Day 1 – Afternoon
Americas Cultural Summit
Photo: Martin Lipman
What is Democracy?
The afternoon at the Summit began with a keynote address from writer, documentarian and organizer Astra Taylor. In her address, Good Art and the Public Good, Taylor questioned whether the internet could truly be considered democratizing given its strong commercial ties.
Taylor then discussed her participation in, and chronicling of, a wave of recent activism—including the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States and the Tahir Square uprising in Egypt. She noted how many of these movements struggled to translate their momentum into lasting change, and wondered if this had something to do with a limited analysis of democracy.
Taylor posed the question: What is democracy? To answer this, she discussed democracy’s roots in ancient Greece, its evolution through political theory, its depiction in the arts, and the various ways in which it has been implemented—often to the exclusion of many marginalized people.
Putting Emotional Intelligence First
The afternoon continued with a discussion on digital inclusion—further exploring the foundation set in Astra Taylor’s keynote talk. Moderator Jax Deluca (Director of Media Arts at the National Endowment for the Arts) brought together four speakers in a conversation about digital inequities and the work needed to remedy these disparities.
Artist and educator Taeyoon Choi discussed several initiatives he has worked on—including the School for Poetic Computation, which presents new ways of exploring technology in learning. Artist Amor Muñoz discussed several of her projects, many of which bring technology to marginal areas of Mexico and promote social change. Artist, author and filmmaker Michèle Stephenson shared several of her film projects which use storytelling to challenge racist ideologies and shift power dynamics. And filmmaker, animator and storyteller Maria Laura Ruggiero presented her “StoryHacker” initiative, which encourages people to engage in world building to explore current social challenges and propose possible solutions. Ruggiero closed her presentation with an emphasis on placing emotional intelligence first in our world—before the advancement of all other forms of intelligence, including artificial intelligence.
The First Steps towards Reconciliation
In the final discussion for Day One, moderator Elizabeth Silkes (Executive Director, International Coalition of Sites of Consciences) brought together three panelists to discuss how the arts and culture are contributing towards reconciliation in various communities that have survived violence and oppression: the Honourable Fernando Griffith from Paraguay; Javiera Prada from Chile; and Jesse Wente (Director, Indigneous Screen Office) from Canada. Jesse Wente emphasized that reconciliation between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples has only just begun, and while many Canadians might think it’s been fully addressed there is a much longer journey ahead towards unearthing the truths of past injustices and rebuilding relationships.
These conversations—and many more—will continue tomorrow at day two of the Summit.
