Visual Arts

LaToya Ruby Frazier

Award-Winning Photographer | Member of the TIME100 | MacArthur Genius

Art is a weapon. Photos can change society—our view of ourselves and our communities.

Teju Cole

Professor of Creative Writing at Harvard | Author of Open City and Tremor | Former Photography Critic for NYT Magazine

This is a time for protest and activism, but it is also a time for subtlety, ambiguity and complexity.

Nathan Pyle

#1 New York Times bestselling author of Strange Planet | Executive Producer of Strange Planet

The road to creativity is right beneath our feet—we just need to learn how to walk it.

Jer Thorp

Author of Living in Data | Former Library of Congress Innovator in Residence | Former NYT Data Artist-in-Residence

The future of data is about to be written—and it’s up to us to imagine a more just data democracy.

Candy Chang

Urban space artist behind the "Before I Die" walls

Creative ways of engaging communities can help us foster hope and belonging together.

Titus Kaphar

Award-Winning Painter and Sculptor | Writer and Director of Exhibiting Forgiveness | MacArthur "Genius" | Author of Redaction

Art has the power to reframe our history—revealing the past we've lost and the future we're working towards.

Sarah Lewis

Founder of Vision & Justice | Harvard Associate Professor | Bestselling Author of The Rise and The Unseen Truth

What is the role of art and culture for racial justice?

Eman Mohammed

Award-winning photojournalist | TED Senior Fellow

We need to bring the other’s side into focus to recognize our shared humanity.

Edward Burtynsky

World-renowned photographer | Winner of the TED Prize

Photographs are the reflecting pools of our time.

Hank Willis Thomas

World-Renowned Artist | Winner of the US Department of State Medal of Arts | Guggenheim Fellow

Art can break barriers and transform our perspectives on identity, race, and justice.

Nancy Baker Cahill

AR Artist | Filmmaker | Founder and Artistic Director of 4th Wall

Art and technology together can provoke powerful social change.

Adam Pendleton

Award-Winning Artist | Advocate for the Legacy of Nina Simone

Using art to challenge, disrupt, and reshape the narratives that define our collective histories can serve as a catalyst for social change.

From the art of revolution to the art of spirituality, re-imagined urban spaces to the crossroads of technology and environmentalism, Lavin’s visual arts speakers inspire wonder, overturn stereotypes, and help us tap into the creative process.