MICA and The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) are pleased to present an artist talk with For Freedoms Project Co-Founder and MICA’s Creative Citizenship Fellow Hank Willis Thomas, who will speak to the relationship of his artistic practice, civic engagement, community building, and the role of the creative community in fostering a more civil society. The event begins with a reception at 5 p.m. and is followed by the artist talk at 6 p.m.

This presentation is part of the BMA’s ongoing event series, The Necessity of Tomorrow(s), which invites nationally and internationally acclaimed artists and thinkers to Baltimore for conversations on art, race, and justice. The series borrows its title from an essay by science fiction author Samuel Delany who argues for the role of creative speculation in making a more just future. The BMA is encouraging communities throughout Baltimore to come together for these creative conversations. The Necessity of Tomorrow(s) is generously sponsored by Suzanne F. Cohen and the Cohen Opportunity Fund.

About Hank Willis Thomas: Thomas is a conceptual artist, who often works with photography to explore themes related to identity, history, and popular culture. He received a B.F.A. in photography and Africana studies from New York University, an M.F.A./M.A. in photography and visual criticism from the California College of Arts, and an honorary doctorate from MICA. Thomas’s monograph, Pitch Blackness, was published by Aperture. He has exhibited internationally at such venues as the International Center of Photography, New York; Public Art Fund, New York; The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain; Studio Museum in Harlem; Musée du Quai Branly, Paris; and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Wednesday, Oct. 17, 5–7:30 p.m. // MICA | Falvey Hall | Brown Center | 1301 W Mt Royal Ave.

Admission is free. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.