Fall 2021 Arts & Cultural Affairs Forum

SMC Public Policy Institute and SMC Associated Students to Host 2021 (Mostly Virtual) Fall Arts and Cultural Affairs Forum November 8-December 5

SANTA MONICA, CA — The Santa Monica College Public Policy Institute (PPI) and the SMC Associated Students will present the 2021 (Mostly Virtual) Fall Arts and Cultural Affairs Forum November 8-December 5. The theme for this year’s community forum is “Curating Civic Goodness: How Do Arts and Culture Drive Policy Change?”

The Fall Arts and Cultural Affairs Forum will present virtual talks and panel discussions highlighting the importance of the performing and visual arts in — and to — society, especially as it strives to ​recover from the many COVID-19 effects and moments of social and racial reckoning it is experiencing. Expression through the arts can influence ideas and change perceptions, and augment community advocacy that can make change happen. Forum events also include live, in-theater dance performances for audiences ranging from fifth graders to adults.

All forum events are open to the public, and most events are free. Talks and panel discussions will be held live online using the Zoom platform or as prerecorded presentations on YouTube. A link to each online event will be available on the event date on the SMC Events calendar at smc.edu/calendar shortly before the event begins. All presentations are subject to change without notice.

“As the pandemic continues to impact our lives in ways none of us had imagined, it’s clearer and clearer to me that the arts and the people who make art need to be in close contact with those who are making public policy in these challenging times. This year’s annual PPI Arts Forum is designed to do just that,” said PPI co-director and SMC political science professor Dr. Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein.

The 2021 Fall Arts and Cultural Affairs Forum events include:

• November 1-30: Online Art Exhibition – "Queer Rights Are Human Rights: Posters of LGBTQ+ Struggles & Celebrations." A prerecorded webinar presents an eye-opening electronic/online exhibition produced by The Center for the Study of Political Graphics. Free.
• Monday, November 8, at 7 p.m.: Opening Live Zoom: "Reflections with SMC Queer Faculty and Students." A live virtual discussion on issues affecting LGBTQ+ teachers and students, social responsibility, and community pride. Free.
• Tuesday, November 16, at 7 p.m.: Roundtable Discussion. Moderated by attorney Karriann Farrell Hinds, Director of Government and Strategic Affairs for Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, the live virtual discussion features Carol A. Wells, founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of Political Graphics; Evan Meyer, co-founder and CEO of Beautify Earth; artist and activist Barbara Carrasco; and poet Féi Hernandez, member of the Advisory Board of Gender Justice Los Angeles. Free.
  
  

  

  

  

  

• Wednesday, November 17, at 7 p.m.: Premier Launch of the PPI Podcast: “Possibility Government: Leaders for Learning.” The SMC Public Policy Institute launches “Possibility Government: Leaders for Learning,” a podcast featuring Keith Coleman, Stanford University Distinguished Visiting Scholar for mediaX (an interdisciplinary thought leadership program), and Dr. Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, PPI Co-Director and SMC Professor of Government and Race and Ethnicity. Followed by a discussion about civic leadership and education with Santa Monica City Councilwoman Lana Negrette and PPI co-director Shari Davis, who for 15 years has chaired Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS). Free.
  
  

  

  

• Thursday, November 18, at 7 p.m.: Live Zoom Debate: “Will Teaching the History of Racism Help us Become a More Perfect Union?” A lively debate featuring SMC students and faculty, with audience members welcome to join the discussion. Free.
• November 27-December 5: Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” Ballet. The Westside Ballet, joined by the SMC Nutcracker Symphony and SMC dancers, presents the 48th annual holiday extravaganza as a live, in-theater performance — featuring Tchaikovsky’s majestic score, Balanchine’s exuberant choreography, falling snow, and a Christmas tree that grows — in partnership with the Santa Monica College Public Policy Institute’s Arts and Culture Initiative. Performances will be held at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 27 and December 4; and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 28 and December 5, in The Broad Stage at the SMC Performing Arts Center (1310 11th Street, Santa Monica). See westsideballet.com for ticket details. Free onsite parking. Audience members age 12 and up must present an I.D. and proof of vaccination to attend the event. Children under age 12 and those who have medical exemptions must present a proof of a negative COVID PCR test within 72 hours of the event. Masks are required at all times.

The SMC Public Policy Institute provides nonpartisan community programs exploring key economic, social, and political issues. SMC offers an Associate in Arts Degree and Certificate of Achievement in public policy, and students can specialize in one of five public policy areas: arts and cultural affairs, education, environment and sustainability, public health, and urban/socioeconomic issues.

The SMC Public Policy Institute Fall Arts and Cultural Affairs Forum is cosponsored by a wide range of education, government, and community organizations and donors, including Associated Students of Santa Monica College, SMC Associates, Santa Monica College Foundation, Westside School of Ballet, SMC Dance Department, and The Broad Stage.

More information is available at smc.edu/ppi or by calling 310-434-3541.

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