The Black Feminist Study Group is a four-part program shaped by the poetics and practice of Afro-Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino, recipient of the Vera List Center’s 2025–2027 Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice. Organized and presented within Paulino’s prize exhibition ¿História Natural? (October 9–November 1, 2026), the study group is anchored by seminal texts that touch on interconnected struggles for liberation and resistance throughout the African diaspora.
The study group commences on Friday, October 9, launching the VLC Forum 2026 and the opening of Paulino’s exhibition. With an introduction by Re’al Christian, VLC Assistant Director of Editorial Initiatives, writer and editor Jessica Lynne leads the first session with a text by Beatriz Nascimento.
The study group assembles weekly from October 9 to 31. Rooted in the practice of collective listening and call and response, each study group session features an invited writer reading from a text of their choice from the reading list by another author, followed by a group discussion. As a joint dialogue, the study group is designed to open encounters and invite collaboration, bringing the disparate into proximity.Â
Session 1 | Friday, October 9, 4 pm
Jessica Lynne reading Beatriz Nascimento
The Black Feminist Study Group is co-convened by Re’al Christian as part of Rosana Paulino: ¿História Natural?, curated by Carin Kuoni and Eriola Pira. It is supported by Critical Minded.
The Vera List Center Forum 2026: Matter of Intelligence is presented by the Vera List Center for Art and Politics as part of the VLC’s 2025–2027 Focus Theme Matter of Intelligence. It is curated by Carin Kuoni and Eriola Pira and convened with the support of Tabor Banquer, Re’al Christian, and Adrienne Umeh.Â
The Vera List Center is introducing tiered ticketing. VLC programs are always free and open to all; however, they are not free to produce. Tiered ticketing allows us to more transparently acknowledge the real costs behind our work—honoring artists and art workers, supporting the administrative, technical, and care labor involved in every event, and sustaining the conditions that make these programs possible.
This tiered ticketing system allows those who can afford to sustain our work to do so, while ensuring that cost is never a barrier to participation. Your support helps us uphold our commitment to artists, audiences, and a more equitable cultural ecosystem.
The Vera List Center is committed to ensuring that our programs are accessible to and inclusive of all. Wheelchair or mobility device seating is available. Please let us know when registering if you need this or any additional accommodations, or send an email to vlc@newschool.edu.
The Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries are located on the ground level of the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at 66 Fifth Avenue at 13th Street and there is an accessible entrance via ramp on Fifth Avenue. There are ADA accessible restrooms on that floor and an all gender restroom on the 2nd floor.
The nearest accessible subway stations are the 14 St-Union Sq (L, N, Q, R, and W) and the 14 St/6 Ave (F, M, and L) station.
Committed to amplifying diverse voices, The New School offers more than a thousand public programs and events each year, providing fresh perspectives and unique learning opportunities. These lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and performances feature prominent and emerging artists, activists, and thought leaders. Be sure to visit our Events Calendar to see the full roster.
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