Communitas

Ben V. Olguín

September 24, 2026

The Ethical Imperative: Challenges for Art, Design, and Humanities in the Era of Panoptic Surveillance and Social Media Swarming

Ben V. Olguín is the Robert and Liisa Erickson Presidential Chair in English at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from Stanford University, and a B.A. with Honors from the University of Houston. A recipient of numerous distinctions, including a Ford Postdoctoral Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Research Award, Olguín’s interdisciplinary expertise spans Chicanx and Latinx Literary and Cultural Studies, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Human Rights theory, and Creative Writing. His scholarly work, teaching, and service continuously explore the complex relationships between vernacular culture and performances of power across local, transnational, cross-border, and hemispheric venues.  

Lonnie Anderson

October 15, 2026

Do What Gives You the Best Stories: Embracing A Creative and Adventurous Life

Lonnie Anderson is an Executive Creative Director, educator, and the Executive Director of IN•DIG•E•NOUS EC•O•NOM•ICS. After launching his career at Wieden+Kennedy during the iconic Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods era, he went on to work with renowned creatives, including Spike Lee. Today, Anderson travels to remote Native American reservations, Alaska villages, and urban Native communities to teach students about Indigenous economics, food sovereignty, sustainability, and living an adventurous life. Alongside top Indigenous economist Rebecca Adamson, he co-directed and produced the award-winning film ENOUGHNESS, narrated by Tantoo Cardinal, to share these essential narratives with students.  

Kia Weatherspoon

October 29, 2026

The Salvation in Choosing Yourself

Kia Weatherspoon is the founder of Determined by Design, the only interior design firm in the U.S. offering Design Equity services. A U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the Middle East following 9/11, she returned to earn two art degrees and establish a career in hospitality, multi-family, and high-end residential design. Driven by a desire for meaningful impact, she launched her firm to bring high-quality design to historically overlooked communities, proving that beauty and being seen are essential rather than extra. Weatherspoon now speaks across the country, empowering leaders and creatives to build with purpose and create equitable spaces without shrinking themselves.  

Zora Murff and Rana Young

November 5, 2026

FUNNY GAME (2016–2026)

Zora J Murff is an artist, educator, and Assistant Professor of Art and Black Studies in the School of Art + Design at the University of Oregon. He received his MFA in studio art from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a BS in psychology from Iowa State University. Drawing from his background as a social worker for youth on court probation, Murff’s photography unearths hidden histories and offers visual investigations of Black life, often addressing the violent paradoxes created by imperial paradigms. His bold, straightforward visual language encourages viewers to reflect on the power that visual culture holds over understandings of race, class, and societal hierarchies.  

Rana Young is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Art in the School of Art + Design at the University of Oregon. She earned her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a BFA in Studio Art from Portland State University. Through her practice, Young employs photography to construct autobiographical narratives set within the Midwest landscape. Her projects utilize staged scenes, archival images, and documentary techniques to confront and articulate the complex dynamics of familial bonds, hereditary trauma, childhood abandonment, and mental illness.

Edie Overturf

February 18, 2027

Edie Overturf is a printmaker, book maker, and educator from Portland, Oregon. Her work in various forms celebrates the tension of joyful aesthetics paired with serious or emotionally heavy content. Overturf earned a MFA from California State University, Chico, and is a recipient of numerous awards and grants, including a Jerome Emerging Artist Fellowship, two Minnesota State Arts Board grants, and the Waddell Printmaker of the Year 2023 award from the Whitney Center for the Arts. An active member of many printmaking organizations and co-creator of the NewsPrint Podcast, she currently teaches printmaking, digital arts, zines, and comics at Mt Hood Community College.  

Keezy Young

March 18, 2027

Keezy Young is an award-winning and multi-nominated cartoonist and illustrator who writes and draws character-focused comics and graphic novels. Their work frequently explores LGBTQIA themes and mental illness through vibrant retro color palettes and strong linework, spanning genres like mystery, horror, love stories, and ghosts. Young is celebrated for works such as the supernatural romance TAPROOT and the highly acclaimed coming-of-age mystery HELLO SUNSHINE, and has been nominated for Eisner, Harvey, Ringo, and Ignatz awards,. Outside of their original graphic novels and autobiographical short comics, they have created covers for notable series including JEM, VOLTRON, and OVER THE GARDEN WALL.  

Ann Hamilton

April 1, 2027

Ann Hamilton is a visual artist internationally recognized for her large-scale multimedia installations, public projects, and performance collaborations. Responsive to the contingencies of the sites where she works, her projects immerse viewers in atmospheres that are both visceral and literary, utilizing recurring forms like cloth, written and spoken texts, and figures in motion. Hamilton holds a MFA in sculpture from the Yale School of Art and has served on the faculty of The Ohio State University since 2001, where she is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Art. She represented the United States at the 1999 Venice Biennale and the 1991 Sao Paulo Bienal, and is the recipient of prestigious honors including a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, and the National Medal of the Arts.