Wednesday, November 6, 6:00PM
Brookens Auditorium
Creative Practice for Social Change
Artist Talk & Discussion
Co-Sponsored by and held in conjunction with an exhibit
at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery
John Early will share images from his studio art practice while discussing
projects that engage deeply with the cultural and social landscapes of
various communities. Through his site-based work, he explores issues of
spatial injustice, urban renewal, and community identity. By addressing
topics like the anti-Black racism underlying the absence of basketball courts
in St. Louis’s Forest Park and the human toll of urban renewal in the St. Louis
Place neighborhood, Early's work highlights the importance of
understanding and respecting diverse cultural perspectives. His projects
serve as a catalyst for dialogue, advocating for spatial equity, racial justice,
and the preservation of community memory. By engaging with issues of
social justice and community empowerment, Early contributes to ongoing
conversations about the complexities of social change and collective action.
John Early is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose site-based work explores
the textures, layers, and histories of place. His recent work addresses power
structures of inequity, often in connection with sports and recreation. Over
the past five years, his work has focused on spatial injustice in the
recreational landscape of St. Louis’s public parks.
In addition to participating in public projects based in Chicago, St. Louis, and
Florence, Italy, Early has exhibited widely across the Midwest and nationally.
He is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual
Arts at Washington University in St. Louis and is a Faculty Affiliate at the
University’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity.
