The Vera List Center for Art and Politics
Encyclopedia
The Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School
, founded in 1992 and named in honor of the late philanthropist, organizes public events that respond to the role of the arts in society and their relationship to the sociopolitical climate in which they are created. It remains the only organization with the exclusive mission to investigate the intersection for art and politics.
, and national and international audiences in an exploration of new possibilities for civic engagement.
All VLC initiatives are driven by the live encounter of artists, scholars, historians and other thinkers and makers who together consider topics of broad popular relevance. From these live events spring additional programs such as those featured on the Vera List Center Switchboard, including Call & Response, Printed Matter, Special Projects and others.
. It includes creative material generated in advance of and in response to events, special projects by artists; video interviews with event participants; a recurring Call & Response feature in which New School faculty are invited to respond to events; downloadable printed matter; community posts focusing on events and initiatives at collaborating organizations.
, Ayreen Anastas, Gregg Bordowitz, Omer Fast
, Rene Gabri, Andrea Geyer, Mark Godfrey, Sharon Hayes, Sandi Hillal, Alessandro Petti and Eyal Weizman, Susan Hiller
, Julia Kristeva, Lin + Lam, Jeffrey Olick, Brian Price, Jane Taylor, Mierle Laderman Ukeles
, and Elisabeth Young-Bruehl.
from October 15, 2008, to February 1, 2009. It was an interdisciplinary investigation of democracy positioned as a consumer brand that included original commissions by Alexis Baghat, Erick Beltran, Kota Ezawa, Liam Gillick, Emma Kay, Runo Lagomarsino, Aleksandra Mir, Nadine Robinson, and The Yes Men
, and works by Sam Durant, Miguel Luciano, Carlos Motta, Trevor Paglen, Judi Werthein and many others.
faculty. Past fellows include, Maurice Berger
, Wendy T. Ewald, Andrea Geyer, Margarita Gutman, Susan Hapgood, Sharon Hayes, Danny Hoch, Ashley Hunt, Kobena Mercer, Lorraine O’Grady, Olu Oguibe
, Silvana Paternostro, Wendy Perron, Marjetica Potrc, Leslie Prosterman, Walid Raad, Sarah Rothenberg, Edward Rothstein, Katya Sander, Elisabeth Sussman, David Thorne, and Jonathan Weinberg.
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
, founded in 1992 and named in honor of the late philanthropist, organizes public events that respond to the role of the arts in society and their relationship to the sociopolitical climate in which they are created. It remains the only organization with the exclusive mission to investigate the intersection for art and politics.
Mission
The Vera List Center for Art and Politics hosts public programs that are articulated by the academic community and by visual and performing artists which bring together together scholars and students, the people of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and national and international audiences in an exploration of new possibilities for civic engagement.
Annual Theme
Each year, the center identifies a topic of particular urgency and broad resonance and convenes artists, scholars, activists, public intellectuals, and political and cultural leaders to examine this theme in a variety of programs. The first annual theme for 2004–05 was Homeland, followed by Considering Forgiveness in 2005–06, The Public Domain in 2006–07, Agency in 2007-08, and Branding Democracy in 2008-09. The theme for 2009-2010 is Speculating on Change.Public Events
The Vera List Center (VLC) organizes panel discussions, lectures, workshops and online programs that are created in consultation with the center’s advisory committee and with current and former fellows. Occasionally, the VLC produces exhibitions. The VLC directs the Vera List New School Art Collection Writing Award and, in collaboration with students, produces a self-guided tour of select pieces from the collection.All VLC initiatives are driven by the live encounter of artists, scholars, historians and other thinkers and makers who together consider topics of broad popular relevance. From these live events spring additional programs such as those featured on the Vera List Center Switchboard, including Call & Response, Printed Matter, Special Projects and others.
Switchboard
The Vera List Center's Switchboard, is an online extension of live programs with links to debates, issues, projects and people within and outside The New SchoolThe New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
. It includes creative material generated in advance of and in response to events, special projects by artists; video interviews with event participants; a recurring Call & Response feature in which New School faculty are invited to respond to events; downloadable printed matter; community posts focusing on events and initiatives at collaborating organizations.
Publications
As an extension of its public programming, the Vera List Center produces publications ranging from occasional papers, exhibition guides and books to interactive online artist projects. Following the center’s interdisciplinary model, these publications respond to themes explored in the context of lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and other programs, and frequently incorporate new texts commissioned from event collaborators and others.Considering Forgiveness
Forgiveness (published in 2009) examines issues of social, cultural and political relevance from a multitude of perspectives and is edited by Aleksandra Wagner with Carin Kuoni, with curatorial advice by Matthew Buckingham. It features textual and visual contributions commissioned for this publication from scholars, activists and artists, including Anne AghionAnne Aghion
Anne Aghion is a French-American documentary filmmaker and Guggenheim fellow.In 2005, she won an Emmy Award for her documentary In Rwanda We Say…The Family That Does Not Speak Dies.-Filmmaking career:...
