
"Digital Rights Are Civil Rights"
An Art Exhibition on the Intersection of Race and Technology
Minneapolis, February 2021.
In Partnership with: ACLU of Minnesota; Native Youth Arts Collective; Post Me; Institute for Digital Humanity
Gallery Program:
The murder of George Floyd made it clear to the world that systemic racism is a life or death issue for people of color in our country. This issue has only become more pressing in light of recent technological developments: racist facial recognition software; predictive policing programs that target minorities; and discriminatory algorithms (in employment, healthcare, education, and criminal justice) that violate our privacy, threaten free speech, and replace human judgment with encoded systemic inequity. In partnership with ACLU MN, Native Youth Arts Collective (NYAC), Post ME, and the Institute for Digital Humanity, the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy facilitated a juried art exhibition and community conversation — “Digital Rights are Civil Rights” — that focused on the intersection of race and technology, and was curated to catalyze local and national community conversations on digital ethics. It took place virtually and physically on February 19th, 2021.

Event Footage
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Speakers:
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Eyal Gruss​, Artist
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Aaron Mckain, IAA Creative Director
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Steven Pederson, IAA Curator and Artist
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Avital Meshi, Artist
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Elieso Ortiz, Artist
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Munira Mohamed, ACLU MN
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Steve Fletcher, City Councilman
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Topics:
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​Misuse of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
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Art Advocacy
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Artificial Intelligence Unreliability
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Algorithmic Discrimination
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Describing a Humane Post-Digital World
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Art Exhibits
We The People by Lance Johnson
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Self-Portrait by Trevor Coopersmith
Invasion by Calim Stamper
Negro Horse by Xavier McFarlin
Ideal Mexican American Woman by Alondra M Garza
Guess Who Did The Crime by Elisio Ortiz
Dream Deferred by Savior Allen-Knight
Black Portrait #2 by Xavier McFarlin