2015 Biennial of the Americas

Now!

July, 14 – September 7, 2015

Artistic Director and Curator: Lauren Wright

Now is complex
Now is hopeful
Now is a revolution
And a revelation
Now is when we converge
Now is what we do next

Today, we stand on shifting ground, with one foot in a new geological era and
one foot lingering on the structures of the past. Our relationships to people,
information, nature and technology are reinventing how we live. Now holds
tremendous promise and also potential peril.

The 2015 Biennial of the Americas will dive deep into our present circumstances,
seeking to understand the contexts, conditions, and challenges that exist across
the western hemisphere today. From this position of knowledge we will develop a
platform for action toward a better-informed future.

The 2015 Biennial will assemble people (and their work) from across the
Americas who are wrestling with the present in different contexts. Prominent
leaders from diverse realms—government, business, culture, nonprofits—will be
featured in a series of public symposia focusing on three aspects of Now:
Generation Now!, Community Now!, and Business Now! Scientists, artists,
planners, entrepreneurs and other practitioners will engage in in-depth working
sessions that will develop a platform for action in the Americas. Throughout the
summer, the city of Denver will be alive with the work of artists who are exploring
the present in their home communities across the Americas.

Generation Now! will feature the latest generation of innovators and leaders as
they begin to impact the business, cultural and social spheres. On this day, we
will explore new modes of education, business participation and activism that
have been born of the technological age and meet some of the hemisphere’s
most exciting leaders under the age of 35.

Community Now! examines the pressing shared issues we face in the Americas,
including natural resource use, drug policy, and the health of people and
communities. The day will examine innovative efforts to affect these issues and
feature leaders who are breaking through difficult challenges by marshaling new
tools and ways of thinking.

Business Now! considers some of today’s most important trade-related issues,
including immigration, energy reform, and food security. The day will work to
foster new collaborations and solutions to assure a broad and prosperous
economic future in the Americas.

Additional special areas of interest under the “Now!” theme for 2015

• The relationship between art and politics
• Homelessness and shelter
• Indigenous peoples in the Americas
• Collaboration and technology
• Migration and patria (the notion of “homeland” or “fatherland”)