Currently Speaking: The Performance of Possibility: Art, Politics, and Community

Building on a concept that originated from Myron Beasley's ethnographic research in sites affected by national tragedies or political upheaval, this talk explores how art informs and helps communities visualize both a promise and a longing for what may or will occur.

Myron Beasley, Ph.D., serves as an Associate Professor of American Studies and is a member of the committee for Gender and Sexuality Studies at Bates College. His ethnographic research examines the intersection of cultural politics, material culture, and social change. Dr. Beasley has received fellowships and grants from distinguished organizations such as the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Whiting Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and has been awarded the Ruth Landes Award from the Reed Foundation. He is the author of the publication "Performance, Art and Politics in the African Diaspora: Necropolitics and the Black Body," published by Routledge Press. Most recently, he was honored with the Constance H. Carlson Public Humanities Prize.

His ethnographic writings on Africana Cultural Politics, Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and cultural engagement have been published in numerous esteemed academic journals, including Text and Performance Quarterly, Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, The Journal of Poverty, Museum & Social Issues, The Journal of Curatorial Studies, Food and Foodways, and Performance Research. His film-installation "rirtual/feast," which is based on his ethnography of Brazil, has been showcased at the UMMI and Paris film festivals. Furthermore, his recent curatorial endeavors include ACCRA!  Re.Past.Malage,  PRINT PROTEST POWER, Ghetto Biennale in Haiti, CAAR Paris 7 in France, and Dak’art in Senegal.

All Currently Speaking events are free and open to the public.