Lecture 1 "Art and Radical Hospitality"

What is the role of art and artists in the face of human suffering? This lecture considers that question, focusing on Chicana (Mexican American) artist Sandy Rodriguez’s 2019 installation You Will Not Be Forgotten. Dwelling on her series of seven portraits of Central American children who died in US Customs and Border Protection in 2018 and 2019, I contextualize her art in relation to global migration crises. Investigation of Rodriguez’s work in relation to theories of memory, postmemory, and trauma elucidate the power of art to inspire empathy. How can art enact radical hospitality?