At Brooklyn Museum in Prospect Park, NYC, a One-Day Symposium on Reimagining American Democracy

Creative Time and the Brooklyn Museum are co-presenting "In Pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness: Reimagining American Democracy" on Friday, October 23. The full-day program mixes conversations, presentations, poetry and performance, and takes up the issues shaping contemporary political life.

The title comes from the Declaration of Independence, written 250 years ago. The organizers ask who has historically benefited from the story of US democracy, and how to build futures grounded in self-determination, dignity and freedom. Council Member Crystal Hudson of District 35 gives opening remarks, and Bertha Vanayshun is the MC.

The day has three parts. "Life" looks at migration and movement histories, with illustrator and writer Mona Chalabi, artist and filmmaker Sky Hopinka, journalist Paola Ramos, and Dr. Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez, director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies. "Liberty" takes an abolitionist view of incarceration. Nearly two million people are held in US prisons and jails, the largest known prison population in the world. Speakers are American Artist, Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, archivist and writer Mariame Kaba, and Jackie Wang, author of Carceral Capitalism.

"Pursuit of Happiness" is a run of 10-minute project presentations by Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne, Johanna Hedva, Dean Majd, Viva Ruiz (founder of Thank God for Abortion), Qween Jean (costume designer and founder of Black Trans Liberation) and technologist and data scientist Chelsea Manning. Poet Nicole Sealey contributes verse.

The convening is part of Drawing America: US@250, a season of installations, programs and partnerships at the museum. It was co-curated by Creative Time Associate Curators Celine Wong Katzman and Dr. Gervais Marsh, and Margo Cohen Ristorucci, the museum's Manager of Public Programs.

It runs from 11 AM to 5:30 PM in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium on the third floor of the Brooklyn Museum. Tickets are $30, or $18 for Brooklyn Museum Members. ASL interpretation is provided, and accessibility requests can go to access@brooklynmuseum.org.