Annual Shepard Symposium on Social Justice Kicks Off at the UW Art Museum

The University of Wyoming Art Museum will launch the 20th Annual Shepard Symposium on Social Justice with a reception for Rebecca Peabody from the Getty Research Institute Wednesday, April 6, from 5-6:30 p.m. Following the reception, Peabody will give a keynote address at 7 p.m. in Room 111 of the UW Visual Arts Building.

The reception at the Art Museum is an opportunity to view “Emancipating the Past: Kara Walker’s Tales of Slavery and Power.” Peabody will attend, and light refreshments will be served. The exhibition remains on view through May 14.

In her keynote address, “The Work of Difficult Art: Kara Walker in Context,” Peabody will examine questions of how viewers encounter this challenging artwork, and explore productive ways to find meaning and engage with it in terms of race, racism and social justice. Tying in the role of the entertainment industry and its consumers in the processes of racialization, Peabody demonstrates what’s at stake when stories of race are located in narrative fiction found in Walker’s artwork.

The reception and keynote address are free and open to the public, courtesy of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.

About Rebecca Peabody

Peabody heads research projects and programs at the Getty Research Institute. Her research focuses on representations of race, gender and nationality in 20th century American art and culture. Visit http://rebeccapeabody.com for more information.

For more information, call the Art Museum at (307) 766-6622, visit the website at www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum, or follow the museum on Facebook.

Through its “Museum as Classroom” approach, the UW Art Museum places art at the center of learning for all ages. Located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie, the museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday hours are extended to 7 p.m. February through April and September through November. Admission is free.