Art Can Create Connection in Contentious Times

The “Arts in Times of Crises” Conference Considered How Artists and Cultural Leaders Can Break Through Our Polarizing Moment

Leading voices in the arts from around the world convened in Los Angeles recently to take part in “Arts in Times of Crises,” a two-day conference on the role of artists in weakened democracies put on by the Villa Aurora Thomas Mann House (VATMH).

Zócalo was one of the co-hosts, alongside REDCAT and the Los Angeles Review of Books, and as part of the conference presented two public panels. Both explored how, in polarized times, artists and civic leaders can bridge divides and tap into our shared humanity—but only if they’re …

Let Artists Choose Activism

Or Not. But Don’t Assume That Anyone’s Identity Should Define Their Work

This piece publishes as part of the Zócalo, Thomas Mann House, and L.A. Review of Books conference on the role of artists in weakened …

Writer and Artist Mashinka Firunts Hakopian

The Diva Is Someone Who Writes Their Own Narrative

Mashinka Firunts Hakopian is an Armenian writer, artist, and researcher. Her work is concentrated in media studies, feminist and queer studies, visual culture, contemporary art, and SWANA (Southwest Asia and North …

Finding a Good Society in the Mud of Burning Man

Humans Are Human—And Governments Need to Help Them Achieve Self-Reliance and Avoid Panic in the Face of Disaster

Since leaving Burning Man, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the role that principles play in a society, and what to do when people don’t live up to …

Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova

Never Forget the Ideals of Your Youth

Nadya Tolokonnikova is a conceptual artist and political activist from Russia. A founding member of the feminist group Pussy Riot, she is also the co-creator of the independent news service …

Artist Gelare Khoshgozaran

The Sun Is Alienating to Me

Gelare Khoshgozaran is an artist and writer whose work engages with the legacies of imperial violence manifested in war and militarization, borders, and archives. Before joining us for this week’s Zócalo/The …