Keystone Progress Education Fund and Casey Droege Cultural Productions are thrilled to present the exhibition series The Art of Democracy.
The project aims to create a dialogue around our democracy as a whole and the current political climate, particularly leading up to the presidential election on November 5. These three exhibitions, located across Western PA, tackle contemporary issues of reproductive freedom, the impact of gun violence, and the growing role of artists in uniting community voices for change. Each features the work of living, regional artists thoughtfully curated into displays and public programs to foster discussion, connection, and contemplation, ultimately demonstrating what a healthy democracy should look like.
Learn more about each exhibit by clicking the buttons below.
About the curators:
Natalie Sweet (she/her) is a cultural worker, curator, and community builder based in Pittsburgh, PA. She currently serves as Executive Director of Brew House Arts, a non-profit art center that hosts community driven fine art exhibitions, artist studios, and residency programs. Natalie’s work explores how inclusive spaces and networks can connect people to the arts, their surroundings, and to each other. Natalie earned a degree in the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh in 2009. Since then, she has collaborated with various organizations such as Contemporary Craft, Headcount, the Equity Impact Center, and Associated Artists of Pittsburgh.
Michaela Blanc is the Wikimedian in Residence at the Pérez Art Museum Miami and a Regional Ambassador at Art+Feminism. Previously, she was a Curatorial Fellow at the MassArt Art Museum (MAAM), a guest curator for the SMFA at Tufts on view at Tufts University Art Galleries in Medford and MassArt Low Residence MFA programs, a juror and Graduate Curatorial Fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a curatorial intern at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. Blanc is an alumna of C& Critical Writing Workshop, Dallas (2023). She holds an MA in Museum Studies/Museum Education from Tufts University and a BA in Art History from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Jillian Daniels is a designer, curator, and mixed media artist interrogating social/political conditions and identity through historical narratives, visual culture, storytelling, and systems design. Jillian is currently the Deputy Director of Operations at Silver Eye Center for Photography and holds a BS in Industrial Design Studies + Systems Design and BA Studio Art from SUNY University at Buffalo and is a Ronald E. McNair Scholar.