Sunday, December 2, 2018
2–4pm
Free and open to the public

Join members of Decolonize this Place, Amin Husain, Amy Weng and Marz Saffore, along with Jodi Lynn Maracle and Caitlin Blue, for an afternoon of discussion on the urgency of decolonization, and exploring strategies, tactics, and art-making in the struggle for freedom and liberation in Buffalo. Moderated by Nitasha Dhillon. This event is presented on the occasion of The North is a Lie, on view through December 15, 2018.

As a historian and researcher, Caitlin Blue is focused on making history accessible to the public. Her interests include the African Diaspora in Early Modern Europe, decolonization, and repatriation of historical artifacts. Studying through the lens of decolonization, Caitlin recognizes that it is an ongoing process because colonization continues to happen today. Caitlin currently works as a Visitor Specialist at the new Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center. In the fall of 2019, she hopes to be at the University at Buffalo pursuing her Master’s degree in History so she can eventually go on to get her PhD. Professionally, Caitlin wants to end up working in a university setting.

Amin Husain has a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science, a J.D. from Indiana University School of Law, and an LL.M. from Columbia Law School. He practiced law for five years before transitioning to art, studying at the School of the International Center of Photography and Whitney Independent Study Program. Nitasha Dhillon has a B.A. in Mathematics from St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, and attended the Whitney Independent Study Program in New York and School of International Center of Photography. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Media Study – University of Buffalo in New York. Together, Amin and Nitasha are MTL Collective, a collaboration that joins research, aesthetics, organizing, and action in its art practice. MTL is a founder of Tidal: Occupy Theory, Direct Action Front for Palestine, Global Ultra Luxury Faction, and most recently MTL+, the collective facilitating Decolonize This Place, an action-oriented movement and decolonial formation around five strands of struggle: Indigenous Struggle, Black Liberation, Free Palestine, Global Wage Worker, and De-Gentrification.

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Jodi Lynn Maracle is a Kanien’keha:ka mother, artist, scholar and activist currently pursuing her dreams of building her Kanien’keha language proficiency. She received her MA from the University of Buffalo while completing the first year of a Mohawk immersion program in Buffalo, NY. As an artist, Jodi has shown work throughout Dish with One Spoon territory working primarily in textile and earth based installations invoking Haudenosaunee material forms and language combined with modern forms of making to interrogate multiple experiential realities of specific locations and landscapes. She works as a consultant and presenter with many arts organizations and academic institutions to foster greater understanding of Haudenosaunee philosophies, languages, material culture and contemporary realities. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Buffalo. Of her many accomplishments, she is most proud of hearing her son excitedly speak his Mohawk language each day.

Marz Saffore is an artist, organizer, and educator born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. In 2015, she earned her B.A. in Studio Art and Film & Media Studies from University of Rochester, and she earned her M.F.A. in Studio Art from NYU in 2017. Her multimedia art practice blurs the line between that which is art/culture, political/personal, and private/public through video, performance, and installation. Marz is also a member of MTL+ Collective, a group of artists, writers, and educators who combine research and aesthetics in political action. MTL+ Collective founded and facilitates Decolonize This Place, a collaboration between cultural producers and political organizers across struggles and borders. This Fall, Marz returned to New York University (NYU) for her 4th semester of teaching and her first year as a PhD student in Media, Culture, and Communication.

Amy Weng has a B.A. in Art History and Visual Arts from SUNY Purchase College, and a M.A. in Sociology from Columbia University. While working in early childhood education, she participated in group art exhibitions and performances in Brooklyn and Berlin through Lucky Gallery, now known as De-Construkt Projekts. She has organized with A New World in Our Hearts, Occupy Sandy, Direct Action Front for Palestine, Asians for Black Lives – NYC and Justice for Akai Gurley Family. She is also a member of MTL+ Collective, a f She is also a member of MTL+ Collective, a facilitating group of Decolonize This Place, a decolonial, action-oriented movement that centers Indigenous struggle, Black liberation, free Palestine, wage workers and de-gentrification.

Banner image: Decolonize This Place, Anti-Columbus Day Tour: Decolonize This Museum, digital video, 2016