Suzun Lucia Lamaina , Emory Douglas, Billy X Jennings, and Justin Kemerling (from left to right).Design + Social Justice
Panel Discussion5:30 p.m., September 16 Love Library Auditorium
Panelists include Emory Douglas, Billy X Jennings, Suzun Lucia Lamaina, and Justin Kemerling.
"What is the relationship between design and social change? How does graphic design – and visual culture, more broadly – communicate a message; create community; educate the people; uplift and empower; foster a sense of identity and pride; sway opinion; change hearts and minds; affect institutions of power; and, ultimately, play a role in creating meaningful and substantive social change? In short, what role(s) does (or can) design and the visual arts play in creating “a revolutionary culture” and “radical change”?
Conversely, what are the limits on or challenges to graphic design and visual culture as a vehicle for social change, particularly in a context of global mass-media; ubiquitous technology; hyper-commodification; post-industrial neo-liberalism; extreme inequality; and corporate dominance?
The panel features Emory Douglas, legendary artist, designer and “Minister of Culture” for the original Black Panther Party; Billy X, the digital archivist and curator at the online Black Panther Party archive, “It’s About Time”; photographer, Suzan Lucia Lamaina, who has created and curated a new collection of biographical portraits of Black Panther Party members; and Omaha’s own, Justin Kemerling, whose social justice-oriented graphic design work appears regularly across Nebraska and nationally.
The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Patrick D. Jones, Associate Professor, Department of History and Institute for Ethnic Studies, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Jones researches, writes and teaches about the civil rights and Black Power era.
This event is free and open to the public.