Conference Schedule
Activate. Reimagine. Transform.
February 19-22, 2026
This gathering hosted by the University of Rochester Institute for the Performing Arts, in partnership with the University of Rochester Office of Equity and Inclusion, The Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center, Create A Space Now and Rochester Fringe Festival, will provide opportunities for artists of all disciplines, educators, community members, and community organizations to come together to create, share work and ideas, present research, and propose collaborations.
We invite participants to learn from one another while considering how the arts play a pivotal role in promoting justice, equity, and citizenship. Through the sharing of work, participatory workshops, panel discussions, research presentations, curriculum design, guided discussions, and more, participants will come together to listen, to consider, to share, and to act.
While we have encouraged every presenter to make every effort to create safe and brave spaces, we would like to encourage you to attend these sessions in the way that you need to attend. While we know that discomfort allows for growth, we would like to remind you that you have agency to make decisions that keep you safe as we embark on potentially difficult content and discussions. As we are all here to learn and grow, we welcome you to challenge ideas, but ask you to agree to challenge the idea and not the person. We also want to remind you that individual presenter views do not necessarily represent the official ideas or beliefs of the University of Rochester, the Institute for the Performing Arts, or its partners.
Schedule of events for:
| Time | Presenter | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday Morning Cluster | 9-10:15 a.m. | Dr. Dani Fraenkel/Dr. Nikita Mittal | The Inherent Healing of Dance when East Meets West |
| 10:25-11:40 a.m. | Malena Selic | Safe Places/Safe Spaces | |
| 11:40-11:55 a.m. | Processing/Discussion | Moderator: | |
| Friday Afternoon Cluster | 2-3 p.m. | Anne Harris Wilcox | Change: Welcome, Denied, Inevitable |
| 3:10-3:55 p.m. | Keane Southard | Enhancing the Social Justice Outcomes of El Sistema-inspired Programs by Integrating Kingian Nonviolence Philosophy | |
| 4:10-4:40 p.m. | Meina Liu | A Case Study of One's Own Creative Metacognition on Art Expression: Based on Kaufman's Theory of Creative Metacognition (CMC) | |
| 4:40-4:55 p.m. | Processing/Discussion | Moderator: | |
| Friday Evening Cluster | 6-6:45 p.m. | Andrea Gluckman | Museum Born of Massacre: Art and the Hidden History of the Elaine Massacre |
| 7-7:45 p.m. | W. Michelle Harris (45 mins) | Creating In Their Wake | |
| 7:45-8 p.m. | Processing/Discussion | Moderator: |
| Time | Presenter | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday Morning Cluster | 9:30-10:15 a.m. | Hannah Park | Dancing Pluralism: Opportunities for Equity in Dance Education |
| 10:25-11:25 a.m. | Katie Hurwtiz | A Guided Discussion on Promoting Translated Literature in Elementary Schools | |
| 11:35 a.m.-12:20 p.m. | Otto Muller | Socially Engaged Art as Pedagogical Praxis | |
| 12:20-12:35 p.m. | Processing/Discussion | Moderator: | |
| Saturday Afternoon Cluster | 1:30-2:45 p.m. | Molly Schenck | Trauma-Informed Creative Practices |
| 2:55-3:55 p.m. | Katherine Serna/Missy Pfohl Smith | Dance and Interdependent Community: Agency for Women in Recovery | |
| 4:05-5:20 p.m. | Alexia Buono/Rebekah Chapell | Practicing somatic social justice together: Slowtime and spaciousness | |
| 5:20-5:35 p.m. | Processing/Discussion | Moderator: | |
| Saturday Evening Cluster | 6:35-7:50 p.m. | Ashley Campbell | Beyond Representation: Evolving the Narratives of Identities on Screen |
| 8-8:30 p.m. | Hannah Bell | Say Her Name | |
| 8:30-8:45 p.m. | Processing/Discussion | Moderator: |
| Time | Presenter | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Morning Cluster | 9:45-10:45 a.m. | Christine Stoddard | Uniting Poetics and Humor in (Post)Pandemic Art |
| 10:55-12:10 p.m. | Lauren K. Alleyne | Self and World: Writing the Poems that Matter | |
| 12:10-12:25 p.m. | Processing/Discussion | Moderator: | |
| Sunday Afternoon Cluster | 1:30-2:45 p.m. | Latinx Dance Educators Alliance | Actuating Relationships through Convivencia to Promote Learning Gains in Dance Education |
| 2:55-3:55 p.m. | Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp | Remnants—unearthing histories | |
| 4:05-5:20 p.m. | Alexia Jones | The Art of Wellness | |
| 5:20-5:35 p.m. | Processing/Discussion | Moderator: | |
| 6:30-7:45 p.m. | Leah Okamoto Mann and Soyinka | Add Just: Embodied Liberatory Practices |
To ensure accessibility, the conference is free of charge.
A suggested $10 donation to register for those who are able.