Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
LACMA, Los Angeles
Join artist Todd Gray for a talk on his newly commissioned work for LACMA, Octavia’s Gaze, as well as his public art projects across Los Angeles, including a new Metro Art commission for Wilshire/La Cienega Station. In conversation with scholar and curator Dr. Tiffany E. Barber, the talk will explore Gray’s inspirations, creative process, and approach to making art for both museums and public spaces. This rare opportunity offers an inside look at the vision behind some of L.A.’s most engaging contemporary art projects. Co-presented with Metro Art. Attendees are encouraged to [GO METRO](https://www.metro.net/riding/trip-planner/) to the event, highlighting the connection between art and L.A.’s transit system. **Todd Gray** (b. 1954, Los Angeles, CA) works in photography, performance and sculpture. He received both his BFA and MFA from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Gray is a professor emeritus of art at California State University, Long Beach.Gray works between Los Angeles and Ghana, where he explores the diasporic dislocations and cultural connections which link Western hegemony with West Africa. He was the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in 2018 and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Residency Fellowship in 2016, among others. Gray’s work is in numerous public collections: Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, to name a few. **Dr. Tiffany E. Barber** is an award-winning scholar, curator, and critic whose work reshapes how we understand race, gender, and representation. A sought-after voice in contemporary art, culture, and fashion, her expert commentary spans academic journals, museum exhibitions, acclaimed documentaries, and major media outlets like The Nation, Huffington Post, Frieze, and Tate Etc. Currently Assistant Professor of African American Art at UCLA, Dr. Barber’s unique blend of art history, performance theory, and Black feminist thought inspires diverse audiences and institutions to advance new cultural futures. Her accolades include the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Director’s Essay Prize; leadership roles at the International Journal of Surrealism, the Delaware Contemporary, the College Board, and the Black Speculative Arts Movement; and numerous fellowships. Her path-breaking exhibitions have been featured in Essence, The Brooklyn Rail, Surface Magazine, and Google Arts and Culture. Her debut monograph, Undesirability and Her Sisters: Black Women’s Visual Work and the Ethics of Representation (NYU Press, 2025), cements her reputation as a leading tastemaker and thinker of this generation.