A Public Commons
A Public Commons uses the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) Art Gallery to explore productive communication and problem-solving methodologies across ideological positions. By using strategies from UIS’s origins as Sangamon State University, an experimental public affairs institution rooted in civic engagement, social responsiveness, and structural innovation, this project convenes important conversations between a range of stakeholders in both public and private capacities. Through the course of this project’s run, discussions focused on topics ranging from education, healthcare, and housing to social justice, criminal justice, and food security.
A Public Commons was facilitated by Service Works, a speculative, semi-visible service platform that partners with individuals and institutions to use relational art practice and social design to create access to socially relevant information and resources. A Public Commons was directed by artists Brian Gillis and Mike Miller, in partnership with sociologist/DEI consultant Tiffani Saunders, RN/hospital administrator Carol First, political scientist/public administrator Ty Dooley, and artist/curator Allison Lacher.
