Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg: Sculpting Empathy - Athenaeum Speaker Series

As a social practice artist, Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg ventures beyond traditional media to broaden minds and change attitudes. She deeply researches each topic, then creates art: from micro-script drawings to 20-acre public, participatory installations. Her art attracts viewers through beautiful aesthetics, then delivers its powerful messages.
About the Speaker:
Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg's Entitled In America: Remember was judged by Artsy Magazine as one of Twelve Best Worldwide Public Art Exhibitions of 2021 and Washingtonian Magazine named Firstenberg a “Washingtonian of the Year.” Her exhibit blanketed the National Mall 701,000 white flags for 17 days. Twenty thousand visitors dedicated flags to their loved ones, each marking a life lost to COVID-19.
Ms. Firstenberg represented the United States at the 2016 Harbin (China) International Ice Sculpting Competition and won the Creativity Prize. She traveled to 24 states interviewing people suffering or recovering from drug addiction. Her resulting seven-installation art series, the Empty Fix, is launching nationwide to destigmatize addiction. Currently, she is speaking around the country about how political extremism, when understood as an addiction, can be cured.