Visual Arts

Award-winning photographer | Associate professor of photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago | MacArthur Genius

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

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.

Acclaimed Writer & Director of Rafiki | Co-Founder of AFROBUBBLEGUM

Embracing joy is an act of resistance, power, and creativity.

#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.

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.

Urban space artist behind the "Before I Die" walls

With powerful public art, we can engage communities in real conversations.

2018 MacArthur Fellow | Author of Redaction | Award-Winning Painter and Sculptor

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

Award-winning photojournalist | TED Senior Fellow

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

World-renowned photographer | Winner of the TED Prize

Photographs are the reflecting pools of our time.

Award-winning artist and journalist | Author of Brothers of the Gun

Beauty is survival, not distraction—a way of fighting, a reason to fight.

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.