I’ll be moderating a panel on Speculative Futures in conjunction with Armando Lopez-Bircann’s solo exhibition, Arma the Oracle: Extended Reality (XR) at Transformer Gallery in Washington, DC.

FRAMEWORK PANEL #30: Speculative Futures
Panelists: Huntrezz Janos, Jeff Kasper, Armando Lopez-Bircann, Jaimes Mayhew, J. Soto
Moderator: Laura McGough
Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 6-8 PM (EST)

Transformer’s ongoing FRAMEWORK Panel Series returns with FRAMEWORK Panel #30: Speculative Futures – a panel discussion with artists, educators, and activists that explores speculative futures, and the cultural, ethical, environmental, political, and economic systems that will all contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.
The world has experienced numerous major events, including ecological disasters, social unrest, human rights violations, and political turmoil, with increasing frequency within the past decade. As these disturbances occur at a higher rate, many artists, educators, politicians, and scientists have turned to consider the future and evaluate which components should, and should not, be included in this future.

In addition to exploring these components, the panelists will also discuss what the role of art and artists is in ensuring this envisioned future, as well as the impact of technology, surveillance, and social networks are to achieving these goals.

Presented in conjunction with Armando Lopez-Bircann’s solo exhibition, Arma the Oracle: Extended Reality (XR), in which the artist shares their vision of an ethical queer future. This exhibition is currently on view in Transformer’s storefront window, and is presented as a part of Looking In/Looking Out – a series of three solo storefront exhibitions by DC-based artists intended to encourage audiences to look within themselves and outward at the world.

The panel is free to attend, and will be held via Zoom. This program will include automatic closed-captions. You can join the panel here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86569717519…
Panel ID: 865 6971 7519
Password: 783071

View documentation of the panel at: https://bit.ly/3u1reIC

I have received a Five Colleges NAIS Mellon Mini-grant to develop a course focusing on global Indigenous media and new media art at UMass Amherst. The grant will also sponsor class visits by Indigenous artists and scholars, This funding is made possible thanks to support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Native American and the Five Colleges Indigenous Studies program.