Can art not just enlighten or entertain, but interact in a concrete, positive way with challenges in the real world? The power of the imagination is a principle Visions2030 has advanced and has been at the core of its founding.
This spring, the Bronx Museum of the Arts presents WORKING KNOWLEDGE: Shared Imaginings, New Futures, a Visions2030 Project, curated by Visions2030 alum Vera Petukhova, exploring some of these principles. Social sculpture, the practice given a name by Joseph Beuys, is often concrete and engaging; the art works presented by these eleven artists or collectives are slightly more esoteric, consisting of artist-designed tools and systems focusing on “knowledge exchange.” They seek to create resources and drive positive change at the grassroots level by inviting visitors to interact.
The exhibiting artists/collectives are Ari Melenciano; Azikiwe Mohammed; Black Quantum Futurism; Kite & Alisha Wormsley; Lynne Yun (Typeface Electives); Mary Mattingly; Melanie Hoff; Stephanie Dinkins; Zainab Aliyu, American Artist, and the School For Poetic Computation.
Each artist/collective has a unique creative approach to audience engagement; they are united by their efforts to cultivate community, learning, and creativity in pursuit of positive growth toward a bright future. Their approaches include interactive AI, creative coding, sound and graphic design, and communal dream-collecting to address social issues, spark new ideas, and engage communities. Lynne Yun is collaborating with high school students to create a new typeface inspired by the everyday visual landscape of The Bronx, including signage and street art. Stephanie Dinkins will build a chatbot that learns from its interactions with visitors throughout the exhibition. Mary Mattingly will devise an interactive, living ecosystem of plants that she imagines will thrive in The Bronx as the ecological landscape changes. Azikiwe Mohammed will create a vibrant room-like installation reflecting the food systems of urban environments, drawing inspiration from sidewalk fruit stands. The exhibition transforms everyday cultural practices, such as music, dance, storytelling, and food, into opportunities for learning and conversation.
A leader in diversity and accessibility, the Bronx Museum offers 100% free admission and seeks to champion and promote artists who have been systemically and historically marginalized.
Vera Petukhova is an independent curator from Minsk, Belarus, currently based between Brooklyn and Los Angeles, focused on performance, the moving image and new media. Her curatorial interests include experimental practices, futurity, food, and sensory and immersive experiences. Our previous collaborations include a party at Rip Space—a new media/digital art project space in DTLA she co-founded in 2024—and Earth Edition at CalArts, among others.
The project grew out of a conversation between Visions2030 and the Bronx Museum around social sculpture, and the need for art that intersects with real-life solutions for social challenges. Inspired by the idea that art can shape society, WORKING KNOWLEDGE offers a place for everyone and invites innovation. Stay tuned for more public programming from Visions2030 around the genesis of social sculpture, and interactive pieces with community participants.
WORKING KNOWLEDGE: Shared Imaginings, New Futures will be on view April 11–July 6, 2025. For more information, visit https://bronxmuseum.org/.
Pictured: Melanie Hoff, Dance Poem Revolution, 2024. Courtesy of the artist.
