Lea Rekow, Gigantic ArtSpace
Marc Lepson
Dread Scott

This year, engagé is all the rage. There was Artforum magazine—which devoted an entire issue to examining new trends in political art. There was the Whitney Museum’s film screening series, “War! Protest in America.” And then there were galleries galore that collected group shows of activist art during the Republican National Convention.

But many artists worry about whether lily-white galleries and museums can ever connect to the real world in the street and on the ground. Are there compelling reasons to make work for galleries where it will only be experienced by a small, self-selected, probably already sympathetic audience? How can artists navigate the gallery system while still creating meaningful work for diverse audiences? What about gallery-based curatorial projects—how can you create curatorial projects that defy expectations? If you can’t make people protest, can you at least make them think?

In this panel, curator and filmmaker Lea Rekow will discuss her experiences as director of Gigantic ArtSpace, a progressive Tribeca gallery. Curator and visual artist Marc Lepson will talk about his work with such loose collectives as Artists Network of Refuse and Resist! on public projects as well as his own experiences navigating the gallery scene. Dread Scott will his diverse practices as a multidisciplinary artist whose work for museums and galleries draws media attention and incites public discussion.