, Ayreen Anastas, Gregg Bordowitz, Omer Fast
Omer Fast
Omer Fast is a contemporary video artist. He received his BFA from Tufts University, School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1995 and an MFA from Hunter College in 2000. Fast uses his films to explore the various possibilities offered by cinematic medium...
, Rene Gabri, Andrea Geyer, Mark Godfrey, Sharon Hayes, Sandi Hillal, Alessandro Petti and Eyal Weizman, Susan Hiller
Susan Hiller
Susan Hiller is an American-born artist who lives in London, UK. Her art practice encompasses installation, video, photography, performance and writing.-Early Life and Education:...
, Julia Kristeva, Lin + Lam, Jeffrey Olick, Brian Price, Jane Taylor, Mierle Laderman Ukeles
Mierle Laderman Ukeles
Mierle Laderman Ukeles is a New York City-based artist known for her feminist and service oriented artwork. In 1969 she wrote a manifesto entitled Maintenance Art—Proposal for an Exhibition, challenging the domestic role of women and proclaiming herself a "maintenance artist"...
, and Elisabeth Young-Bruehl.
OURS: Democracy in the Age of Branding Exhibition Guide
OURS: Democracy in the Age of Branding Exhibition Guide was on view at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons The New School for DesignParsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School For Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is the art and design college of The New School university. It is located in New York City's Greenwich Village, and has produced artists and designers such as Marc Jacobs, Dean and Dan Caten, Norman Rockwell, Donna Karan, Jane...
from October 15, 2008, to February 1, 2009. It was an interdisciplinary investigation of democracy positioned as a consumer brand that included original commissions by Alexis Baghat, Erick Beltran, Kota Ezawa, Liam Gillick, Emma Kay, Runo Lagomarsino, Aleksandra Mir, Nadine Robinson, and The Yes Men
The Yes Men
The Yes Men are a culture jamming activist duo and network of supporters created by Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos. Through actions of tactical media, The Yes Men primarily aim to raise awareness about what they consider problematic social issues. To date, the duo has produced two films: The Yes Men...
, and works by Sam Durant, Miguel Luciano, Carlos Motta, Trevor Paglen, Judi Werthein and many others.
Fellowship Program
Every year, the Vera List Center appoints a fellow or fellows from a pool of outstanding artists, curators, critics, and scholars who become an important part of the center’s intellectual foundation, contributing to its public programs while enjoying support in their projects from the VLC and The New SchoolThe New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
faculty. Past fellows include, Maurice Berger
Maurice Berger
Maurice Berger is an Americancultural historian, curator, and art critic.- Biography :Maurice Berger is a cultural historian, art critic, and curator. He is Research Professor and Chief Curator at the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County. A student of...
, Wendy T. Ewald, Andrea Geyer, Margarita Gutman, Susan Hapgood, Sharon Hayes, Danny Hoch, Ashley Hunt, Kobena Mercer, Lorraine O’Grady, Olu Oguibe
Olu Oguibe
Olu Oguibe is an artist and public intellectual. Professor of Art and African-American Studies and interim Director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, Oguibe is a senior fellow of the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at the New School, New...
, Silvana Paternostro, Wendy Perron, Marjetica Potrc, Leslie Prosterman, Walid Raad, Sarah Rothenberg, Edward Rothstein, Katya Sander, Elisabeth Sussman, David Thorne, and Jonathan Weinberg.
2009-10 Fellows
- Since 2001, Lin + Lam have produced interdisciplinary projects that examine the ramifications of the past for the current socio-political moment. Attentive to materiality, site, and the specificities of different medium, their collaboration integrates their individual strengths and backgrounds.
- Robert Sember is a member of the international sound art collective, Ultra-red, which collaborates with constituencies involved in migrant rights, fair housing and anti-racist struggles, and efforts to combat the AIDS crisis.
Advisory Committee Members
- 1. James-Keith Brown
- 2. Frances Beatty Adler
- 3. Carlos Basualdo
- 4. Koan-Jeff Baysa
- 5. Susan Elizabeth Cahan
- 6. Ronald Feldman
- 7. Ken Grossinger
- 8. Lisa Ivorian-Jones
- 9. Paul Hechinger
- 10. Elizabeth R. Hilpman
- 11. Ellen Kern
- 12. Norman L. Kleeblatt
- 13. Joshua Mack
- 14. Irvine MacManus, Jr.
- 15. Sina Najafi
- 16. Nancy Delman Portnoy
- 17. Martha Rosler
- 18. Nato Thompson
- 19. Fred Wilson