Culture at the Front

This event is part of the , presented in partnership with Critical Minded.

Right-wing authoritarianism and institutional capitulation have become unavoidable facts of life in the United States, giving rise to questions about the role of artists and writers in organizing the opposition. How might cultural workers not only join forces with activists and unions, but reshape the culture so as to bring the masses on board? Many have turned to the culture front—the post-Depression movement to fight fascism, war, and racism in art, film, and literature, as well as on the streets—as a template. In The Cultural Front: The Laboring of American Culture in the Twentieth Century (1996), Michael Denning argues that the movement contributed not only to the invigoration of democracy but to the “proletarianization” of the nation’s self-image through art.

How can the struggles and debates of the 1930s guide cultural workers in responding to the current crises? For Culture at the Front, Denning will consider this question alongside the artist-organizers Kay Gabriel, Amirtha Kidambi, and Jackson Polys (New Red Order), who will reflect on their own experiences in organizing for economic equality, racial justice, Palestinian liberation, and indigenous futures. Following brief presentations by each participant, Triple Canopy contributing editor Ciarán Finlayson will moderate a discussion.

Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee entry if the event reaches capacity before you arrive. Roulette is wheelchair-accessible. Email Zack Wilks, Deputy Director, for more information: [email protected].

Worker Coffee will be on site selling coffee and tea. Tapes, publications, and wares will be available from PTP.

Beverages have been graciously provided by Grimm Artisanal Ales, Narragansett Brewing Company, and Zev Rovine Selections.

Participants
Michael Denning is the author of Noise Uprising: The Audiopolitics of a World Musical Revolution (2015); Culture in the Age of Three Worlds (2004); and The Cultural Front: The Laboring of American Culture in the Twentieth Century (1997); among other texts. He is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of American Studies and Professor of English and Ethnicity, Race & Migration at Yale University.

Ciarán Finlayson is a contributing editor at Triple Canopy and the Communications Director at the Fiscal Policy Institute.

Kay Gabriel is a writer and organizer based in New York. She’s the author of A Queen in Bucks County (Nightboat, 2022) and Kissing Other People or the House of Fame (Nightboat, 2023). With Andrea Abi-Karam, she co-edited We Want It All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics (Nightboat, 2020). Her books have been nominated for Lambda Literary and Publishing Triangle awards. She’s received fellowships from PEN America, Lambda Literary, The Poetry Project, and Princeton University.

Amirtha Kidambi is a Brooklyn-based vocalist, improviser, and composer and the leader of the defiant protest jazz band Elder Ones. She has collaborated with Luke Stewart, Darius Jones, Mary Halvorson, William Parker, and other groundbreaking artists and toured internationally. Kidambi is also an activist and organizer working against oppression in all its forms, as well as an educator who teaches critical practice courses in Sonic Arts at Brooklyn College.

Jackson Polys is a multidisciplinary artist belonging to Tlingit territory who lives and works between what is currently called Alaska and New York. He is a core contributor to the New Red Order, a public secret society who, with an interdisciplinary network of Informants, coproduce video, performance, and installation works that confront desires for indigeneity, settler colonial tendencies, and obstacles to Indigenous growth and agency.

About the Symposium
Triple Canopy’s annual symposium is a manifestation of the magazine’s concerns and collaborations, in person and in real time. The two-day gathering brings together artists, writers, performers, and researchers to address the role of culture in responding (or contributing) to a range of critical issues.

The 2025 Triple Canopy Symposium is presented in partnership with Critical Minded and hosted by Roulette. All Symposium programming will be livestreamed by Roulette.

Host or Publisher Triple Canopy