Voices Reclaimed: Art, History, and Activism in the American South

In the heart of the American South, where history's shadows often loom large, art emerges as a beacon of hope and transformation. We will explore critical work being done in Alabama and across the South to confront our difficult past, using art to reveal stories long erased or forgotten.

Salaam Green, poet; Elizabeth M. Webb, artist and filmmaker; and Tony M. Bingham, multi-disciplinary artist—featured at The Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation—will share their experiences of using various art forms to address the remnants of America's racist past. They are transforming symbols of oppression into visions of a more equitable future. Through their creative endeavors, education, and cultural programming, they are resurrecting silenced voices, promoting reconciliation, and fostering healing. This work invites communities to engage in activities that raise awareness about race and its enduring impacts.

This discussion will highlight the role of creative expression, particularly through multi-modal memorialization and site specific installation, in preserving history and shaping a future where all voices are heard. Attendees will gain insights into how art can be a powerful tool for social change, bridging gaps between past and present and fostering a deeper understanding of our shared humanity.

Join us as we celebrate those at the forefront of this vital work, transforming pain into power and division into unity through the universal language of art.

The Cast Component : Orienting An Element within a System 

The word "component" comes from the Latin word "componentem,"which means "to put together" or "to place together." The term started to appear in English in the mid-17th century, initially meaning "a constituent part" or "an element of a system.” In line with the conference theme of shaping perspectives, this panel will explore the transformative role of cast objects in contemporary sculptures, emphasizing their integration into larger, more complex works. Moving beyond the traditional view of cast objects as standalone pieces, we will delve into how panelists from diverse backgrounds use casting to express personal identities, activate large installations through the strategic placement of the cast object, and orient cast objects within the context of contemporary sculpture today. Finally, we will discuss the collaborative nature of creating mixed-media sculptures. This could involve partnerships between sculptors and other artists or specialists. To continue with this notion, we will address the difference between artists who cast their own work and those who collaborate with professionals, exploring issues of authenticity, craft, artist-as- curator, and the value placed on the artist’s direct involvement in the creation process versus collaboration.

The Strength of Fragility: Exploration of Forms and Materials in Sculpture

Fragility offers a powerful lens through which artists examine and represent the delicate balance of existence, identity, and perception. This panel presentations will delve into the nuanced interplay between form, materiality, and conceptual fragility, showcasing how contemporary artists harness these elements to evoke profound emotional and intellectual responses.

Manami Ishimura, Yuichiro Komatsu, and Kristen Tordella-Williams will present how they utilize ephemera, challenge traditional processes, and question the notions of strength and permanence through their mediums and concepts. Manami Ishimura’s work represents an effort to respect and appreciate the dynamism that is the essence of existence. As a minimalist ceramic sculptor, Yuichiro Komatsu finds inspiration in the enduring and pliable nature of clay. The transformation of raw earth into ceramic represents a profound dialogue between the mutable and the immutable. This corporeal and temporal essence captures the interplay of fragility and permanence within his artistic practice. Kristen Tordella-Williams’s art practice is characterized by a focus on the impact of labor on our lives, using materials such as iron casting and hand papermaking, to create works that visually and conceptually represent layers of memory, materiality, and process.By embracing materials such as plastic, paper, clay, and organic matter, these artists will reveal the inherent vulnerability within their works, prompting viewers to reflect on themes of transience, decay, and renewal. The materials they use are often perceived as weak or temporary, are transformed into symbols of resilience and beauty, demonstrating that fragility can possess an intrinsic strength.

By addressing the delicate balance between form, material, and concept, the panel underscores how fragility, far from being a weakness, can serve as a powerful means of expression and a reflection of the complex, multifaceted nature of the human experience.

Reimagining Memory: Public Art and the American Monument Question

This panel presentation explores the intricate and provocative interplay between public art and the "American Monument Question," interrogating the role of monuments in shaping collective memory and public discourse. Four contemporary artists will showcase their diverse approaches to reckoning with America's complex legacy of war crimes, racism, ecocide, class warfare, and other systemic injustices. Through their works, these artists challenge conventional narratives and propose alternative ways of engaging with public space and memory culture.

Central to our discussion is how we can react, reconsider, and reimagine the monument as a space for brainstorming— a space of creation and representation. We aim to destabilize the patriarchy, white supremacy, and authoritarianism that mark many American public spaces, especially in the South.

This is one of the most pressing questions in contemporary sculpture: How can monuments exist in ways that are ephemeral, land-based, inquisitive, inclusive, and performative, without excluding people or upholding hierarchies? Our goal is to destabilize the hierarchies that monuments often convey.

This provocative stance serves as a springboard for examining whether and how public art can transcend these limitations to foster more inclusive and critical reflections on history and identity. By highlighting the potential of public art to serve as a platform for dialogue and critique, we aim to illuminate new pathways for addressing America's historical and ongoing complicity in various forms of violence and oppression.

Through multimedia presentations and a moderated discussion, this panel will delve into the transformative power of public art in reconfiguring monuments and memorials as sites of contestation and reflection. Attendees will gain insights into the artists' methodologies and conceptual frameworks, as well as the broader implications for public art practices in fostering a more just and equitable society.

Reuse, Reinvent, Repeat: Repurposed Materials in Sculpture

Join panelists in uncovering their approach to working with sustainably sourced, up-cycled, or reusable materials. Discussion will cover the conceptual, the technical, and the pragmatic issues encountered through accessing and repurposing materials in sculpture. Panelists will share how their approach to material sourcing informs their practice; addressing the many concerns that emerge for the artist when avoiding store-bought materials. Prodding at what role we as artists can play in our current global climate crisis, we will pose questions about how we can engage with sustainability without compromising artistic quality, process, or creative exploration. In fact, being thoughtful about material, sourcing, and environmental impact can enrich the work we make, allowing it to speak directly to our personal experience and the complexity of the world we share. 

These alternative processes allow us to be more thoughtful about sourcing materials in a world that is increasingly dedicated to the "single use", the disposable and the unsustainable. Conversation will direct us to look to the world around us, demonstrating a potential use for items discarded from “fast fashion,” materials sourced from our local environment, and items which carry rich personal history and memory within them.

Fire Arts + Placemaking Redux

This panel engages artists working with "fire arts" methods such as blacksmithing, ceramics, glass, jewelry/metalsmithing, and metal casting to share their experiences with community-based art initiatives that fit under ideas of “placemaking”, including public art, socially engaged art, and social practice art. This presentation is undergirded by a broad discussion of topics that help define notions of “place”, including our cultural ideas of the home, the politics of resource extraction, the social justice dimensions of artwork in the public sphere, and the ways that climate change truth is often stranger than fiction in the Anthropocene era. Participants will share information about the successes and challenges of making art in public spaces, how they've garnered funding for these endeavors, and what they've learned while collaborating from the ground up with stakeholders to generate positive and impactful outcomes.