In conjunction with the exhibition “Close Encounters: Facing the Future” at American University’s Katzen Arts Center in Washington DC, Lynne participated in a panel discussion with contemporary artists Edgar Endress and Suzanne Opton.
The panel discussion was prompted in part by Suzanne Opton’s provocative Soldier billboard project depicting active duty soldiers who had returned from deployment in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which after being cancelled by the national office of CBS Outdoor in some of its scheduled markets, was presented via Clear Channel in six cities nationally.
Lynne’s talk explored the often-contradictory forces that shape the presentation and reception of art in a public context, which can create a crisis preventing dialogue and understanding. Using the Women’s Work anti-domestic violence project she curated and directed for Liz Claiborne as a case study, Lynne argued for the need to bring all potential stakeholders into an early, open, and ongoing conversation around the role and impact of controversial art.