Mike Miller, UIS associate professor of visual arts, and Brian Gillis, professor of art at the University of Oregon will engage in a presentation and discussion to contextualize A Public Commons, a project where the UIS Visual Arts Gallery is transformed into a replica of the 1970’s era non-hierarchical classrooms, "the pit," employed by Sangamon State University. This “classroom” space will host discussion and/or mediation sessions that bring together crucial community stakeholders connected to social issues and employ a variety of mediation and communication methodologies, models, and strategies to facilitate productive discussions in a neutral, safe space. These artists will discuss the project as an experimental service platform focused on inquiry into the basic capacity for information and dialogue to contribute to social good, and how those discussions impact individuals’ and group’s lived experiences. A Public Commons is site-specific and site-responsive, drawing from past histories and the current work of local and regional communities, and is rooted in concepts of social equity and social cooperation. This experimental exhibition project opens at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery Aug. 28 and runs through Oct. 5.
The ECCE lecture begins at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, on the lower level of Brookens Library. An exhibition reception for A Public Commons will immediately follow from 7 to 8 p.m. at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery. Both events are free and open to the public.
Additionally, A Public Commons will host four central convenings for discussions focused on social and cultural topics. These convenings are open to the public:
Sept. 16
“Is Socially Responsive Education Possible?”
Facilitators: Brian Gillis and Mike Miller
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Sept. 23
“Practicing Social Justice”
Facilitator: Tiffani Saunders
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Sept. 30
“The State of Mental Health Care”
Facilitator: Carol First
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Oct. 5
“Removing Barriers to Achievement”
Facilitator: Ty Dooley
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
