Saturday, June 3
11am-3pm
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture
Gallery 308
San Francisco

CPE will be hosting a block of political programming as part of the  San Francisco International Arts Festival.  Inspired by Bertolt Brecht, we’re calling the program “In the Dark Times Will There Also Be Singing?”.  The program will feature three panels of people engaged in culture work and activism in the Bay Area and internationally.

11am-12:00pm  The Struggle over Creative Space and Resources
On the federal level we see proposals for the decimation of public arts funding, while at the same time the strains caused by displacement and gentrification are having a profound effect on where and how people–especially in working class communities of color–can build creative space. This panel will explore how artists, activists, and organizations build creative spaces and struggle for public resources for arts and culture in times of economic instability.

Panelists: Nihar Bhatt, Charmaine Davis, and Fernando Martí

12:30-1:30pm Arts and Culture over and against Borders
Common threads of far-right governments and movements include anti-immigrant sentiment/legislation, intensified border enforcement, and militarism. This panel will explore how artists are resisting the violence of xenophobia and war, and creating common cause (and common art) despite the borders displacing and dividing them.

Panelists: Ziad Abbas and Wael Buhaissy, Dohee Lee, and Eden Silva Jequinto

2-3pm Building Movements
Strong arts and culture have always been parts of strong social movements–creatively illustrating injustice and inequity, but also resilience, courage, and a better world.  This panel will explore the work of movement-based arts and culture and its role in igniting the imaginations and energies of people in Dark Times.

Panelists: Cat Brooks, Armael Malinis, and Maisha Quint