EXPO @ 21c: Artistic and Cultural Exchange Along a Continuum

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, , , and invite you to a thrilling conversation, over coffee and pastries on the last day of Expo Chicago, on gaining insights into how distinctive platforms facilitate international artistic and cultural exchanges.

If we understand artists as change makers, organizers, and civic leaders locally, how might we expand the impact of their work through intentional connection with relevant artists and communities across the globe? Join us to learn about the ways these unique platforms support international artistic and cultural exchange for artists, partner with civic and government entities, as well as private foundations, and forge new pathways supporting the essential role of artists in society.

Hear from artists and collaborators who have worked with these organizations about the network impact that can be achieved when we work together.

PANELISTS

, Visual Artist, Poet and 2024 Villa Albertine Artist in Residence
Azzeazy is a multidisciplinary artist, studying a Master degree at Beaux-Arts de Paris. She was the laureate of the in partnership with Beaux-Arts de Paris awarding her with a one-month research-residency in Chicago. She repairs and play with neuronal pathways through drawing-installation, video art and soundscape. She previously integrated an exchange program at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, and worked on creating collective performance around meditation, sound and themes of parasitism and symbiosis.

, founder and CEO of ALMASIKA and the Sarr Collection
Catherine Sarr is the founder and CEO of ALMASIKA, a fine jewelry brand rooted in symbols, shapes, and stories that transcend cultural boundaries. Through the Sarr Collection, with her husband Mamadou-Abou Sarr, she supports emerging artists, notably with the Sarr PRIZE, in partnership with Les Beaux-Arts de Paris, and a residency program in the United States, in partnership with Villa Albertine. Sarr is involved in several philanthropic and civic activities, including being a board member of the Terra Foundation for American Arts and the Committee on Arts of Africa of the Art Institute of Chicago. She was named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French Governement in 2022.

, Program Director of Fellowships at CEC ArtsLink
Megha Ralapati is the Program Director of Fellowships at CEC ArtsLink. Prior to this role, she developed and oversaw the Jackman Goldwasser Residency at Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, where she forged partnerships with the French Embassy, Goethe Institut, Asian Cultural Council, Northwestern University and other institutions to design intentional cross-cultural artistic exchanges. Megha specializes in artist mobility and has collaborated with community-centered organizations based in the US and internationally like Project Row Houses, ARTPORT Tel Aviv, and Center for Contemporary Art Lagos.

, Managing Director of ART WORKS Projects
Bora Un is a nonprofit leader with two decades of experience working across the arts and culture, higher education, NGO, and policy sectors. Under her leadership, AWP celebrated an important 15-year anniversary milestone and executed on a strategic sustainability and growth campaign including securing foundation status in the EU and securing foundational support to scale their signature program, the Emerging Lens Fellowship. As a culturally competent strategic consultant, Bora has advised and worked with a range of global clients on strategic alignment and advancement initiatives leveraging her personal and professional passion for authentic storytelling.

, Museum Manager at 21c Chicago
Jennifer Murray is an artist, educator, and cultural producer who lives and works in Chicago. As the current Museum Manager at 21c Chicago, she collaborates with artists and arts organizations to create diverse exhibitions and programming. She is the former executive director of Filter Photo, a nonprofit festival, exhibition, and educational space. She was an Instructor of Photography at Loyola University Chicago for fifteen years and consults and mentors artists on project development and exhibition preparation.

Image: Julien Creuzet, Installation view for In/Situ during EXPO Chicago 2023, Courtesy the artist and DOCUMENT, Chicago | Lisbon

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 East Ontario Street, Chicago, United States