Currently featured in the exhibit space of Lane Hall is My Gender States, a visual art presentation conceived and brought to life by Professor Rogério M. Pinto (Social Work). The exhibit comprises photographs of assemblage sculptures from The Realm of the Dead, a site-specific installation performance by Pinto, with text from his related one-person play, Marília. These works explore the intersecting and shaping layers of Pinto’s childhood traumas, gender states, and life experience—a story of the struggles, fears, and accomplishments he experienced as an immigrant to the United States. 

A blend of social work and arts research, this project incorporates practice-led, engagement, and design research – visual and performance art practices actively involving both research collaborators and audiences. 

During this in-person talk, Professor Pinto will discuss his ongoing artistic research and practices, emphasizing how artistic research can be used to advance social justice and self-healing. He will also talk about how he has been teaching these concepts to undergraduate and graduate social work and art students. 

About the speaker:
Rogério M. Pinto (Brazilian, American, b. 1965, Belo Horizonte, Brazil) is a University Diversity Social Transformation Professor; Berit Ingersoll-Dayton Collegiate Professor of Social Work; and Professor of Theatre and Drama, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, at the University of Michigan. Pinto uses art-based methods to conduct community-engaged research in the United States and Brazil.