Season Talks

Season Talks will take place at Season Fair on Friday, September 26 - Saturday, September 27, 2025. Fair admission includes access to all talks.

Reframing Detroit: Narratives of Place and Power

Friday, September 26
2:00 - 2:45 p.m.

This panel explores the evolving narratives that shape Detroit’s cultural identity, with particular attention to who has the power to tell the city’s story—and to what ends. Framed through the lenses of art, urbanism, and social history, the conversation will examine how artists, organizers, and institutions are actively reshaping dominant perceptions of place. The panel considers how reframing Detroit can inform more equitable cultural and civic futures by interrogating legacy media, development discourse, and grassroots memory-making.

Moderator

  • Asmaa Walton — Art Educator; Founder, Black Art Library

Panelists

  • bree gant — Artist

  • Jova Lynne — Artist; Curator; Co-Director, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

  • Aleiya Olu — Designer; Owner, Periodicals; Partner, Olu & Company

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Detroit as Curator

Saturday, September 27
12:00 - 12:45 p.m.

This panel considers Detroit as a site of cultural production and an active curatorial force, shaping artistic discourse through its histories, communities, and spatial politics. Panelists will explore how the city operates as a framework for selection, interpretation, and meaning-making across disciplines. From artist-led spaces to public programming and citywide initiatives, the conversation will reflect how Detroit’s cultural logic influences what is seen, valued, and remembered—locally and globally.

Moderator

  • Kelly Kivland — Director and Lead Curator, Michigan Central Art

Panelists

  • Neil Barclay — President (ex-officio), Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

  • Katie Pfohl — Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, Detroit Institute of Arts

  • Taylor Renee Aldridge — Independent Curator, Executive Director, Modern Ancient Brown Foundation (MABF)

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Collecting Outside the Coasts

Saturday, September 27
1:00 - 1:45 p.m.

This panel brings together collectors based outside traditional art world centers to discuss their approaches to building meaningful collections. Through personal reflections and shared experiences, panelists will explore what motivates their acquisitions, how they engage with artists and art communities, and how collecting can serve as a form of cultural investment and civic commitment. The conversation will highlight the distinct perspectives and priorities that emerge when collecting is shaped by proximity, purpose, and personal conviction rather than prevailing market trends.

Moderator

  • Julie Rothstein — Art Advisor

Panelists

  • Gretchen Gonzales Davidson — Musician and Collector

  • JJ Curis — Co-owner and Co-founder, Library Street Collective; Collector

  • Linda Whitaker — Collector

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Who Is the Art World For?

Saturday, September 27
2:00 - 2:45 p.m.

This panel invites a critical examination of access, equity, and power within the structures of the contemporary art world. Through the perspectives of gallerists and cultural workers, the conversation will interrogate who benefits from existing systems and remains excluded. Topics will include gatekeeping in institutions and markets, the role of education and social capital, and emerging strategies for building a more inclusive and accountable art ecosystem. Panelists will reflect on how the art world might be reimagined to better serve its publics.

Moderator

  • Dejha Carrington — Arts Worker; Co-founder, Commissioner

Panelists

  • Akua Hill — Director of Arts & Culture, Gilbert Family Foundation

  • Allison Glenn — Curator 2026 Toronto Biennial and Artistic Director-at-Large, The Shepherd

  • Christian Rattemeyer — Director, Arts & Rec

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Where’s the Writing?

Saturday, September 27
3:00 - 3:45 p.m.

This panel invites a critical examination of access, equity, and power within the structures of the contemporary art world. Through the perspectives of gallerists and cultural workers, the conversation will interrogate who benefits from existing systems and remains excluded. Topics will include gatekeeping in institutions and markets, the role of education and social capital, and emerging strategies for building a more inclusive and accountable art ecosystem. Panelists will reflect on how the art world might be reimagined to better serve its publics. Critical Minded is a proud sponsor of Where’s the Writing?.

Moderator

  • Ron Scott Teachworth — Writer, Editor, Publisher; Owner, Detroit Art Review

Panelists

  • Seph Rodney — Art Critic

  • Nia Shumake — Art Writer

  • Cay Sophie Rabinowitz — Founder and Editor, OSMOS

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Reimagining the Artist’s Economy

Saturday, September 27
4:00 - 4:45 p.m.

This panel examines emerging models that center artist sustainability through alternative economic frameworks. As traditional market structures prove increasingly inaccessible or insufficient, artists are forging new pathways—leveraging collective infrastructure, technological tools, and interdisciplinary networks to reshape how creative labor is supported, valued, and distributed. The conversation will consider the implications of these shifts for long-term career viability, equity, and institutional engagement.

Moderator

  • Mario Moore — Artist

Panelists

  • Jamea Richmond-Edwards — Artist

  • Amna Asghar — Artist

  • Davariz Broaden — Artist