Practicing Change

Vijay Gupta is a violinist and social justice advocate. An esteemed performer, communicator, educator and citizen-artist, Gupta is a leading advocate for the role of the arts and music to heal, inspire, provoke change, and foster social connection. Vijay is the founder and Artistic Director of Street Symphony, a non-profit organization providing musical engagement, dialogue and teaching artistry for homeless and incarcerated communities in Los Angeles. Vijay is also a 2018 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellow.

Change happens all the time, but artists practice change. Artists have historically built the social, personal, and spiritual practices to navigate an ever-shifting world, developing multiple ways of being which allow us to adapt and thrive in a world filled with pain and brokenness. Artists show us that with creation comes transformation: we can choose and create new ways of being with each other. From brokenness, we can choose to create wholeness. The lecture will be presented by Gupta interspersed with collaborative performances with pianist Dominic Cheli.