hosted by Shanté Paradigm
featuring work by #ajmia American Justice Missing in Action, Aurin Squire, Betty T. Kao, Chris Tyler, Jesse Phillips-Fein, Matt Sheridan, Michael Milligan, Movement of the People Dance Company, santiago venegas, Sara Lyons, and screaMachine

From Obama to Occupy: Works of Outrage from 2008-2012 is a sequel to the 2009 hit show, Requiem for W, Overture for O: Works of Conscience from 2000-2008. This event marked the end of the Bush era by celebrating how artists responded to the policies of the Bush Administration while encouraging continued action towards justice. The pieces move beyond simply bashing President Bush and heralding President-elect Obama. Instead, they provided reflection on how we survived, commemoration for those who didn't, critical thought about the role of artists in activism, and information about how to become involved in local organizations that are working on issues of social justice.

Even before we knew the outcome of the 2012 election, there was a vital need to reflect on how artists had responded to Obama and the political events of the past four years. By looking at what artists have created, we gain a new frame for understanding the unique challenges for political debate and presidential critique brought on by Obama's first term. Obama's election highlighted racial discourse in various ways: contentious debates about a "post-racial society", racist attacks by the Right, conflicting and ambivalent responses from the Left, and the differing emotions, expectations, achievements, and disappointments that his term has had for white people and people of color. From Obama to Occupy: Works of Outrage from 2008-2012 generates a space for art to be a powerful platform to engage deeply with the contradictions and questions that Obama's presidency has raised.