Exhibition curated by Kyler Lasee & Tyli Scheetz, Presented in collaboration with Fall of Freedom, St. Norbert College, Bush Art Center, Godschalx Gallery, Exhibition on View from November 3 – December 5, 2025
It All Matters Now: A Creative Resistance is a student-curated exhibition exploring freedom of expression through works from St. Norbert College’s permanent collection. The exhibition examines how artists use creative expression as a means of resistance, reflection, and dialogue in moments of social and political urgency. Join us for a reception and interactive activity on November 21 at noon.
Artists in the exhibition: Kelly Armer, Brandon Bauer & Colin Matthes, Tom Diedrich, Harold E Hansen, Marion Howard, Nicolas Lampert & Paul Kjelland, Josh MacPhee, Tom Martin, Walter Nottingham, Peter Popalski, Pete Railand, Erik Ruin, Shaun Slifer
Also on view a two day exhibition of Social Media Delivers People (After Serra & Schoolman), my contemporary reinterpretation of Richard Serra’s 1970s video critiquing the power of media, in the Media Space Gallery, November 21–22.
To kick off the Imagining Human Rights series of events celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Aaron Hughes and Pablo Mendoza will deliver a virtual lecture on October 3rd at noon. Aaron Hughes & Pablo Mendoza are part of the Prison + Neighborhood Arts / Education Project (P+NAP). They will discuss their work with P+NAP and the Carving Out Rights project that engages prisoners with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and their efforts to create a culture of human rights from below.
As a part of the ART 285: Art in a Democratic Society course at St. Norbert College, Associate Professor Brandon Bauer is hosting a lecture series that was supported by the Faculty Mini-Grant Program through the Norman Miller Center for Peace, Justice, and Public Understanding.
The schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, September 13th – Aram Han Sifuentes
Aram Han Sifuentes is a fiber and social practice artist who works to claim spaces for immigrant and disenfranchised communities. Her work often revolves around skill sharing, specifically sewing techniques, to create multiethnic and intergenerational sewing circles, which become a place for empowerment, subversion and protest.
Tuesday, October 5th – U.S. Department of Arts and Culture
Founded in 2013 The U.S. Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC) is a “people-powered department” (not a federal agency) committed to supporting individuals and organizations in mobilizing creativity in the service of justice. While social issues may be grounded in politics and economics, the USDAC believes that to change the world we need to change the story. Images, language, and attitudes affect our ability to understand and act on the challenges we face as a society.
Valeria is a designer and educator working at the intersection of education, design, and community engagement. She specializes in demystifying policy, authentic engagement strategies, collaboration, experiential education, and working with immigrant communities. Valeria has collaborated on visual “explainers”, curricula, community engagement strategies, and public artworks with grassroots organizations, government agencies, and cultural institutions.
Matthijs de Bruijne’s practice is a result of direct political involvement. In recent years it has taken the form of collaboration with trade unions and other labor organizations. In 2010 he was invited by the Dutch Union of Cleaners to work as an artist helping this worker’s led organization to visualize their messages in a clear manner and by creating a recognizable identity for this union in the Netherlands. Since 2020 he has been creating the archive of this union which will be gifted to the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam.
Have you heard about @wideawakeswi? They are building a coalition of artists in Wisconsin to help make sure everyone knows how and takes advantage of early voting! Join their call to action on October 3!
Wide Awakes 2020 is an artist founded initiative that is national in scope and is building a coalition of civically-minded artists all across the country! The historic Wide Awakes were a pro-emancipation, pro-women’s suffrage, pro-immigration, youth-led organization that championed Abraham Lincoln during the 1860 presidential election. They coordinated voter registration drives and engaged new and young voters to participate in democracy. In 2020 a group of artists around the country are carrying on this action. As an offshoot of the For Freedoms project the Wide Awakes aspire to center the arts in political and civic discourse, interjecting joy, play, and imagination into our social, political, and cultural scene.
Mindful of the constraints of time and of the pandemic the organizers are planning a nimble day of action to celebrate the start of early voting in Wisconsin, Tuesday, October 20. They envision distributed celebrations around the state. Whether you are already engaged in voter organizing and would like to partner and promote your action under #wideawakes2020 #wideawakeswi on that day or if you are an artist interested in participating in any of the civic celebrations Wide Awakes is planning, they would love to hear from you and work with you.
Below is more information about Wide Awakes Wisconsin and an invitation to join a Zoom call to action this Saturday, October 3 on the 160th anniversary of the 1860 Wide Awakes March in the name of Emancipation.
Please pass this call on to anyone you think would be interested.
Join Wide Awakes On OCTOBER 3 at 10 am for a Wide Awake WI call to action!
