The INSTITUTE FOR
AESTHETIC ADVOCACY

The IAA's Curated Exhibitions and Civic Education: Local, National, and International
 

• “All Bullets Shatter: Uncounted Stories of Gun Violence and Trauma.”  Organizer, Curator, and Host.  (International Juried Art Exhibition on Trauma.). With the Institute for Digital Humanity; Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy; Guns Down, Love Up; Project Minnesota; The Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives (Ohio State, Portland State, George State); and the Pittsburgh University Prison Writing Project.  Minneapolis, MN.  May 2022.
   

• “Plugging In: Race, Technology, and Surveillance Workshop for Advocate and Educators.”  With  ACLU  MN, Safety Not Surveillance, and Reclaim the Block.  Minneapolis, MN.  October 2021.
   

• “Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy: Curating Change.”  With Steven Pederson and Allison Baker.  Lewis and Clark University.  Portland, OR.  October 2021.
   

• “Social Justice Through Artistic Expression.” With Stephen Pedersen and Allison Baker.   Creative Impact Series by Tualatin Valley Creates.  Beaverton, OR.  September 2021.
   

• “Digital Rights Are Civil Rights: Race and Technology.”  Organizer, Curator, and Host.  (Juried International Juried Art Exhibition on Algorithmic Racism.) With the Institute for Digital Humanity, Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy, ACLU MN, and Native Youth Arts Collective.  Minneapolis, MN.  February 2021.
   

• “Contaminated.”  Organizer, Curator, and Host.  (International Juried Art Exhibition on COVID and Mental Health.)  With the Institute for Digital Humanity and Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.  May 2020.
   

• “Medical Unreliability and Sick Girl Theory.”  Curator and Editor.  (Student Cross-Cultural Art Exchange.)  With Allison Baker, the Institute for Digital Humanity, Hamline University, and the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.  St. Cloud Zine Fest.  St. Cloud, MN.  February 2020.
   

• “Sad Girls and Hopeful Women.”  Curator and Editor.  (Student Cross-Cultural Art Exchange on Feminism and Health.)  With Allison Baker, the Institute for Digital Humanity, and the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.  Twin Cities Zine Fest.  Minneapolis, MN.  September 2020.
   

The IAA's Exhibits: Group or Solo Shows (Juried or Invited)
 

• “Viral Load II.”  Creative Director.  (Public Sculpture by Allison Baker on Environmental Illness.)  Franconia Sculpture Park.  Shafer, MN.  September 2021.
   

• “Semi-Sentient Trash.”  Creative Director.  (Solo Exhibition by Allison Baker on Illness and  Caregiving.)  Ely Center of Contemporary Art.  New Haven, CT.  June 2021.
   

• “Digital Rights Are Civil Rights: Race and Technology.”  Organizer, Curator, and Host.  (Juried International Juried Art Exhibition on Algorithmic Racism.) With the Institute for Digital Humanity, Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy, ACLU MN, and Native Youth Arts Collective.  Minneapolis, MN.  February 2021.
   

• “Infectious Madness.”  Solo Museum Exhibition.  (Installation on Illness and Caregiving.). With Allision Baker and the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.  Gallery 610.  Menomonie, WI.  April 2020. 
   

• “Unsterile.”  Creative Director.  (Solo Exhibition by Allison Baker on Illness and Caregiving.) Tugboat Gallery.  Lincoln, NE.  February 2020.
   

• “Medical Unreliability and Sick Girl Theory.”  Curator and Editor.  (Student Cross-Cultural  Art Exchange.)  With Allison Baker, the Institute for Digital Humanity, Hamline University, and the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.  St. Cloud Zine Fest.  St. Cloud, MN.  February 2020.
   

• “Contaminated.”  Creative Director.  (Solo Exhibition by Allison Baker.).  Shelter in Place Gallery.  Boston, MA.  September 2020.
   

• “Cellular Home Invasion.”  Solo Exhibition.  (Installation on Chronic Illness and Technology Health Effects.). With Allison Baker and the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.  NE Sculpture Gallery.  Minneapolis, MN.  June 2019.
   

• “Cellular Home Invasion.”  Solo Museum Exhibition.  (Installation and Performance on Technology Health Effects.)  Czong Institute for Contemporary Art.  Seoul, South Korea.  May 2019.
   

• “Feminist Aesthetic Criticism.”  Group Exhibition.  (Video Installation.).  With Allison Baker and the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.   Bad Video Art Festival.  Moscow, Russia.  July 2018.
   

• “The Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.”  Group Exhibition.  (Video Installation.). With Allison Baker and the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.  Pop’s Movie Night.  Detroit, MI.  August 2018.
   

• “How to Write a Poem that Costs You $175k Plus the Lady.” Author and Performer.  (Runner Up for 2017 Miller Audio Prize for Humor.).  Missouri Review.  Spring 2017.
   

