On Thursday, November 8, Iker will be part of a panel event titled “Un-free Space: Reflections on Dimensions of Citizenship” as part of the AICAD 2018 Symposium. Hosted by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), the 2018 Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) Symposium, Artists/Designers/Citizens, takes place November 7–9, 2018, in Chicago, on the Art Institute of Chicago’s school/museum campus. Artists/Designers/Citizens positions the practice and study of art and design as central to the meaning, acts, and affinities known as citizenship.

During “”Un-free Space: Reflections on Dimensions of Citizenship,” contributors to the US Pavilion will reflect and expand upon the central claim made by the exhibition, Dimensions of Citizenship: that it is vital for the architecture to engage in understanding, shaping, and envisioning what it means to be a citizen today and in the future. The panel discussion will explore a year of collaborative work between architects, designers, curators, thinkers, and theorists, spanning between Chicago, Venice, and beyond. What does it mean to present the United States as a site of critical research and design practice on civitas and belonging— during an era of Trump, growing nationalism, and violence against those perceived as “other,” often executed through the built environment?

Speakers include Ann Lui (co-curator of Dimensions of Citizenship), Iker Gil (Associate Curator of Dimensions of Citizenship), Alissa Anderson (participant of Dimensions of Citizenship as part of Studio Gang’s team), and Andres Hernandez (participant of Dimensions of Citizenship). The event will be moderated by Jonathan Solomon (Representative Commissioner of Dimensions of Citizenship and associate professor and director of SAIC’s Architecture, Interior Arch and Designed Objects (AIADO).

When
Thursday, November 8, 2018. 
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Where
Chicago Cultural Center
Preston Bradley Hall
78 E Washington St
Chicago, IL 60602