This panel takes its cue from Jim Shaw’s interest in religion and belief systems in contemporary American cultural life. It will consider a variety of religious, occult, esoteric, New Age, and conspiracist organizations, and the materials, images, and language that are created in their service, in order to examine the practice of existential questioning and populist pursuit of truth. As with Shaw’s collages and collections of cultural detritus, this panel is conceived with a certain ambivalence toward the “truthiness,” plausibility, or righteousness of each organization and its creed, and instead aims to address the phenomena of belief, pathos, and doubt that drive popular aspirations for a better—or better ordered—life.

Panelists: Gary Carrion-Murayari, Jonah Freeman, Justin Lowe, and Kate Valk

Moderator: Suzanne Snider

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