Please note: this program has moved from the Rooms for Books to the Biennial's Welcome and Learning Center.

In line with the theme “Make New History,” it is important that we challenge narrow perspectives of history and discuss the role of arts and cultural spaces in correcting myths and healing trauma. Join Sixty Inches From Center as we talk with Analú López, the Ayer Indigenous Studies Librarian at the Newberry Library and Tomas Ramirez, Executive Director of Semillas y Raices and professor in the Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Department at DePaul as we discuss how history influences the way we negotiate space in Chicago and what decolonization looks like as a practice. 

López will share resources from the Newberry's archive that challenge prevailing ideas about the beginnings of Chicago's urban landscape and architectural history. She will also discuss the importance of language to redefining and accessing archival materials. Ramirez will discuss making a space for healing, connection and active resistance through the arts at Semillas y Raices. He will also share insights from his work with Chicago's youth and the need for cultural and educational institutions to honor trauma.  Moderated by Jennifer Patiño Cervantes, Director of Operations + Archives for Sixty Inches From Center.