Assembly x NYU 2021: Art and Abolition

What role can art, the image and performance play in understanding the abolition movement? How can creative practices serve as a conduit from the present carceral state and police apparatus to abolition? In these three midday workshops, peer leaders, artists, and educators will come together with students and faculty and the broader public to interrogate ways the idea of embodied performance, visual art and storytelling can help us reimagine a world in which the possible is not limited to that delineated by the legacies of oppression, colonialism and racism.

Workshop 1: Storytelling. March 11, 1pm-2:15

Utilizing a game of cause and effect, participants will delve into the historical emergence and growth of the New York Police Department, while questioning our collective memory of racially-charged events in the city and their resulting outcomes.

With an introduction from Gallatin Professor Leila Buck.

Workshop 2: Performance. March 18, 1pm-2:15

Utilizing visual storytelling, participants will create gestures which embody episodes of police activity, while problematizing our reliance on law enforcement and seeking alternative solutions to safety.

With an introduction from Gallatin Professor Michael Dinwiddie.

Workshop 3: Visual Art. March 25, 1pm-2:15

Visualizing scenarios that involve intensifying conflict, participants will learn various de-escalation techniques, while developing a practice of listening toward both internal and external conflict resolution.

With an introduction from Gallatin Professor Stephen Duncombe.