Expert Series: “Beneath the Surface”

Join photographers Will Wilson (Citizen of the Navajo Nation), Cara Romaro (Chemehuevi), and Dakota Mace (Diné), featured artists in Beneath the Surface: Mining and American Photography, as they discuss how photographers bring visibility to the often-hidden worlds of mining, drilling, and fracking. Facilitated by photographer and member of MAM’s Native Initiatives Advisory Group, Jami Balicki (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin / Mohawk), this artist-led conversation brings together an intergenerational group of artists for an unscripted conversation on aesthetics, activism, and artistic practice—examining how photography reveals the industries shaping our landscapes, communities, and everyday lives.

The Expert Series welcomes renowned artists, scholars, and cultural activators to the Museum for expansive dialogues that dive deeper into an exhibition, artist, or theme.

Image: Will Wilson, Shiprock Disposal Site, Shiprock, Navajo Nation, 36.769690596277414 N / -108.68547605691704 W (detail), 2020. Inkjet print. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Charina Endowment Fund in memory of Robert B. Menschel, 2024.38.2. Courtesy of the artist and Diné Connect.