This symposium will examine the visual and material culture of social justice movements in the United States. Illustrated scholarly presentations will explore artistic expressions deployed to foster social, political, economic, and cultural change.

The years 2019 and 2020 mark significant anniversaries in the history of social justice movements in the United States, commemorating the many reform campaigns that have taken place from the 19th century to the present, including abolition/antislavery, women’s rights, and the civil rights movements for the African-American, LGBTQ, Native American, and disability communities. These campaigns sought political, social, economic, and cultural change, and they all deployed visual and material culture to advance their goals. The 2020 Wellesley-Deerfield Symposium will focus on research related to the wide range of artistic expression generated by social justice movements, from painting, sculpture, public performance, and installation to ephemera, costume, and craft.

Generously supported by: the Barra Foundation.

Image Credit: Wellesley College Archives
Image Caption: Wellesley students marching in a 1915 suffrage parade