Life. Liberty. Pursuits of Happiness.
These three powerful concepts are at the heart of the Declaration of Independence. They continue to fuel how we approach, evaluate and sustain democracy as a guiding social practice and national framework.
Our year-long CSRD series focuses on the reverberations of the nation’s founding 250 years ago. Join us for stirring talks, film screenings and community dialogues that will fuel our shared commitments to purposeful civic engagement and meaningful intellectual inquiry.
Facing the Future: The Arts and the Power of Community
Vision & Sound Symposium 2026
Friday, February 27, 2026 • Sedona Arts Center, AZ
This year’s keynote speaker is Brett Cook, a deeply accomplished and insightful artist who grapples with issues of place, presence and loss in American society and African American communities. Acclaimed choreographer and ASU Institute Professor Liz Lerman and ASU counselor Austin Gamble will co-lead the Critical Response Process session that is an integral part of the symposium. Arizona-based Vision and Sound artists will discuss their work and engage with audiences in compelling gallery talks.
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Innovating Belonging
When Making Art Means Making Life
Monday, March 2, 2026 | 4:00 p.m. -5:30 p.m. • Wilson Hall, Tempe
Join us for a public talk by the award-winning and innovative interdisciplinary artist and educator Brett Cook. A sought-after storyteller, Cook will invite us to think about the dynamic and vital connections between art, life and belonging.
American Exile
Film Screening and Community Dialogue
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 | 5:00 p.m. • ASU MIX Center, Mesa
Thursday, April 2, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. • Paul C. Helmick Center, Tempe
This powerful documentary will change the way that you think about heroism, patriotism and honor. Join the CSRD and American Exile director and producer John Valadez for a deeply moving screening and dialogue about brothers and Vietnam veterans Manuel and Valente Valenzuela who are confronted with deportation orders despite having been born in the United States and serving their nation with distinction.
Henry David Thoreau: A Life
Film Screening and Community Dialogue
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 • Time & Location Coming Soon
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 • Time & Location Coming Soon
Henry David Thoreau was a person whose life was shaped by his deep interests in nature, writing, reflection and labor. His definitive text, Walden, and his unapologetic essays about civic responsibilities and about democracy as a moral enterprise are powerful touchstones. Join us for screenings of this just-released documentary and community dialogues with Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers, directors of this just-released documentary, that they launched in partnership with Ken Burns and Florentine Films.
An Evening with Natasha Tretheway
Friday, April 24, 2026 • Tempe, Arizona
Natasha Tretheway is a distinguished Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, former two-term Poet Laureate of the United States and professor of English. Her award-winning works of poetry, non-fiction and memoir contemplate the constant evolution of our nation, the power of love and the politics of family. Join us for an elegant evening of poetry and conversation with one of our nation’s most luminous poets. A book-signing will conclude the program.