"At the Intersection of Art & Activism" is a panel discussion featuring Josh MacPhee, founding member of Justseeds Artists' Cooperative and the Interference Archive, alongside Philadelphia area artists Mabel Negrete (Counter Narrative Society) and Heidi Ratanavanich. Join us as we interrogate the unique challenges and power of working where these two worlds collide. The discussion will be preceded by an exhibition reception in the lobby, celebrating the outcome of several days of student workshops and studio work, alongside an exhibit of activist poster art by Justseeds located in Fisher Fine Arts Library. Registration required. Open to the public.

Josh MacPhee is a designer, artist, and archivist. He is a founding member of both the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative and Interference Archive, a public collection of cultural materials produced by social movements based in Brooklyn, NY (InterferenceArchive.org). MacPhee is the author and editor of numerous publications, including Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now and Signal: A Journal of International Political Graphics and Culture. His most recent book is An Encyclopedia of Political Record Labels (Common Notions, 2019), a compendium of information about political music and radical cultural production.

Mabel Negrete (CNS) is a performance artist, designer, activist, researcher and educator who works with the Counter Narrative Society (CNS), a research unit that works to initiate counter narratives about bio-power, urbanism, culture and technology. As the CNS, Mabel produces and designs radical live actions, performances, multimedia installations, tactical objects and multifaceted projects that strive to build community and counter the invisible punishing machine. (https://studiocns.org)

Heidi Ratanavanich is a visual artist and educator. Heidi’s work uses a range of media—particularly sculpture, video and public/private gatherings—to give form to inquiries into the politics of place and space. Heidi is specifically interested in the intersection of food sovereignty, ecology and economy.

Moderated by Candy Alexandra González,  a Philly-based, Latinx multidisciplinary visual artist, poet and educator from Miami, Fl. Candy received their MFA in Book Arts + Printmaking from The University of the Arts in 2017. Candy's art work captures the essence of their lived experiences as a fat, queer, first-generation immigrant in the United States. www.candyalexandragonzalez.com

Panel Location: Arthur Ross Gallery, 220 S. 34th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104

Supported by The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation.