Ai Weiwei is one of the world's most celebrated artists. Famous for his work across multiple mediums (sculpture, installation, photography, performance, and architecture), he is equally recognized as one of today's most important activists—a role launched by his persecution at the hands of the Chinese government. Ai uses epically-proportioned works of art and endless selfies to call attention —in bold, graphic terms—to attacks on democracy, free speech, human rights abuses and more recently, the plight of refugees. Ai comes to Chicago (a "sanctuary city") to discuss his work documenting the global refugee crisis as elucidated in his new book Humanity and award-winning documentary Human Flow. New York Review of Books editor Ian Buruma (author of A Tokyo Romance) joins Ai for what's sure to be an unforgettable conversation about the vulnerability of humankind and the role of art in providing a voice and face for the voiceless.

Ticket purchase includes a copy of Humanity. An option for 1 book + 2 tickets is available through the box office at (312) 605-8444.

This event will feature open captions to increase access to program content.

The annual Richard Gray Visual Art Series recognizes a significant gift from founding CHF board member and distinguished art dealer Richard Gray. This program is presented in partnership with The New York Review of Books.

Presenters:

Ai Weiwei is one of the world's most influential and inspiring figures. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Venice Biennale, the Guangzhou Triennial, Tate Modern, and the Smithsonian, among many other major international venues.

Ian Buruma is editor of The New York Review of Books and author of A Tokyo Romance. His previous books include Their Promised Land, Year Zero, The China Lover, Murder in Amsterdam, Occidentalism, God's Dust, Behind the Mask, The Wages of Guilt, Bad Elements, and Taming the Gods. He has received numerous awards, including the Shorenstein Journalism Award and the international Erasmus Prize.

As Confederate memorials across the United States come down, new monuments are rising, commemorating anti-slavery efforts, women’s suffrage, and even recent events such as the Orlando nightclub massacre. Brothers Andrew Lichtenstein and Alex Lichtenstein offer another avenue to revisit and reimagine America’s past. In Marked, Unmarked, Remembered, photojournalist Andrew and historian Alex combine new images of lesser known, often nearly forgotten historic sites with essays seeking to shed new light on the connection between place and history. The Lichtensteins come to CHF to provide a history lesson through images.

Preorder your copy of Marked, Unmarked, Remembered: A Geography of American Memory from the CHF box office and save 20%.

A book signing will follow this program.

The annual Richard Gray Visual Art Series recognizes a significant gift from founding CHF board member and distinguished art dealer Richard Gray.This program is presented in partnership with the College Arts and Humanities Institute at Indiana University.

Poems While You Wait is a group of Chicago poets who periodically set up shop to produce poems on the spot (see what we did there?) at events taking place around the city. We're thrilled to welcome them and their clackety typewriters to CHF's spring festival. Look for their table setup in the CAA lobby in between your programs and get a personalized poem to take home!

Presenters:

Andrew Lichtenstein is a photographer, journalist, and educator. His first book, on the Iraq war, Never Coming Home, was published by Charta Press in 2007. He teaches at the International Center of Photography and the New School and lives in Brooklyn.

Alex Lichtenstein is Professor of History at Indiana University, Bloomington, and Editor of the American Historical A specialist on the history of labor radicalism, civil rights, and anti-apartheid activism, he has published widely on the history of prison labor, radicalism in the American South, and the South African labor movement. His works on history and photography include Margaret Bourke-White and the Dawn of Apartheid (with Rick Halpern) and, with his brother Andrew, Marked, Unmarked, Remembered: A Geography of American Memory.