The Brooklyn Conference explores the intersections of art and social justice, shining a light on what unites and separates us as a nation, and in hopes of inspiring a more connected, civic, and empathetic world. Join us for some creative thinking about social change. The first day of the conference includes a full day of programming with stand-alone lectures, panel discussions, dynamic conversations, and performances, followed by a reception.

Schedule:

• 8:30–9:30 am Registration in the Rubin Lobby
• 9:30 am–8:15 pm Program in the Cantor Auditorium—View the full schedule.
• Reception to follow

Conference tickets are $65–$150. Student and artist discounts ($25–$85) are available by emailing tickets@brooklynmuseum.org. Limited number of tickets available. Because programming runs all day with limited breaks, we highly recommend purchasing a boxed lunch ($19 per day), and joining other attendees to eat lunch in our Beaux-Arts Court.

Day 1 speakers:

• Keynote: U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D ‒ New York)
• Tania Bruguera, artist
• Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, rap artist
• Claudia Rankine, writer
• Marc Bamuthi Joseph, artist
• Linda Sarsour, co-founder, Women’s March on Washington
• Hank Willis Thomas, artist
• Murad Awawdeh, Director of Political Engagement, New York Immigration Coalition
• Felipe Baeza, artist
• Cleo Barnett, Program Director, Amplifier
• Bob Bland, co-founder, Women’s March on Washington
• Rashida Bumbray, curator, choreographer
• Katie Cappiello, teacher, writer, director
• Richard Cook, architect
• Joyce S. Dubensky, CEO, Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
• Sam Durant, artist
• Sarah Sophie Flicker, activist and performer
• Coco Fusco, artist and writer
• Alicia Garza, co-founder, Black Lives Matter
• Jeffrey Gibson, artist
• Jodi A. Gillette, President Barack Obama’s special assistant for Native American affairs
• Ebony Noelle Golden, founder and CEO, Betty’s Daughter Arts Collaborative
• Kevin Gover, Director, Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
• Kemi Ilesanmi, Executive Director, The Laundromat Project
• Sally Kohn, CNN political commentator and columnist
• Anjali Kumar, Chief People Officer and General Counsel, Cheddar, Inc.
• Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand and Experience Officer, Planned Parenthood
• Shaun Leonardo, artist
• Sade Lythcott, CEO, National Black Theatre
• Paola Mendoza, filmmaker and Artistic Director, Women’s March on Washington
• Our Bodies Ourselves
• Carmen Papalia, artist
• Brenda Rosen, President and CEO, Breaking Ground
• Antwaun Sargent, writer
• Alvin Starks, Open Society Foundations
• Neera Tanden, President, Center for American Progress
• Reverend Eric Thomas, Siloam Presbyterian Church of Bed-Stuy 
• Rabbi Rachel Timoner, Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope
• Touré, cultural critic and writer 
• Roberta Uno, theater director; founder, ArtChangeUS: Arts in a Changing America
• Beau Willimon, screenwriter, creator of House of Cards

Generous support for The Brooklyn Conference has been provided by Open Society Foundations.