Julia Bryan-Wilson, director, Visual Studies, UC Irvine
Sanjit Sethi, chair, Community Arts, California College of the Arts
In a Thursday evening conversation, Bryan-Wilson and Sethi take up the relationship between artistic innovation and military technology. Musing on camouflage and the Quaker Gun, a dummy armament meant to conceal weakness or draw away enemy fire, they weigh what happens when the seemingly useless work of art is suddenly made to function. They also consider how such aesthetic deceits get reclaimed by artists, especially in terms of queer culture. Continue the conversation by looking at hands-on support activities for soldiers today, including a blanket making class on Friday at SFMOMA and more blanket-making activities at the SMITHS storefront in Oakland on Saturday.