Thursday, November 19, 2020; 6pm PST
40 minute talk followed by 30 minutes of public conversation broadcast live at thelab.org
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Join Maria Jenson, executive director of SOMARTS, in conversation with artist George McCalman, for her distinct and unfiltered perspective on the landscape of Bay Area arts institutions as we move through 2020, a fraught year of the pandemic and racial reckoning.

Maria Jenson is recognized as a leader in the arts for advancing innovative strategies to sustain creative communities in the midst of rapidly changing urban environments. As Creative and Executive Director of SOMArts, Jenson has deepened the organization’s commitment to racial equity, creating clear pathways for Bay Area artists to cultivate new ideas and grow their careers. Through her leadership, Jenson has expanded SOMArts’ public programs, advanced new public-private partnerships, and fostered groundbreaking exhibitions such as The Black Woman is God, The Third Muslim: Queer and Trans* Muslim Narratives of Resistance and Resilience, and many more. These projects represent SOMArts’ commitment to incubating the growth and careers of Bay Area artists and curators.

Prior to joining SOMArts, Jenson was a key member of the SFMOMA External Relations team during the museum’s expansion and was the Founding Director of ArtPadSF, an independent art fair launched in the Tenderloin at the Phoenix Hotel in 2010. A graduate of the 2018 Getty Foundation Executive Leadership Institute, Jenson is a sought-after thought leader on the role of cultural institutions advocating for a more democratic and equitable society.

After 14 years as a creative director in the magazine industry, working at highly respected magazines like Entertainment Weekly, Mother Jones and Readade, George McCalman opened the doors to his own practice in 2011. MCCALMAN.CO is a design studio built on the foundation of editorial expertise, bold brand messaging, and personal relationships; his editorial background gives him a unique perspective on commercial branding. In 2016, he recalibrated his professional life by embracing the artists’ path. He now incorporates all aspects of his creative interests into his studio practice, working as a visual journalist, commercial illustrator, and fine artist; in addition to his various branding projects. He is a culture columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. His first book ‘Illustrated Black History’ will be published summer 2021 by Harper Collins.

The Forum is an experiment in creating discourse within the context of isolation. Art creates a space for reconsidering our knowledge across various social and professional fields. It asks us: Why do we perceive things the way we do? What are we living for? How can we reimagine our relationships to the human and non-human world? The Forum proposes that the project of freedom is a project of making a world with others. So, we invite you to help us answer: what can we do now?

Please bring your ideas, proposals, questions to discuss following the talk.