function as a community platform? How can art be used as a tool for community building and collaboration? How might cross-sector partnerships, using art as a vehicle for collaboration, reduce barriers and build greater social cohesion in our communities?

Please join us 5 – 6:30 p.m. for a reception preceding the round table.

Continued Programming

In the coming months informed by the roundtable, Mia will co-host a series of activations in Cargill Gallery with people and organizations based in the Phillips and Whittier neighborhoods. The gallery space will serve as a venue for dialogue and community exchange for the duration of the exhibition, providing a flexible space for programming driven by community members. To inquire about co-hosting a community program in the gallery, please email communityarts@artsmia.org.

Generous support for this artist residency is provided by the Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad Charitable Foundation.

Generous support for “Art as Community Platform” provided by: