Playthings in Modernism

Open Engagement is an international conference and platform to support socially engaged art. The conference highlights the work of transdisciplinary artists, activists, students, scholars, community members, and organizations. The conference mission is to expand the dialogue around socially engaged art, as well as the structures and networks of support for artists working within the complex social issues and struggles of our time.

What is the role of artists in defining place and creating change in the world? Open Engagement 2015 focuses on the theme of Place and Revolution. The 2015 conference is co-presented by A Blade of Grass, the School of Art and the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, the Carnegie Museum of Art, The Sprout Fund, the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, the Pittsburgh Foundation, and the Heinz Endowments.