2017 Call for Proposals—Justice

Proposals are due at 11:59pm on October 31, 2016. 

Curatorial Statement:
Justice is the theme of the 2017 Open Engagement Conference. The weight of historical injustice interrupts daily life nationally and internationally. There is no better time than now, and no better city than Chicago, for examining pathways to create justice and exploring the manifold artistic strategies that demand and enact fairness, and equality. Chicago is a city that is under the spotlight and in the news for horrific gun violence, devastating public school closures, and police brutality that is carried out with impunity. These are conditions, of course, that have been a part of black and working class peoples’ lives in our city and across this nation for a long time, but only most recently with the rapt attention of the media.

Open Engagement 2017 — JUSTICE will take place April 21–23, 2017 at the Chicago Cultural Center and a constellation of sites across the city. This year’s conference, guided by the curatorial vision of Romi Crawford and Lisa Lee, will explore the centralized theme of Justice, and will feature presenters including Theaster Gates, Maria Gaspar, Maria Varela, and Laurie Jo Reynolds.

Link to application instructions and application HERE.