Time Travel to 2071 with Smithsonian Researchers

How can portraying the future help us prepare for it? As part of the Smithsonian’s upcoming FUTURES exhibition, the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building (AIB) collaborated with Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination to bring together museum experts, cultural and research centers, writers, and artists to help answer that question. They asked eight research teams to imagine potential futures for Smithsonian institutions, their areas of research, and, most importantly, the communities they serve. Might children be able to vote in 2071? What would it take to make human life in space sustainable? Then award-winning artist Brian Miller and acclaimed sci-fi writers Tochi Onyebuchi and Madeline Ashby created exhibition posters and short stories based on those visions.

Join us, AIB, and the Center for Science and the Imagination on Tuesday, November 9 at 12pm ET to discuss the exhibit, the pieces, and the roles museums play in depicting future narratives.

Speakers:

Brian Miller
Artist

Tochi Onyebuchi
Science Fiction Author, Riot Baby, War Girls series

Madeline Ashby
Futurist and Science Fiction Author, Company Town

Moderators:

Ruth Wylie
Assistant Director, Center for Science and the Imagination

Glenn Adamson
Curator, FUTURES Exhibition