Where Art Meets Activism: Hank Willis Thomas

Hank Willis ThomasLike many of us at Purchase, Thomas is an East Coast native. He was born in New Jersey and now lives in Brooklyn where his work as a conceptual artist is guided by themes around perspective, identity, commodity, media, and popular culture/global events. Thomas and Purchase College Assistant Professor of Art + Design Eric Gottesman are two of the co-founders of For Freedoms, an artist-led organization that models and increases creative civic engagement, discourse and direct action.

Well before the BLM Movement began on social media in 2013 and skyrocketed to the top of newsfeeds again last year, Thomas’ photographs, sculptures, video, and collaborative public art projects were shedding light on current events and clearly depicting where the connection between art and activism interact.

Whether you are an artist, a vocal activist, or a quiet but interested bystander, you will be able to appreciate the relationship that art and activism share in his work. His art tells stories about Black Culture and institutional racism within the nation, conveying visual messages about social justice, civil rights, and the victims of violence, bias, discrimination, inequality, injustice, and inequality.

In his “What Should Our Monuments of the Future Look Like” commentary published by CNN last June, Thomas discusses the importance of acknowledging the complexity of moments in history and using our expansive access to information to bring voices and stories to light that may have previously been overlooked.

Log on Thursday night at 6:30pm to hear what he has to say to Purchase students.

Register for the Zoom webinar here.

Eve Hlavatovic
Neuberger Museum of Art
Spring 2021 Communications Intern
NEU Student Voices Blogger