Joining us for a celebration of the opening of A Global Gathering at 21c Lexington, special guests Sharon Louden and Steve Lambert will discuss The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life. Free and open to the public, this opening event invites participants to learn about, lend voices to, and be inspired by the vast range of influence that visual artists exert on society – increasing our understanding and valuing of artists as culture producers today.

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Portraiture and identity, landscape and the environment, politics and power: the three intersecting themes of 21c’s newest exhibition, A Global Gathering, reflect the evolution of 21c’s permanent collection.  One of two traveling exhibitions highlighting acquisitions since the founding of 21c in 2006, this selection of 63 artworks by 31 artists from 14 countries narrates compelling issues and events from a broad global perspective. Artists both internationally known and emerging are featured: Bill Viola, Kehinde Wiley, Anthony Goicolea, Ori Gersht, and Zanele Muholi have been collected and exhibited by museums across the globe, while Carlos Quintana, Quayola, Wim Botha, and others are just stepping onto the world’s art stage. From portraits of victims of violence by Titus Kaphar and Miguel Ángel Rojas, to visions of our endangered or decaying environments by Marco Veronese and Fabiano Parisi, to critiques of military might by Democracia and Anastasia Taylor-Lind, these visionary artists create aesthetically and conceptually engaging works that reflect how we live and die, work, play, and dream in the 21st century; their revelations may inspire insights into how we might build and share a progressive future worldwide.

The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life, a collection of essays by 40 visual artists, edited by artist and educator Sharon Louden, describes how artists extend their practices outside of their studios and engage in impactful, artistic activities as change agents in their communities. Their first-hand stories show the general public how contemporary artists of the 21st century add to creative economies through their out-of-the-box thinking while also generously contributing to the well-being of others. Although there is a misconception that artists are invisible and hidden, the truth is that they furnish measurable and innovative outcomes at the front lines of education, the non-profit sector, and corporate environments.

Steve Lambert is an American artist whose work addresses advertising and the use of public space.