2026 Public Works Artist-in-Residence Karyn Olivier joins filmmaker Cauleen Smith and curator Anthony Elms for a conversation on free speech, artistic and liberated knowledge, and Olivier’s upcoming installation for the Public Works program.
Later this fall, Olivier will unveil Sit With It in the lobby of the Parkway Central Library. The site-specific sculpture and video projection is built from books banned throughout history. Olivier spent more than a year embedded with the Free Library of Philadelphia, meeting with staff across the system’s 50-plus branches to create the work.
This talk is the first of several public programs tied to Olivier’s residency. Public Works places artists in Philadelphia government agencies and organizations to develop work that connects the agency’s mission to the communities it serves. The program is a partnership between Mural Arts, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and Forman Arts Initiative (FAI).
About the Artist-in-Residence
Karyn Olivier is a Trinidadian-born, Brooklyn-raised artist whose practice spans sculpture, large-scale installation, and public art. She is currently serving as the Public Works Artist in Residence at the Free Library of Philadelphia and is currently presenting a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Her recent projects include a 2026 memorial dedicated to civil rights icon Vel R. Phillips. Her work has been featured in the Whitney Biennial, the Malta Biennale, and the Prospect.6 Triennial. In 2024, she completed Right Here, a memorial at Stenton House, and a year-long commission at Rice University. Her recent history includes exhibitions at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Documenta 15, and a permanent installation for Newark Liberty International Airport.
Olivier has showcased her work internationally at the Gwangju and Busan biennials and the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture. Her art has been presented at prestigious institutions such as The Studio Museum in Harlem, MoMA P.S.1, and the ICA Watershed in Boston. Notable solo exhibitions include Everything That’s Alive Moves at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia and a major project at Laumeier Sculpture Park.
About the Panelists
Cauleen Smith is a filmmaker and faculty member in the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture. She holds a BA in Creative Arts from San Francisco State University and an MFA from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. Smith has had solo exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, MASS MoCA, and LACMA, and is a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow.
Anthony Elms is Artistic Director at the Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh. He previously organized exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, including Karyn Olivier: Everything That’s Alive Moves (2020) and Cauleen Smith: Give It or Leave It (2018). He co-curated the 2014 Whitney Biennial.
Event details
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
6:00–8:00 PM (doors at 5:30 PM)
Free with registration
