2011 Art and Design for Social Justice Symposium: Follow Up
An international gathering of artists, designers, teachers and social justice advocates converged at Florida State University on January 17, 2011 for the 5th Annual Art and Design for Social Justice Symposium. Each year, the symposium examines the roles that art and design play in the telling of a broader social narrative. The 2011 symposium focused on “how art, design and arts education can be utilized to address social justice issues that confront individuals and their communities locally, regionally, nationally and internationally,” said Florida State interior design Professor Lisa Waxman, one of the event organizers. The symposium’s aim is to “generate synergy, create new scholarly initiatives, and inspire collaborative projects among participants.”
Underwritten by the Florida State University College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance and co-sponsored by the college’s art education and interior design departments, the 2011 symposium featured keynote speaker Tim Duggan, director of Brad Pitt’s “Make it Right Foundation” in New Orleans. The lunchtime speaker was activist and FSU alumnus Jim Towey (B.S. ’78, Accounting; J.D. ’81, Law), founder of “Aging with Dignity” and former director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The symposium also included poster presentations and a performance by the FSU School of Dance ensemble “Dance Repertory Theatre.”
The 2012 Symposium will be held Monday, January 16, 2012 in the newly renovated William Johnston Building on the FSU campus. Papers and posters are being solicited from academics, graduate students, and practitioners from the greatest extent of the arts and design that interface with issues of social justice. Visit the symposium website for more information.