The role of the arts in a time of crisis.

Keynote address delivered by Mary Schmidt Campbell at the Hemispheric Institute's 5th Encuentro in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in 2005 (http://hemi.nyu.edu/eng/seminar/brazil2005). Titled The Role of the Arts in a Time of Crisis, the keynote addressed the theme of the role of artists and intellectuals in times of cultural, political and economic crisis. Ms. Campbell focused her lecture on the current cultural climate in the United States, from the culture wars of the 1980s to issues of surveillance and fear surrounding the Patriot Act, paying special attention to considerations of civil liberties and the public expression of dissent. By means of examples of how works by 20th century artists engage with their political and social contexts, Campbell emphasized the critical role of artists, intellectuals and educators in terms of social conscience, moral critique, and collective action. Scholar, author and former New York City Cultural Affairs Commissioner, Ms. Campbell was, at the time of her keynote address, Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Dr. Campbell began her career in New York as the executive director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, widely regarded as the principal center for the study of African and African-American Art. Dean Campbell, who authored several catalogues on African-American artists, and frequently curated major exhibitions, firmly established the Museum as a major New York City cultural institution. In 1999, Crain's New York selected her as one of the City's 100 Most Influential Women in business, and in 2001 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dean Campbell co-authored the books Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America and Memory and Metaphor: The Art of Romare Bearden, 1940-1987. A noted expert on the artist Romare Bearden, Dr. Campbell also lectures and publishes widely on a range of subjects including arts policy issues and American cultural history. Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics