Encoded Bodies, Living Archives: Ghosts in the Dataset and the Future of Cultural Memory

Black and white close-up image of a woman with her head half under water
Thu, August 6, 2026
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Urban Arts Space

As artificial intelligence reshapes how images, language, and culture are created, this conversation brings together artists, technologists, and scholars to examine the relationship between AI, creativity, ethics, and cultural memory.

Inspired by The Black Madonna & Other Sacred Spaces, the discussion explores what happens when ancestral knowledge meets algorithmic systems—and what only people can remember, carry, and pass on.

Featuring: Mark Cardwell (Cardwell Communications), Dr. Sonia BasSheva Mañjon (Chief Academic Officer, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; visual artist), Marshall Shorts (Maroon Arts Group & Artfluential), Dr. Casidy Campbell (Barnard College), Tobi Ewing (Designer & Cultural Producer), and Chris Hearn (Co-founder, Irrepressible Soul Collective and Strategy, GooRoo).

Moderated by: Dr. Terron Banner, Executive Director of Urban Arts Space.
 

RSVP for the Free In-Person Panel


Watch the Event Virtually on Zoom


Visiting Urban Arts Space

50 W. Town St., Ste. 130
Columbus, OH 43215
Located in the historic Lazarus Building in downtown Columbus.

Admission to our exhibitions and programs is free!

View this map for parking garage options, with street parking on Rich, Front, and Wall Street, or go to our Accessibility page for bike or bus directions.