In a deeply polarized country, one of the greatest and hardest acts of civic engagement is talking to people who don’t share our beliefs. But that’s exactly what we need to do if we want to solve the social and political problems our country faces and if we want to create a society in which everyone flourishes.

Strengthening our social bonds happens when we begin to care about each other again, when we are in relationship with one another. That begins with a conversation. Philippa Pham Hughes, social practice artist, cultural strategist, and curator will share what she has learned from organizing such conversations since December 2016. She applies relational thinking, practical experience, and social science-based research to design space that invites honesty, curiosity, and understanding. She will share the ways in which she uses multi-media arts and culture as tools to spark and frame difficult dialogues.

Hughes will return to campus in the Spring to continue the conversation, helping us contemplate through dialogue and art what it means to flourish—both as individuals and as a community. Co-sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement and the Van Every/Smith Galleries.