• “Sonance: An Interdisciplinary Discussion Concerning the Affects of Human Noise on Other Animals.”  Sound Performance and Art Residency.  With Josh Gumiela and Matt Sumera. University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment.  Minneapolis, MN.  November 2017.
   

• “World Press Freedom Day: What Do You Have to Say.” Curator and Organizer. (Student Art Installation and Festival on Free Speech.)  Hamline University.  Saint Paul, MN.  April 2017.
  
   

Dr. McKain Exhibitions, Performances, and Civic Engagement Initiatives (Non-IAA)
 

• “Y2K16.” Curator and Organizer.  (Student Art Installation and Festival on Digital Ethics.) Hamline University.  Saint Paul, MN.  December 2016.
   

• “dronesTruck: Operation Como.” Curator and Organizer. (International Juried Sound Art Exhibition on Technology Health Effects.)  Saint Paul, MN. May 2016. 
   

• “Love Everlasting.” Invited Multimedia Performance.  With Michael Gallope, Jason McGrath, Matt Sumera, and Travis Workman.  Italian Film Society of Minneapolis.  Minneapolis, MN.  February 2016.  
   

• “School Violence: An Interdisciplinary Approach.” Curator and Organizer.  (Student Art Installation on Gun Violence and Public Health.) Hamline University. Saint Paul, MN. December 2015.
   

• “dronesTruck: Operation Scarewaves.” Grant Funded Art Installation.  (Public Sound Installation on Technology Health Effects.) Saint Paul, MN.  October 2015.
   

• “Endlessly Repeating Endlessly.” Juried Multimedia Performance. With Michael Gallope, Josh Gumiela, Jason McGrath, Matt Sumera, and Travis Workman. Northern Sparks Arts Festival.  Minneapolis, MN. June 2015.
   

• “dronesTruck.”  Juried Multimedia Installation.  (Interactive Exhibit on Digital Ethics.). With Josh Gumiela. Hamline-Midway Arts Festival.  St. Paul, MN.  June 2015.
   

The IAA's Publications and Academic Conferences
 

• “Algorithmic Literacy and You.”  With Shea Sullivan, Ayin Monge, and Tom Freeman.  SXSW EDU.  Austin, TX.  March 2022.
   

• “WandaVision Exposes the Reality that Our Filter Bubbles Control our Minds.” Hannah Grubbs. Popular Culture and Theology.   September 22, 2021.
   

• “WandaVision: An Intersectional Perspective on the Erasure of Jewish Identity.”  Joe Cobb.  Blerg.com.  April 18, 2021. 
   

• “The Art of EMF Science: Aesthetics, Ethics, and Post-Digital Health Advocacy.”  Dr. Aaron McKain, Steven Pedersonand the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.  PostHuman: New Media Art 2020.  CICA Press, 2020
   

• “The Art of EMF Science: Aesthetics, Ethics, and Post-Digital Health Advocacy.”  With Stephen Pedersen and Allison Baker.  Rhetoric of Health And Medicine Conference.  October 2020.
   

• “In Two Voices.”  Dr. Aaron McKain, Amanda Aherns and Steven Pederson.  Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine.  August 2020.
   

• “Free Speech in Post-Digital America.”  Editor.  With The Institute for Digital Humanity.  Hennepin County Library.  September 2019.
   

• “I Want to Party With You Cowboy: Stephen Colbert and Campaign 2016’s Aesthetic Logic of Truthiness.”  With Thomas Lawson.  In Julie Webber-Collins, Ed.  The Joke is On Us: Political Comedy in (Late) Neoliberal Times.  Lexington Press, 2019. 
   

• “Cellular Home Invasion: Public Art As Rhetorical Intervention in Scientific Debates On EMF Health Effects.”  Rhetoric Society of America.  With Allison Baker and the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy.  Portland, OR.  May 2020.
   

• “Remembrance of Things Past Fuels Recent Run of Reboots, Relaunches, Remakes.”  Interview with Ross Raihala.  Pioneer Press.  21 April 2018
   

• “Unsound Methods?” Panel and Multimedia Performance, with Cory Holding, Matt Sumera,  Josh Gumiela, and Allison Baker, Rhetoric Society of America, Minneapolis, MN, May 2018
   

• Wallington, Brooke.  “Sustaining Well-Being in an Electromagnetic Environment: A  Rhetorical Analysis.” National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Memphis, TN. April 2017.
   

• Kolbeck, Hannah.  "Post-Postmodern Identity Performance and the Digital World, Or: How to Keep Up With the Kardashians.” National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Spokane, WA.  April 2015.
   

• Lawson, Tommy.  “Pop Will Erase Itself: Music Criticism & Culture after the Digital Turn.” National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Spokane, WA.  April 2015.
   

• “Fear and Loathing in the New Media Era : How to Realign our Rhetorical Judgments for the Post-Postmodern, Digital Media Age.”  Dissertation.  Ohio State University, 2012.  (Released to the public by Ohio State.  Actively cited.)

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