Join us for the inaugural Counterpublic Convening, a free festival bringing together leading artists, thinkers, and advocates to imagine new ways of being in the world together.

Organized by New York-based writer and curator Laura Raicovich, alongside Ringleaders Kenneth Bailey, Galen Gritts, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, and Jeanne van Heeswijk, CIRCUS OF LIFE cultivates connections and shared experiences during a time when locating what we hold in common is urgent and necessary.

Hosted in the Grand Center Arts District at the Big Top, an iconic circus tent, and the new Counterpublic House, the program expands imaginations and engages participants through joy, delight, and creative expression.

Inspired by the richness of circus entertainment and artists’ ability to expand society’s imagination, CIRCUS OF LIFE will bring a variety of such experiences to the public. Artists, advocates, and cultural leaders will present ideas and performances, share conversations, pose questions, and host booths of fun and exchange for all to make meaning together. Organized in five distinct Acts, each with its own theme, the Big Top will host a combination of live performance, song, discussion, and a variety of entertainment and spectacle. Surrounding the Big Top will be booths and tables by artists and collaborators presenting activities and games, alongside mystical and educational experiences. Workshops will unfold over the course of the weekend, offering ways to engage in-depth in hands-on activities and discussions.

Keynotes include poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph, the radical Bread & Puppet Theater, co-host of Democracy Now! Nermeen Shaikh, cultural critic Roxane Gay, and musicians Ali Sethi and Nicolás Jaar.
Enlivening the inherent relationship between art and daily life, CIRCUS OF LIFE is an adventure of your choosing, where pleasure meets rowdiness, joy meets skepticism, indulgence meets experimentation.

ALL ARE WELCOME.
A schedule of events and registration can be found below and will be detailed in the coming months.

A TRIENNIAL EXHIBITION REIMAGINING THE POSSIBILITIES OF ART IN PUBLIC LIFE.
CIRCUS OF LIFE: Sunday
11:30 AM • BIG TOP → COUNTERPUBLIC HOUSE
Parade from The Big Top to the Counterpublic House

12:00-2:00 PM • COUNTERPUBLIC HOUSE
The Final Act: Reflections for the Future

The Circus closes with a communal meal to celebrate all that we’ve learned over the weekend.
Organized by artist Jeanne van Heeswijk and Joia Walker, we reflect on our shared futures over food and an open mic for all. Reflections will include contributions from Jeanne van Heeswijk, Laura Raicovich, and others, in addition to a performance by Kendrick Smith Quartet, a reading by Molly Pearson, and a sharing of photographs and thoughts by NEU ER World, each directly inspired by the CIRCUS OF LIFE. All are welcome to make public reflections or to share them with neighbors over lunch. Food for most dietary needs is available.

www.counterpublic.org/convening-highlights#sunday