A conversation featuring University of Chicago Board Chair David M. Rubenstein and Pulitzer Prize winning author and playwright Ayad Akhtar.
When commissioned to write a poem for an untitled sculpture by Pablo Picasso, the legendary Chicago poet Gwendolyn Brooks included the harrowing lines “Art hurts. Art urges voyages—and it is easier to stay at home.” How do we square the tendency for artistic creation to disturb and provoke while extending free expression to artists of all types? We value art within our democratic tradition, despite its provocations. What role does it play within our democracy? How might it surface hard questions? Why not just take Brooks’ easier path and stay at home?
This event was livestreamed on Friday, October 6, 2023, at the David Rubenstein Forum, Friedman Hall, at the University of Chicago campus.
Inaugural forum playlist: • Launch of the Chicago Forum for Free ...
About the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression
The University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression builds on our historic commitment and practices to provide a focal point for understanding and applying free expression, in academia and in the broader culture, in the United States and abroad. The Forum's mission is to promote the understanding, practice and advancement of free and open discourse, in collaboration with faculty and the broader university community.
Learn more:
https://thechicagoforum.uchicago.edu/
