past programs
Sacred Spaces: Racial Justice and Spirituality in Action
APRIL 26
WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL, DC
The Democratic Lens: Photography and Civic Engagement
APRIL 25
SANTA FE, NM
Memorializing Through the Arts: Honoring Ancestral Legacies
APRIL 23
MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, BOSTON
Learn more.
Culture of Change: Racial Equity in Art, Entertainment, and Sports
APRIL 8
Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
MARCH 20
Richmond, VA
Night at the Library: Out of Darkness
MARCH 16
Brooklyn, NY
SXSW, Design as a Medium Within Visual Art
MARCH 8
Austin, TX
Learn more.
California Conference for Women
FEBRUARY 29
Santa Clara, CA
Yale Guest Seminar: Prison Education Initiative
NOVEMBER 13, 2023
The MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, CT
Tyrone Maurice Adderley Lecture
NOVEMBER 7, 2023
Massachusetts College of Art & Design, MA
Book Launch: Unmasking AI
NOVEMBER 5, 2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA
Sarah Elizabeth Lewis spoke with Dr. Joy Buolamwini on the occasion of the book launch for Unmasking AI.
Sarah Lewis In Conversation with Deborah Roberts
NOVEMBER 4, 2023
Stephen Friedman Gallery, NY
American Academy in Rome: Centennial Medal Ceremony
NOVEMBER 2, 2023
The Altman Building, New York City
Sarah Elizabeth Lewis presented the American Academy in Rome’s Centennial Medal to Sir Isaac Julien.
The Gibbes Museum of Art, Distinguished Lecture Series
NOVEMBER 1, 2023
Sottile Theatre, The Gibbes Museum
"Vision&Justice" with Harvard University's Sarah Lewis
OCTOBER 2, 2023
Miller Forum in Moyer Hall
In Conversation: Isaac Julien
MAY 19, 2023: Opening Artist Conversation for I Am Seen... Therefore, I Am: Isaac Julien and Frederick Douglass
Exhibition co-curators Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Sarah Elizabeth Lewis talk with artist Isaac Julien about the ways image and history weave throughout his work, Lessons of the Hour.
Frieze New York 2021 Tribute
MAY 5–9, 2021
Frieze New York paid tribute to Vision & Justice in 2021 with a variety of dedicated programming throughout the fair, from exhibitions to panel discussions, that considered the responsibility of the arts to disrupt, complicate, or shift narratives of visual representation in the public realm. Critically acclaimed artists Carrie Mae Weems and Hank Willis Thomas presented new works as homages to Vision & Justice. Melvin Edwards exhibited “Brighter Days” at City Hall Park, featuring five sculptures from 1970 to 1996, and a sixth large-scale work commissioned in 2020, that engaged with themes of race, labor, and the African Diaspora.
Explore the full range of programs.
Watch the panel discussion on Black cultural leadership presented by Sarah Elizabeth Lewis with Ava DuVernay, Theaster Gates, Franklin Leonard, Wynton Marsalis, and Carrie Mae Weems.
2019 Convening
APRIL 25–26, 2019
Conceived by Vision & Justice Founder Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, this public two-day convening brought together prominent activists, academics, and artists to consider the role of the arts and culture in understanding the nexus of art, race, and justice. With the goal of outlining and catalyzing ideas for future work in art and justice around the country and the world, the sessions focused on a wide range of related topics, from “Race, Justice, and the Environment” to “Cultural Narratives and Media.”
Featured in the program were dynamic speakers and events, such as a performance by Carrie Mae Weems, a conversation about When They See Us, the miniseries by Ava DuVernay and Bradford Young with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and a performance by Wynton Marsalis. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who discovered the Flint, Michigan water crisis, exchanged ideas with Chelsea Clinton and LaToya Ruby Frazier, who used her camera to highlight the injustice on the ground.
SXSWedu 2017 Keynote
MARCH 6–9, 2017
Vision & Justice Founder Sarah Elizabeth Lewis delivered the keynote talk for the 2017 SXSWedu® Conference & Festival to discuss the importance of the relationship between art and social justice. The conference celebrated innovations in learning by bringing together a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders across a variety of backgrounds in education. Watch the talk here.