In her lecture, "Expect Resistance," Merola will discuss the various roles that art and activism play in her work with grassroots movements across the country - from the historic fight to reclaim Richmond, Virginia’s African Burial Ground to the deeply embattled struggle over water privatization in Detroit and Flint, Michigan. Within her different bodies of work Merola will also draw parallels between historic flashpoints in American history, through an archival exploration of the Detroit 67 Rebellion to firsthand documentation from the front lines of Ferguson, Missouri and Standing Rock, North Dakota.

Followed by opening reception for Shanna Merola pop-up exhibition, "Another Country."

About "Another Country":

The scenes in Another Country emerge from daily images of conflict and uprising. Discarded shoes, tarps and handmade signs that mark the post-industrial landscape become part roadside memorial and part doomsday prophecy. These temporary sculptures - set against the backdrop of environmental decline - evoke a cautionary tale of hazmat crews and oil soaked shorelines.

If there is a place for both apathy and active resistance in the way forward to a better future, Another Country carries the tension that’s in-between. Inspired by the visual resistance of liberation parties, past and present, it urges us to remember why we fight.