The Challenge and Promises of American Democracy

Vision & Justice Now: The Challenge and Promises of American Democracy takes inspiration from Frederick Douglass’s Civil War speech “Pictures and Progress” about the transformative power of art and culture to inform and inspire dynamic new visions of democracy for our nation. Building on the 2019 Vision & Justice Convening at Harvard, organized by Sarah Lewis, which grappled with topics such as citizenship, algorithmic bias, and mass incarceration, and from the work of Sherrilyn Ifill, whose fellowship at the Museum of Modern Art, and creation of the 14th Amendment Center at Howard Law School explores the role of artists in reimagining democracy, the 2025 edition is designed as a platform to salute the visionaries working toward new approaches, ideas, and methods, and whose work supports a vision for dynamic collaboration that can meet the urgency of this time. We seek to celebrate and explore artistic and democratic work and thinking that sits squarely at the intersection of art and justice. From maps and monuments, to the meaning of citizenship and belonging, the democratic imagination and more, together we’ll engage over two days of presentations, conversations, and performances.