The Arts, Democracy, and Technology Spring 2026 Forum

Overview

This spring, The Arts at Lafayette presents The Arts, Democracy, and Technology Spring 2026 Forum, a series of public conversations and gatherings that explore how artistic practice can deepen our understanding of democracy in a world shaped by platforms, algorithms, and data.

March 5, 2026 | 4:30-6 p.m.
Mashinka Firunts Hakopian | Writer, Artist, and Researcher
Lecture: Ancestral Intelligences: Data Feminisms and Algorithmic Coloniality

Mashinka Firunts Hakopian is an Associate Professor of Technology and Social Justice at ArtCenter College of Design. She is currently a 2025-27 Fellow at the Vera List Center for Art & Politics at the New School.
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April 2, 2026 | 5:30-7 p.m.
Shannon Mattern | Director of Creative Research at the Metropolitan New York Library

Shannon Mattern’s writing and teaching focus on archives, libraries, and other media spaces; media infrastructures; sites where data intersect with art and design; and media that shape our sensory experiences. She is the author of four books, including A City Is Not a Computer.
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April 16, 2026 | 5:30-7 p.m.
Radical Data |team of independent artists repurposing tech for liberation and joy
Lecture/Workshop: Joyful Data

Radical Data is a collective of mathematicians, technologists, dancers, and designers working with digital technology for joy and liberation. Their work consists of tools, analyses, and artworks that are infused with queerness and decoloniality.