Presented in partnership with Citizen University and Facing History and Ourselves, Civic Saturday is meant to help us practice being together as citizens; that is, as those willing to show up in public life together. Civic Saturdays bring friends together in a common place to nurture a spirit of shared purpose, wrestle with moral questions regarding what it means to be an American, develop a sense of civic character, and create new civic traditions that are joyful and communal.
Civic Saturdays are not meant to be a cure-all for the divisiveness which pervades political discussions these days. Instead, Civic Saturdays are about helping all of us acknowledge a shared heritage and humanity.
This event is part of the programming for Weinberg/Newton Gallery's current exhibition, Weight of a World. Conceived of as a tool, Weight of a World presents artworks that elicit lessons to be learned – and to be taught – from global conflict, local lore, and cultural identity. Presented in partnership with Facing History and Ourselves, Weight of a World comprises sculptures, paintings, film, and supplementary programming that pivot upon two vast, inextricable categories: history and identity. The works on view recognize the roles of individuals within the long arc of history: how we are formed by our contexts, and how we may impact what comes next.
Artists: Alison Ruttan, Deborah Stratman, and Orkideh Torabi, with a program by Rebecca Keller