Join us for a powerful and thought-provoking conversation with renowned interdisciplinary artist Dread Scott, recorded live at the Boston Public Library on the eve of Juneteenth 2025. In this event, part of BPL’s “Revolutionary Art” series, Dread Scott shares the stories behind his most iconic works—from flag-burning protests to large-scale reenactments of slave rebellions—and explores the role of art in confronting injustice, reimagining history, and inspiring liberation.
Moderated by Dr. Lizzie Cooper Davis, this conversation dives deep into themes of protest, freedom, Black joy, and the radical potential of art to shape the future.
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Dread Scott is an interdisciplinary artist who for four decades has made work that encourages viewers to re-examine cohering ideals of American society. In 1989, the US Senate outlawed his artwork and President Bush declared it "disgraceful" because of its transgressive use of the American flag. Dread became part of a landmark Supreme Court case when he and others burned flags on the steps of the Capitol. He has presented a TED talk on this subject.
