This panel discussion will bring together three speakers—the interdisciplinary artists Yto Barrada (2018 Resident) and Sanford Biggers (2018 Fellow) and Peter Benson Miller, formerly Andrew Heiskell Arts Director for the American Academy in Rome—for an engaging dialogue about the role of contemporary art in sparking conversations about compelling social issues.

Occasioned by Barrada’s exhibition The Dye Garden at the Neuberger Museum of Art in Purchase, New York, until December 22, this conversation pairs Barrada with Biggers. Both artists work with thread, textiles, quilted fabric, and embroidery, as well as photography, installation, and film, to unearth forgotten histories and critically engage sociopolitical issues, including the legacy of slavery, diaspora, postcolonial identity, and resistance to dominant narratives. Together, they will discuss collaboration, the impact of their time in Rome on their recent work, and the overlap between their respective artistic projects, among other topics.

This Conversations/Conversazioni is part of a year-long series of programs and events conceived around the theme of “Encounters,” which celebrates the 125th anniversary of the founding of the American Academy in Rome.

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation is the 2019–20 season sponsor of Conversations/Conversazioni: From the American Academy in Rome.