Philadelphia, PA – Join Moore College of Art & Design’s MA and MFA candidates in Socially Engaged Art for an online panel discussion with Philadelphia-based thought leaders and culture workers Thursday, April 16, 1–2 pm. Register for this online Zoom event at moore.edu/conversations.
This event will address ongoing issues of public access in Philadelphia, to resources such as transit, healthcare and the arts, and in direct conversation with people who are working in different ways to overcome real and perceived barriers. Questions will focus on the various strategies used by each panelist and their continued or changed relevance during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Panelists include:
- Emily Crane, Porch Light Program Administrator, Mural Arts Philadelphia
- Charlie Miller, Director of ACCESS, Art-Reach
- Beth Feldman Brandt, Executive Director, Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation
- Megan Voeller, Director of Humanities, Thomas Jefferson University
This event is designed by and features graduating students in the Socially Engaged Art program as part of their graduate thesis work: Camille O'Connor MA '20 (moderator), Sara Kleinert MFA '20 and Chelsey Webber-Brandis MFA '20. It is part of our ongoing Conversations@Moore public program series, organized by Moore College of Art & Design's Graduate Studies programs in Socially Engaged Art.
The creation of this event came out of the collaboration by the three students who have intersecting areas of work and research in relation to the event’s content. MA candidate Camille O’Connor is especially interested in the intersection that occurs between art and the fields of social work and activism, and how it can be harnessed to create public programming with the aim of enacting social change, especially in regards to public access. Public access, transportation and the blurring between work and non-work spaces propels the practice of MFA candidate Sara Kleinert, as it reveals the shifting political and social realities under which we all live. As an artist whose practice often explores disruptions to health and wellness, MFA candidate Chelsey Webber-Brandis was moved by the recent Hahnemann University Hospital closure to spend time thinking about community care and the lifespan of such work. In this current health crisis, the weight of this trauma is even more keenly felt.
MORE ABOUT THE FEATURED ARTISTS:
Camille O'Connor is originally from Pasadena, CA, and received her BA in Fine Art from UCLA, with an Art History minor. Currently, she studies Socially Engaged Art in Moore College’s Graduate Program. During her four-year stint at the Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles, she learned archival and registrar work, and has found a passion for art administration in her professional life. She has recently branched out into managerial work through working at People’s Light Theatre. She is a facilitator and an organizer of people. She believes in the art of making things happen, and is happy to be the person who forms creative spaces.
Sara Kleinert is a suburb-based artist, most recently making work stimulated by her 17.3-mile daily commute on the SEPTA Regional Rails. Utilizing diverse medium and ephemera from travel spaces, she explores the delineation between public and private. She received dual-BFA degrees in Studio Art and Scene Design in 2017 from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA.
Chelsey Webber-Brandis is a multi-media artist who engages the forms of performance, installation and collaboration to address issues around trauma and public health. Her recent work explores how the Hahnemann University Hospital closure affects at-risk populations in Philadelphia. She has a degree in dance and theatre arts from Long Beach City College in her home state of California and a BA in Fine Arts from Arcadia University in Glenside, PA.
