During this panel discussion, Beatriz Vasquez, a 2019 recipient of the IUPUI Arts & Humanities Institute Artist Residency, will share her experience on the U.S.-Mexico border and her work based on the indigenous craft of papel picado. Vasquez’s experience will serve as an introduction to a discussion focusing on the immigration crisis and how it has impacted Indianapolis communities while examining the local response from immigration services.

The panel will also address the role of artists in increasing awareness of important social issues through their art. Additionally, the discussion will explore the absence of people of color in arts administration and the need to promote leadership roles that support art communities while diversifying the arts through inclusive artist residencies based on social justice and equality.

Panelists:

Teri Downs, executive director of Indianapolis’s Immigrant Welcome Center
Elia Irene Sanchez Ibarra, director of crime prevention at Lawrence Police Department and former director of the Indiana Commission for Hispanic and Latino Affairs at the Indiana Civil Rights Museum
Kavita Mahoney, arts center manager at Garfield Park Arts Center

This event is free and open to the public and occurs in Eskenazi Hall’s Basile Auditorium. Visit herrongalleries.org for details on parking, exhibitions, and more.