April 17–19, 2015
Wyndham University Center
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Open Engagement Is a free international conference and platform to support socially engaged art that highlights the work of transdisciplinary artists, activists, students, scholars, community members, and organizations. The conference mission is to expand the dialogue around socially engaged art, as well as the structures and networks of support for artists working within the complex social issues and struggles of our time.
Open Engagement 2015 will bring together over 200 presenters from around the world to share their work centered around the theme of Place and Revolution and features keynote presenters Rick Lowe and Emily Jacir. The 2015 conference is co-presented by A Blade of Grass, the School of Art and College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry. Open Engagement will take place April 17–19.
The conference will also highlight the work of local Pittsburgh artists and organizations supporting, presenting, and creating social art through a series of catalytic grants made by The Sprout Fund to support projects and sites that will be activated throughout the city. It will culminate in a weekend of programming at Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Museum of Art, which will include presentations that activate the campus and the galleries.
In an effort to better support conference attendees and open up accessibilty, the conference has partnered with the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Education Department to provide an art camp to children of conference attendees on site selected times during the event. The camp for children aged 7–12 has limited spots; if you are interested in participating, please indicate it on your registration form. Camp registration will remain open until full. Though we provide space and activities for children, we do not require kids to remain only within these spaces. We ask all conference participants to be supportive of kids, parents, and caregivers wherever they are, as we do not discourage them from attending any part of the conference, including workshops.
The full conference schedule is now available online, and early bird registration is now open. Early registration offers the opportunity to support the conference, and varying levels of donation will receive perks such as OE in Print books, conference tote bags, and lunches at Conflict Kitchen.
To register and for full conference details, click here.
Keynote presenters bios
Emily Jacir
Emily Jacir’s work spans a diverse range of media and strategies including film, photography, social interventions, installation, performance, video, writing and sound. Jacir has shown extensively throughout Europe, the Americas and the Middle East since 1994.
Rick Lowe
Rick Lowe is an artist who resides in Houston, Texas. His formal training is in the visual arts. Over the past 20 years he has worked both inside and outside of art world institutions by participating in exhibitions and developing community based art projects. In 1993, Rick founded Project Row Houses, an arts and cultural community located in a historically significant and culturally charged neighborhood in Houston, Texas.
Partnering organizations
Ongoing Partner
A Blade of Grass
A Blade of Grass is a new funding non-profit that is dedicated to nurturing socially engaged art—an evolving field at the intersection of art and social change. We provide fellowship resources to artists who demonstrate artistic excellence, work actively in dialogue with communities at ambitious scale, and enact social change. And we create events and content in order to foster an inclusive, practical discourse about the aesthetics, function, ethics and meaning of socially engaged art.
2015 partners
The Carnegie Museum of Art
Carnegie Museum of Art is one of the most dynamic major art institutions in America. With our collection of more than 35,000 objects, and through our programming, exhibitions, and publications, we frequently explore the role of art and artists in confronting key social issues of our time. With our unique history and resources, we strive to become a leader in defining the role of art museums for the 21st century.
The School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University
The School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University considers, in practical and visionary terms, the role of art and the artist in society. It is the first program in the country to offer an undergraduate area of study in Contextual Practice, which engages students in experimental approaches to making art in the public realm.
The Sprout Fund
The Sprout Fund is Pittsburgh’s leading agency supporting innovative ideas, catalyzing community change, and making our region a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family. Sprout provides critical financial support for new initiatives, events, and organizations that help citizens take action on a pressing issue or enhance the cultural vitality of the Pittsburgh region.
The Office of Public Art
The Office of Public Art is a public-private partnership that provides technical assistance and educational programs about public art in the Pittsburgh region.
Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry
The Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University is a laboratory for atypical, anti-disciplinary, and inter-institutional research at the intersections of arts, science, technology and culture.
