Public Arts for the Public Good

Register now for Public Arts for the Public Good, on April 11th, 2026, 11:00 am - 3:30 pm in Studio 3B at the Contemplative Sciences Center. This event seeks to convene students, faculty, and practitioners to explore Public Service Pathways’ topical pathways– Global Sustainability, Public Interest Technology, Diplomacy & Security, Justice, Education, and Public Health through the lens of its seventh pathway, Public Arts. The event will demonstrate how the arts can illuminate the power of public service across these various pathways, but also how art can function as service in itself.

The day will consist of small performances, exhibited research & work, and conversations around how the arts and service are deeply interconnected at the University and the resulting implications for democracy, self-expression, and community self-determination at an interdisciplinary scale that reaches far beyond grounds.

Lunch will be provided for attendees, provided they register for at least one programming session. If you plan on joining us for the lunch break, please make sure to select a Lunch Registration ticket in addition to your session registrations.

Schedule

Morning Session

11:00-11:15 AM | Opening Remarks

Maggie Polistina & Cole Rozwadowski, UVA Public Service Pathways Student Advisory Council Public Arts Co-Leads

11:15-12:00 PM | Screening of Multiple Choice & Discussion

Discussion with film subject and UVA student, Liz Imoh

12:00-12:40 PM | Student Dance Performance & African (Ghanaian) Drumming and Dance Workshop

Emma Block, UVA Arts Council Distinguished Artist in Dance

Prof. Michelle Kisliuk, Associate Professor of Music, + Students

12:40-1:20 PM | Lunch Break

Afternoon Session

1:20-2:10 PM | Pushing Boundaries with Public Arts Panel

Prof. AB Brown, Associate Professor of Drama

Mike Ellison, Karsh Institute of Democracy Distinguished Fellow in Culture and Democracy

Prof. Sanda Iliescu, Professor of Architecture with Appointment in Studio Art

Prof. Schaeffer Somers, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Public Health

Moderated by Dr. C.L. Bohannon, Associate Professor in the Landscape Architecture Department and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Community Engagement, and Mahir Parmar, UVA Public Service Pathways Student Advisory Council Public Interest Technology Co-Lead

2:10-3:15 PM | Keynote Discussion with Prof. Mabel O. Wilson

Prof. Mabel O. Wilson is the Nancy and George Rupp Professor of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, a Professor in African American and African Diasporic Studies, and the Director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies (IRAAS) at Columbia University.

Facilitated by Riley LeBon, UVA Public Service Pathways Student Advisory Council Education Co-Lead

3:15-3:30 PM | Closing Remarks

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher UVA Public Service Pathways