17. Arts on the Threshold
This panel and roundtable discussion examine cases of institutional practice which sit at the threshold of art and social justice. It expands on Francesco Salvini’s concept of ‘instituting on the threshold’ (2019) and Maria Puig de la Bellacasa’s call to ‘think with the edges’ (2017), engaging for example in long-term reciprocal relationships with social care settings, local housing struggles, environmental activism or those impacted by carceral justice systems. Salvini speaks of collective and citizen-led social healthcare models such as the Microarea Programme in Trieste, Italy, in which the provision of care sits at the limit between state and society. Puig de la Bellacasa writes of how permaculture invites us to think with the edges of lands and systems. What transpires at these thresholds, edges, or transitional sites, and how might they allow us to imagine institutions, and worlds, anew? As the time we are living in – one of ecological collapse and rising far-right rhetoric – demands new approaches to civic and social life, what is the role of arts organisations in building more just futures?
We encourage papers engaging with both current and historic examples of organisations working on the threshold between art and, for example, climate justice, abolition, health, and social care. We are also interested in hearing from artists working in related contexts (from community gardens to social activism), and organisations with collaborative, community embedded programmes.
Themes: Contemporary art institutions, social justice, care
Additional format comment: This half-day session will comprise four short research papers (15 minutes) and a roundtable discussion (40 minutes).
Lead Convenor: Lucy Lopez, Curator, Radar, Loughborough University, United Kingdom
Co-convenors: Anna Santomauro, Arts Catalyst, Sheffield (Head of Programme), United Kingdom
To submit a Paper to this Session, please follow the guidance on our website and complete the AAH 2027 Call for Papers Proposal Submission Form.