This event will also stream online. REGISTER HERE.
Our communities in Vermont include diverse cultures influenced by immigrant and refugee communities. We can think about some as cultures of diaspora, a word referring to a group of people dispersed beyond their traditional homeland or point of origin. What are some examples of diaspora culture here and now? How do creators bridge artistic, historical, and linguistic traditions to the new conditions and possibilities they encounter here?
Pablo Bose, a UVM researcher working with immigrant-serving organizations, moderates a lively conversation with Negina Azimi and Abdullah Hafizi of the global arts collective ArtLords (originally based in Afghanistan) and exhibiting artist Paula Higa (Brazil/US). Following our program, we will stay open until 8 pm for an informal reception. Co-sponsored by UVM Global and Regional Studies.
Biographical Notes
Panel moderator Pablo Bose is Professor of Geography and Geosciences and Director of Global and Regional Studies at the University of Vermont. He is a migration scholar and urban geographer whose work focuses on refugees and resettlement in North America and Europe, cities of the global south, the politics of food access, and environmental displacement.
Artist and activist Negina Azimi joined the ArtLords collective in 2017 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Today many members live outside the country, and the collective has redefined itself more globally. Now based in Vermont, Azimi holds a degree in law and brings a strong interest in human rights and social empowerment to discussions of public art.
Abdullah Hafizi is an artivist with ArtLords, a group originally founded in Afghanistan and now existing as a global art collective. They are known for creating murals and paintings dedicated to social justice, psychological awareness, and change. Hafizi is the curator at the nonprofit arts organization Epsilon Spires. He has collaborated and partnered with Brattleboro Museum and Arts Center and other institutions and businesses. Hafizi currently lives in southern Vermont.
Paula Higa is a Brazilian-born American choreographer and movement artist whose works operate at intersections between dance and the visual arts. Recognitions include Best Screendance in Los Angeles; the Genres and Performances Film Festival, Portugal; Diorama International Film Festival, India; IMARP, Brazil; ARFF - Around International Film Festival, Germany; and more. Higa is Assistant Professor and Resident Choreographer for the School of the Arts Dance Program at the University of Vermont.
Hospitality sponsors, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Farrell Distributing, and William Hill Estate Winery. Here Now: Art and Migration is sponsored in part by the Maslow Family Foundation. Burlington City Arts is supported in part by The Vermont Arts Council & the National Endowment for the Arts.
