2025 ISLAA Plataforma Forum Keynote: Dr. Claudia Mattos Avolese

Schedule

Mon Nov 17 2025 at 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

CUNY Graduate Center | New York, NY

Advertisement
ISLAA Forum: Latin American and Latinx Art Pre-Dissertation Plataforma Keynote Lecture by Dr. Claudia Mattos Avolese
About this Event

2025 ISLAA Plataforma Forum Keynote Lecture: Dr. Claudia Mattos Avolese
Monday, November 17, 2025, 6-7:30pm
Skylight Room, 9th floor, The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY)
Reception to follow

'Artist Becoming': Community engagement in contemporary Indigenous art in Brazil

In 2023 the Brazilian Indigenous artist Denilson Baniwa was invited to create an artwork for the Octogono in the São Paulo Pinacoteca, one of the most prestigious art spaces for the arts in the city. Instead of a traditional art piece, he proposed to build a three-story high metal structure designed to host a series of community-based activities, spanning from Baniwa and Guarani language classes, to indigenous music and performances. As the structure was occupied, two colorful wings slowly spread out at each side to create the image of a gigantic butterfly, or Panapaná in Guarani. The work was titled Escola Panapaná, or Butterfly School. Denilson Baniwa is not alone in his recent engagement with community. Other Indigenous artists who entered the Brazilian art scene in the last few decades, such as Daiara Tukano, Jaider Esbell, Gustavo Caboco Wapishana, Gliceria Tupinambá, are equally reflecting on how to navigate the contemporary art world, while also building and maintaining meaningful relationship to their original communities. For most of these artists, community has become a major concern and an integral part of their work. This paper will look at some examples of why and how contemporary Indigenous artists in Brazil are focusing on community -based practices and offer some remarks on the challenges that this poses to Art History.



About Claudia Mattos Avolese

A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Claudia Mattos Avolese obtained her PhD in art history from the Free University in Berlin, Germany, and was an associate fellow at the Courtauld Institute in London for a year. In 2003 she became a professor for the history of art at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), in Brazil, where she taught visual culture and art history until moving to the United States in 2019. She was a visiting professor at Harvard University in 2017 and became a Senior Lecturer at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Tufts University in 2021. Dr. Mattos Avolese continues to collaborate with the Graduate Program in Art History and Visual Studies at UNICAMP, through a Getty Connecting Art Histories Grant. Her principal areas of interest are visual culture in Brazil, indigenous art, material culture, global art history and theory. Her recent research focuses on indigenous arts in Brazil, the imaginary of the forest and ecology. She has published widely on global exchanges in the 19th century, including scientific expeditions by explorers to Brazil, and the creation and development of art academies in South America. Additionally, she has published on connections between German art theory and 19th century visual culture in Brazil, and on the history of art history with special focus on Winckelmann and Aby Warburg. Her scholarly work has appeared in many peer review journals including, The Art Bulletin, Perspective, Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics, and the Journal of Art Historiography. Claudia Mattos Avolese was president of the Brazilian National Art History Committee (2013-2016) and is member of the directory board of the International Art History Committee (CIHA)


The Plataforma Keynote Lecture is generously supported by the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA) and is part of The ISLAA Forum: Latin American and Latinx Art Pre-Dissertation Plataforma, an annual event that provides support to CUNY Graduate Center doctoral students of Latin American and Latinx art and visual culture for the development of research projects and fosters an international network of scholars throughout the Americas.

Advertisement

Where is it happening?

CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 0.00

Ph.D. Program in Art History at the CUNY Graduate Center with support from the Institute for the Study of Latin American Art

Host or Publisher Ph.D. Program in Art History at the CUNY Graduate Center with support from the Institute for the Study of Latin American Art

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in New York

Disaster Chaplain Certification & Religious Literacy Training
Mon, 17 Nov at 09:00 am Disaster Chaplain Certification & Religious Literacy Training

New York Disaster Interfaith Services

WORKSHOPS SPIRITUAL
New York City Job Fair - New York City Career Fair
Mon, 17 Nov at 11:00 am New York City Job Fair - New York City Career Fair

New York City

JOB-FAIRS VIRTUAL-RUN
Gila Stopler Lecture
Mon, 17 Nov at 04:00 pm Gila Stopler Lecture

14A Washington Mews

Wedding Salon Luxury Wedding Showcase
Mon, 17 Nov at 05:00 pm Wedding Salon Luxury Wedding Showcase

Hard Rock Hotel New York

ART
WWE Raw Tickets
Mon, 17 Nov at 06:30 pm WWE Raw Tickets

Madison Square Garden

ENTERTAINMENT
WWE Monday Night RAW at Madison Square Garden
Mon, 17 Nov WWE Monday Night RAW at Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

ENTERTAINMENT
Luigi Ballerini, Leonardo's Eels
Mon, 17 Nov at 06:30 pm Luigi Ballerini, Leonardo's Eels

SVA, 133 W 21st St

ART LITERARY-ART
Eliane Elias
Mon, 17 Nov at 07:00 pm Eliane Elias

Birdland Jazz Club

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Startups Fund Raising Program
Fri, 18 Sep at 01:00 pm Startups Fund Raising Program

New York

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
THE ORIGINAL IMPROV 4 KIDS Off Broadway Live from Times Square
Sat, 10 Apr at 03:00 pm THE ORIGINAL IMPROV 4 KIDS Off Broadway Live from Times Square

Broadway Comedy Club

COMEDY ART
NYC Blockchain Network Meetup @ Yara
Thu, 17 Feb at 05:00 pm NYC Blockchain Network Meetup @ Yara

Yara

MEETUPS BUSINESS
MINDSHOP\u2122\ufe0f| AI FOR ALL
Sat, 16 Apr at 06:00 pm MINDSHOP™️| AI FOR ALL

Your Laptop

ART ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE
Human Resources &  the Education Industry
Tue, 01 Nov at 03:00 pm Human Resources & the Education Industry

199 Water St

WORKSHOPS BUSINESS
If you Travel & Live Luxe in New York, NY You Need to Own a Travel Biz!
Mon, 08 Apr at 10:00 pm If you Travel & Live Luxe in New York, NY You Need to Own a Travel Biz!

Hilton Garden Inn New York/Central Park South-Midtown West

WORKSHOPS BUSINESS
Launch Your Own Successful AI App | AI Startup | Workshop 2025
Tue, 30 Apr at 01:00 pm Launch Your Own Successful AI App | AI Startup | Workshop 2025

Regus Office

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
All Aboard XLence Xpress (CREATING YOUR DREAM LIFE!!!)
Mon, 27 Jan at 07:00 pm All Aboard XLence Xpress (CREATING YOUR DREAM LIFE!!!)

Hilton Garden Inn New York/Central Park South-Midtown West

HEALTH MATTERS in HARLEM at NAMA-  WINTER\/ SPRING 2025
Sun, 23 Feb at 04:00 pm HEALTH MATTERS in HARLEM at NAMA- WINTER/ SPRING 2025

New Amsterdam Music Association Harlem, West 130th Street, New York, NY, USA

HEALTH-WELLNESS WORKSHOPS
The State of Crypto 2025: Crypto Startups Roadshow
Thu, 20 Mar at 10:00 am The State of Crypto 2025: Crypto Startups Roadshow

New York Stock Exchange

BUSINESS VIRTUAL
Thriving in Ministry Retreats 2025
Fri, 09 May at 10:00 am Thriving in Ministry Retreats 2025

City Seminary of New York

ART
Harlem Arts Alliance Townhall Meeting
Fri, 23 May at 10:00 am Harlem Arts Alliance Townhall Meeting

Harlem School of the Arts

MEETUPS ART

What's Happening Next in New York?

Discover New York Events