Conceptualized in the 1950s by cosmic philosopher and jazz giant Sun Ra, Afrofuturism is a wide-ranging social, political, and artistic movement intent on imagining a world where African-descended peoples and cultures can live and flourish. Join us for a discussion with musicians, artists, and dancers working in the Afrofuturist tradition about their creative endeavors aimed towards a better future.

In a wide-ranging conversation about filmmaking and abolition, brown and Sheppard will engage the critical questions the film raises about how to build trust, restore and repair lives devastated by the U.S. criminal legal system.

UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences and the Arts Research Institutes (ARI) invites you to join us November 2, 2021 for a special online LASER Talk ​featuring this year's cohort of ARI research fellows: Anna Friz, John Jota Leaños, and Irene Lusztig. ARI Research Fellowships are awarded to support the research and creative practices of faculty in the Arts Division.