#  Emerging Ideas on Art and Society: Paola Antonelli 

 



    ![Headshot for Paola Antonelli](/sites/g/files/omnuum6821/files/styles/hwp_5_4__480x385/public/2026-09/Paola%20Antonelli%20Headshot.jpg?itok=iMXuVJ7h) 

 



 

####  calendar\_today Date and Time 

 **September 30, 2026** 

 06:30PM - 08:00PM EDT 

####  pin\_drop Location 

 **Farkas Hall Room 203**  



 

 [ RSVP arrow\_circle\_right ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7UXODqz9gZbrdBkLB2cBql5rn_0eS12RXjFRcfjHYXfIfow/viewform) 

 



 

   ![Poster for A Conversation with Paola Antonelli on September 30](/sites/g/files/omnuum6821/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2026-09/Paola%20Antonelli%20Poster%208x10-2.png?itok=JGLOhsFH) 

 

Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA) presents *Emerging Ideas on Art and Society*, which invites an artist, a thinker, or a critic to come and share their doubts, questions, incomplete thoughts, and challenges about what art and society are today. A small group of students and faculty will gather to have an informal but intense conversation with the guest. A short text will be shared in advance to inform the conversation. While we expect active interventions, the guest leads the dramaturgy of the event with the questions they bring to the table that day.

This conversation’s guest is curator, author and critic **Paola Antonelli**. Paola Antonelli is Senior Curator of Architecture & Design at The Museum of Modern Art, as well as MoMA’s founding Director of Research & Development. Her goal is to promote design’s understanding, until its mighty influence on the world is universally acknowledged. Her work considers design various practices within a multidisciplinary framework, highlighting its connections with technology, society, art, and the environment. Besides curating exhibitions, she also produces a renowned public series, the MoMA R&D Salons, that demonstrates the potential of museums as R&D departments for society. The Instagram platform, book, and podcast *Design Emergency*, which she co-founded with design critic Alice Rawsthorn, is an ongoing investigation on design's power to envision a better future for all.

This conversation will be moderated by **Joseph Zeal-Henry**. Joseph is a designer, curator, and urbanist shaping cities through culture. As Boston’s Chief of Arts & Culture he works to grow the creative economy and embed culture into everyday life in the city. A Columbia GSAPP professor and 2024 Loeb Fellow, he bridges design, policy, and activism—co-curating the British Pavilion at Venice Biennale in 2023.

   ![Headshot of Joseph Henry sitting amongst cacti](/sites/g/files/omnuum6821/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-09/Joseph%20Henry%20Portrait_Taran%20Wilkhu-web.jpg?itok=6srtKlrR) 

 

Photo by Taran Wilkhu



 

 



 

 

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