The Vera List Center for Art and Politics is a research center and a public forum for art, culture, and politics.
The Vera List Center for Art and Politics is an artist-focused research center and public forum for art, culture, and politics. It was established at The New School in 1992—a time of rousing debates about freedom of speech, identity politics, and society’s investment in the arts. A leader in the field, the center is a nonprofit that catalyzes and supports politically engaged art, public scholarship, and research throughout the world. It fosters vibrant and diverse communities of artists, scholars, and policymakers who take creative, intellectual, and political risks to bring about positive change.
We champion the arts as expressions of the political moments from which they emerge, and consider the intersection between art and politics the space where new forms of civic engagement must be developed. We are the only university-based institution committed exclusively to leading public research on this intersection. Through public programs and the VLC Seminars, the Jane Lombard Prize and artist and student fellowships, and publications and exhibitions that probe some of the pressing issues of our time, we curate and support new roles for the arts and artists in advancing social justice.
Our Vision
A just and joyful future.
Our Mission
To nurture, connect, and be a resource to diverse communities everywhere by catalyzing generative inquiry, creative practice, collaboration, knowledge, and cultural production focused on the intersection of art and politics.
Our Values
Art and Education as Public Good
Political Empowerment and Solidarity
Independence, Courage, and Hope
Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
Relationality and Reciprocity
Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
The principles of Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (EISJ) are inherent to our work. As we strive to create new spaces for political and civic engagement that are generative, effective, and inspiring, we reach across boundaries to bring together ideas and experiences from a wide range of publics, especially those historically marginalized. Art, to us, holds the greatest promise for such spaces and encounters and inspires us to uphold the principles of Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice.
We approach EISJ intersectionally and qualitatively. It informs all aspects of our work as well as all tiers of our organization: from programming and publications to speakers and independent contractors; from audiences and partner organizations to fellows and the staff and board.
These values and our understanding of them have evolved since our founding and continually transforms what the Vera List Center stands for in the present. Art is the vector that allows us to respond to changing political contexts and to imagine more just, equitable and joyous futures.
Land Acknowledgment
The Vera List Center for Art and Politics uses spaces that occupy the unceded territory of the Lenape Nation. We recognize the Lenape as the custodians and stewards of this land, acknowledge their long history of welcoming many nations to Lenapehoking, and pay respect to their ancestors, past, present, and future. We acknowledge the historical and ongoing oppression of lands, cultures, histories, and the peoples who have inhabited this continental land mass, now called the Americas, long before European settlers arrived, and that the VLC is implicated in the ongoing legacy of these destructive occupations, displacements, and erasures. We turn to the arts and are committed to supporting Indigenous-centered programming in the hope that our work contributes to decolonization and antiracism, to healing, and to a more just and equitable future for all.
Accessibility
As part of our commitment to EISJ, all programs and events of the Vera List Center are free for all to attend, physically or virtually. Public programs are video recorded and shared on our website and Vimeo page or The New School Youtube page and thus accessible worldwide. Occasionally, they are live-streamed. Our online events feature closed captions, ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation, and, sometimes, verbal descriptions.
The New School campus is wheelchair accessible and has elevator access to all floors. Service animals and assistive devices are welcome. If you have specific questions about access, physical or virtual, please indicate this when registering for an event or contact us at vlc@newschool.edu at least three days before an event and we will make every effort to accommodate you.
W.A.G.E. Certification
The Vera List Center is proud to be W.A.G.E certified (since 2018). We pay all of our artists, curators, program presenters, speakers, writers, and other collaborators W.A.G.E.-certified or higher fees to compensate for their creative content and intellectual contribution and as part of our commitment to fair and ethical labor practices. W.A.G.E. sets minimum standards of compensation for creative labor, with types of engagements divided into 15 categories, and our fees are based upon the VLC’s annual operating budget. You can learn more about the W.A.G.E. program here.