Paul Rucker
Artist & Activist | Exploring Racism and Social Justice
About
Paul Rucker is a multidisciplinary artist, composer, and TED Fellow whose work explores the legacy of racism in America. His multimedia installations have been featured at the Seattle Art Museum, the Telfair Museums in Savannah, and the California African American Museum.
Rucker has been recognized with a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant, a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship, and an Open Society Foundations Fellowship to support his powerful projects that confront systemic injustice. His keynotes and workshops guide audiences to unpack the complexities of racial bias and work towards a more equitable future.
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The symbols of systemic racism -- and how to take away their power
Multidisciplinary artist and TED Fellow Paul Rucker is unstitching the legacy of systemic racism in the United States. A collector of artifacts connected to the history of slavery -- from branding irons and shackles to postcards depicting lynchings -- Rucker couldn't find an undamaged Ku Klux Klan robe for his collection, so he began making his own. The result: striking garments in non-traditional fabrics like kente cloth, camouflage and silk that confront the normalization of systemic racism in the US. "If we as a people collectively look at these objects and realize that they are part of our history, we can find a way to where they have no more power over us," Rucker says. (This talk contains graphic images.)
"Criminalization of Survival"
| Event | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|
| TED×2 | 2019, 2018 | 🇨🇦Vancouver, Canada |
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