Art, Pandemic, and Protest: A Conversation with Artists, Community Leaders, and Writers (Program)

All Art, Nina Simone famously said, “reflects the times.” Whether by design or default, COVID-19 challenges the way art is made, the issues it takes up, the community it gathers, and the publics it engages. Bringing together a writer, an artist, and a leader of an arts organizations, we will look at the emerging duties and opportunities that artists face now and in the future.

Panelists include:

• Wayne Brown: President & CEO, Michigan Opera Theater
• Elizabeth Outka: author of Viral Modernism: The Influenza Pandemic and Interwar Literature (Columbia University Press, 2019)
• Sabrina Nelson: multi-media artist based in Detroit
• Omari Rush: Executive Director, CultureSource