The Conversation
2017
In 2017 Jefferson Pinder was approached by the Figge Museum to envision a project in which members of the area could be integrated into the museum. This new project ventures into social practice as Pinder works with a conservative community to open up a conversation about identity politics in Iowa. Taking a page from Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed, Pinder provides a venue for the community to see itself. Starting with installations that are inspired by gatekeepers in the community, he dives into a deep dialogue that culminate with a combination of performances at the museum in Davenport, Iowa.
Ghost Light Exhibition
The symbol of the Ghost Light references the theatrical superstition in which the darkened stage is illuminated by a light, often a single electric bulb mounted to a stand, intended to ward off the theater’s ghosts. In the absence of a performance, the Ghost Light becomes representative of all of the lives and narratives that have inhabited that space.