February 17, 2026
This lecture explores a range of socially engaged art practices. It considers how some seek to make community, some seek to expose inequity and some open new ideas of what democracy might mean.
How do the arts activate public life? What is the role of the arts in sustaining democracy? In different eras and regions of the world, citizens have responded to these questions quite differently. As we mark the 250th anniversary of both the Phi Beta Kappa Society and of the United States of America, these questions have never been more resonant. The arts are key to advancing the rights of free assembly and of free expression. The arts contribute to social movements and to the formation of civic identity. This lecture alights upon a range of socially engaged art practices, investigating how the arts both shape and challenge our sense of community. Considering historic examples as well as those from our present moment, we will explore how public art can open us to new ideas of what democracy might mean.
Shannon Jackson is the Cyrus and Michelle Hadidi Professor of the Arts & Humanities at UC Berkeley and the Chair of the History of Art department. Professor Jackson's research, teaching, and convening focus on the role of visual, literary, performance, and media art forms in social movements and in public life, with a recent focus on ecological aesthetics. Her books include Back Stages, Public Servants, Social Works, and The Builders Association; recent online public projects include Relevance of Place, Media Art 21, and In Terms of Performance. Professor Jackson has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the Mellon Foundation and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. She is a frequent speaker at museums, theaters, biennials, festivals, and universities around the world and serves on the advisory board of several organizations, including ZKM, BAMPFA, the Kramlich Art Foundation, and the Minnesota Street Project Foundation.
This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and Phi Beta Kappa.
For more information, visit https://www.clarkeforum.org/tuesday-february-17-2026/
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Further information
- Location: Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium
- Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- Cost: Free