Onassis Cultural Center New York Presents ONASSIS SYMPOSIUM 2016

The Onassis Cultural Center New York presents its second annual Onassis Symposium, a timely conversation exploring The Role of the Artist in Society today. An internationally distinguished panel from diverse creative and intellectual disciplines will share their ideas about the contributions artists make to larger societal issues and how artists' insights and works create both a current commentary and a lasting legacy.

Free and open to the public, reservations are required. The Role of the Artist in Societytakes place Tuesday, November 15 at 7:00 pm at the Onassis Cultural Center New York, 645 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY and will be livestreamed.

"With a nod to the symposia of ancient Greece, this year's event invites us to think about the role of the artist in an increasingly complex world. We bring together an extraordinary assembly of luminaries and innovators to think out loud and in each other's company, to see what conclusions they reach," says Amalia Cosmetatou, Executive and Cultural Director of the Onassis Foundation USA.

Moderator, Philip Gourevitch has been a contributor and staff writer at The New Yorkersince 1995, reporting from Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States on topics ranging from genocide to cold-case homicide to the music of JAmes Brown. Winner of numerous awards for his non-fiction books, he is best known for, We Wish to Inform You ThatTomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda (1998).

Mr. Gourevitch will lead the panelists, each coming to the question from very different perspectives:

Alex Atala, chef of D.O.M restaurant in Sao Paulo is the only chef to be named one ofTime Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2014. Known internationally as an environmental activist, Atala uses indigenous produce from the Amazon to craft a cuisine steeped in classical techniques that are uniquely Brazilian.

Azar Nafisi, whose international bestseller, Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, is a compassionate portrait of the Islamic revolution and its impact on a professor and her students, and presents an incisive exploration of the transformative power of fiction in a world of tyranny.

Eli Reed, an American photographer and photojournalist, has authored several books including Black in America, is a former Neiman Fellow at Harvard University, and currently a professor of photojournalism at the University of Texas at Austin.

Nancy Spector, Chief Curator and Deputy Director at the Brooklyn Museum is a preeminent authority on contemporary visual culture and a former Deputy Director and Chief Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. Known for her radical innovation in award-winning exhibitions and public programs, she has presented artists Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Matthew Barney, Richard Prince, Marina Abramovic, Tino Sehgal, and Maurizio Cattelan at pivotal moments in their careers.

Free Admission. Limited seating.

Reservations open November 1, 2016 at onassisusa.org/symposium

About the ONASSIS CULTURAL CENTER NEW YORK
The Onassis Cultural Center New York explores Greek culture from antiquity to today, through a diverse program of exhibitions, events, and online engagement for audiences of all ages and interests. All programs and exhibitions-from scholarly to those designed for families, novices, and experts - are presented free of charge to make the experience accessible to all.

About the ONASSIS FOUNDATION USA
The Onassis Foundation USA, an affiliate to the parent Foundation in Greece, is committed to the promotion of Greek culture. By cooperating with educational and cultural institutions in Greece and throughout the Americas, the Onassis Foundation USA promotes cultural relations.

The mission of the Onassis Foundation USA is realized through two major initiatives, one cultural and educational for the general public through its Onassis Cultural Center New York, and one academic, the University Seminar Program, that places eminent scholars from all over the world in universities in North and Latin America for seminars and courses on topics related to Hellenic civilization. To learn more about the Foundation and the Onassis Cultural Center New York, please visit: onassisusa.org.