An extraordinary week dedicated to social activism and the arts. The work of Ai Weiwei will be on view in our gallery, and his visit will include a conversation and screening of Human Flow, his documentary on the global refugee crisis. The week includes workshops by writers and artists whose work focuses on social and political issues, including the environment, climate change, gun violence, racial violence, police brutality, violence against women, racial equity, homophobia, and immigration, all through the lens of creative action. Evening events include a keynote address, faculty readings and artist talks, and student readings and open studios.

Masha Gessen is a staff writer at the New Yorker and the author of several books, including, The Future is History (Riverhead/Penguin Random House), winner of the 2017 National Book Award for Nonfiction and finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin. The recipient of numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Carnegie Fellowship, Gessen teaches at Amherst College and lives in New York City.