Meany Center for the Performing Arts
Art, Democracy and Civic Health
Thurs. May 1, 2025 5 p.m.
UW Penthouse Theatre
Nationally lauded performing artists Peter Sellars and Marc Basmuthi Joseph join UW Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor, ’94, in conversation about the importance of art in challenging times. The talk will address art as a means of interconnectivity, collective memory and belonging, as we imagine a shared future in our polarized country.
Seating is free, but limited.
Get directions to the UW Penthouse Theatre here.
About the speakers:
Marc Bamuthi Joseph, is a spoken word artist, writer and cultural strategist and the recent Director of Social Impact at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. As a 2017 TED Global Fellow and recipient of the Guggenheim Social Practice initiative. In the Spring of 2022, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Peter Sellars is a renowned opera, theatre and festival director celebrated for his groundbreaking interpretations of classical music and collaborations with artists like John Adams and Kaija Saariaho. He has received prestigious awards such as the MacArthur Fellowship, Erasmus Prize and Polar Music Prize, and is internationally celebrated for his transformative impact on the arts and his thought leadership on art as social and moral action.
Moderator Ed Taylor, ’94, is vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs at the University of Washington, where he oversees educational opportunities that advance and deepen the undergraduate experience.
Presented by Meany Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with the Resilience Lab.
