Art in the Wake III: Resistance, Liberation and Reclamation

Iziko South African National Gallery Annexe
80 St John’s Road, Cape Town, 8001
Saturday, October 17, 2026

Art in the Wake III: Resistance, Liberation and Reclamation is presented by Indigo Arts Alliance (IAA) in partnership with the Center for the Study of Global Slavery (CSGS) at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and the Iziko Museums of South Africa. Following the traveling exhibition, In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World, curated by the CSGS at NMAAHC, this symposia series explores how art acts both as witness to history and architect of future possibilities. The inaugural program launched in Portland, Maine, USA in 2023, and re-emerged in February 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, at the Museu da História e da Cultura Afro-Brasileira & Museu Nacional de História with Art in the Wake II: Repairing, Healing & Memory.

This multi-generational program brings together artists, curators, museum educators from the United States and South Africa, alongside youth participants, to explore how art acts both as witness to history and architect of future possibilities, demonstrating that art-making serves as a form of connection between generations. Attendees will engage in embodied exploration of themes central to the diasporic experience: healing from historical trauma, envisioning repair and restoration, preserving and reimagining memory, building resilient communities, and crafting pathways to collective freedom.

Throughout this symposia, we invite audiences to ponder the following guiding goals:

• Underscore the importance of art in processing history and imagining the future.
• Emphasize the global, diasporic nature of the histories and legacies of slavery and colonialism.
• Foster cross-cultural exchange and conversations through the lens of art.