The Protest Archive: A Conversation on Advocacy, Art, and Dissent

Join us for a conversation between artist and curator Julie Ault and archivist Julie Herrada as we celebrate the opening of American Sampler: Activating the Archive, UMMA’s new landmark exhibition. Together, they’ll discuss how archival research, curatorial practice, and artistic vision come together in the exhibit to illuminate histories of dissent that continue to influence the social landscape of the United States. Registration required (see above).

The exhibit centers on 1950s – 1970s movements for Black freedom, civil rights, and antiwar activism, clarifying the aspirations and effects as well as the violent opposition these movements encountered. It invites visitors to examine how legacies of grassroots organizing and protest in U.S. history shape the present. 

Julie Ault is an artist and writer whose practice explores how histories are retold and their influence on the present. Working across exhibition-making, research, publication, and archiving, she examines how cultural production is shaped by and can intervene in social and political systems.

Julie Herrada is the curator of the Joseph A. Labadie Collection at the U-M Library’s Special Collections Research Center, overseeing materials on international social protest movements.

This Penny Stamps event from the U-M Stamps School of Art and Design is presented in partnership with the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

This project was made possible by a grant from the U-M Arts Initiative. Penny Stamps Series presenting partners include: Detroit PBS, ALL ARTS, and PBS Books. Media partner: Michigan Public.