Related Interest
Practicing In Public
“A reminder that the public is not an audience to be managed but a messy place where art, life and politics collide . . . a hopeful map of how artists might continue to practice together.”
—Ed Woodham“Part-manual, part-chronicle, this thoughtful collection by critically and socially engaged artists offers inspiration and scaffolding for change-making in their own contexts and on their own terms.”
—Laura Raicovichabout the bookabout
Practicing in Public gathers a vital new body of conversations and interviews emerging from Social Practice CUNY, a network of artists, organizers, and educators working with communities beyond the university, predominantly across New York City, to confront the most urgent questions of our time. Contributors span staff, collaborators, and faculty and graduate students across the CUNY system, reflecting a wide range of disciplines, lived experiences, and political commitments.
Across these exchanges, artists and practitioners explore activist organizing, coalition building, environmental and economic justice, art and climate change, unruly queer archives, and the role of cultural work in an era of overlapping crises. Grounded in real-world projects addressing immigration, affordable housing, information sharing, and climate response, the book asks a central question: What futures become imaginable through interdisciplinary, socially engaged practice?
Edited and introduced by Catherine LaSota, the anthology draws inspiration from SPCUNY Fellows’ projects, cross-institutional collaborations, and conversations from the podcast Part of the Practice. Together, these dialogues document the possibilities, frictions, and contradictions of working publicly—within and against institutional constraints—while offering concrete models for collaboration and collective action.
Deeply rooted in the largest urban public education system in the United States, City University of New York, Practicing in Public is both a record of experiential learning and a provocation: a field guide for artists, students, organizers, and cultural workers seeking new ways to practice, organize, and imagine a shared future as old systems fracture.
“A valuable resource for generations to come . . .offers insight into the challenges and possibilities of socially engaged practice. More than a record of projects, the book captures the questions that continue to shape the field.”
—Rick Lowe
“A call to gather and a vital resource for socially engaged art practice . . . emphasizes traversing silos within and around public institutions and offers conversations as seeds for new questions and forms of collective work.”
—Alex Strada
“A journey of success stories where dialogue, shared meals, and collaboration are the prize. Conversations with social practice artists devoted to sharing, justice, eating, and healing as art: everybody wins.”
—Linda Mary Montano
About The Author / Editor
The Social Practice CUNY (2021-2027) educational network amplifies the collective power of socially engaged artists, scholars, and advocates throughout the City University of New York’s rich tapestry of faculty, staff, and students working for social justice. Based at the CUNY Graduate Center and co-directed by Chloë Bass and Gregory Sholette, SPCUNY’s theory of educational transformation fosters structures for diverse creative leaders who will empower New York City as an inclusive, justice-driven cultural landscape. This initiative is funded by the Mellon Foundation.
Preview
Coming Soon
in the media
Related Interest
Related Interest
Practicing In Public
“A reminder that the public is not an audience to be managed but a messy place where art, life and politics collide . . . a hopeful map of how artists might continue to practice together.”
—Ed Woodham“Part-manual, part-chronicle, this thoughtful collection by critically and socially engaged artists offers inspiration and scaffolding for change-making in their own contexts and on their own terms.”
—Laura Raicovichabout the bookabout
Practicing in Public gathers a vital new body of conversations and interviews emerging from Social Practice CUNY, a network of artists, organizers, and educators working with communities beyond the university, predominantly across New York City, to confront the most urgent questions of our time. Contributors span staff, collaborators, and faculty and graduate students across the CUNY system, reflecting a wide range of disciplines, lived experiences, and political commitments.
Across these exchanges, artists and practitioners explore activist organizing, coalition building, environmental and economic justice, art and climate change, unruly queer archives, and the role of cultural work in an era of overlapping crises. Grounded in real-world projects addressing immigration, affordable housing, information sharing, and climate response, the book asks a central question: What futures become imaginable through interdisciplinary, socially engaged practice?
Edited and introduced by Catherine LaSota, the anthology draws inspiration from SPCUNY Fellows’ projects, cross-institutional collaborations, and conversations from the podcast Part of the Practice. Together, these dialogues document the possibilities, frictions, and contradictions of working publicly—within and against institutional constraints—while offering concrete models for collaboration and collective action.
Deeply rooted in the largest urban public education system in the United States, City University of New York, Practicing in Public is both a record of experiential learning and a provocation: a field guide for artists, students, organizers, and cultural workers seeking new ways to practice, organize, and imagine a shared future as old systems fracture.
“A valuable resource for generations to come . . .offers insight into the challenges and possibilities of socially engaged practice. More than a record of projects, the book captures the questions that continue to shape the field.”
—Rick Lowe
“A call to gather and a vital resource for socially engaged art practice . . . emphasizes traversing silos within and around public institutions and offers conversations as seeds for new questions and forms of collective work.”
—Alex Strada
“A journey of success stories where dialogue, shared meals, and collaboration are the prize. Conversations with social practice artists devoted to sharing, justice, eating, and healing as art: everybody wins.”
—Linda Mary Montano
About The Author / Editor
The Social Practice CUNY (2021-2027) educational network amplifies the collective power of socially engaged artists, scholars, and advocates throughout the City University of New York’s rich tapestry of faculty, staff, and students working for social justice. Based at the CUNY Graduate Center and co-directed by Chloë Bass and Gregory Sholette, SPCUNY’s theory of educational transformation fosters structures for diverse creative leaders who will empower New York City as an inclusive, justice-driven cultural landscape. This initiative is funded by the Mellon Foundation.
Preview
Coming Soon