On March 28, Alexander Zimmerman — a visiting lecturer from the College of Art and Design (CAD) — gave a talk on “Art, Activism and Allyship” at RIT. This took place in the MOSAIC Center and was followed by a student-moderated Q&A. Alexander Zimmerman, a Rochester-based artist, predominantly uses portraits to spark conversations about allyship, giving others and himself a space to learn and grow.

Zimmerman showcased one of his pieces during the talk. It consists of portraits of various famous transgender people and transgender rights activists that line up to recreate the transgender flag. Each portrait has been hand-drawn, creating a unique piece full of interesting flaws and differences. Zimmerman stated that he likes the flaws as they add character to the piece.

The lecturer stated that he did not want to take up any space that should be occupied by marginalized artists themselves. Instead, Zimmerman intended to spark thought and curiosity. He stated, “Having just a conversation, an intentional conversation — it’s like I try to bring artistic intention to it all.”

The moderators of the Q&A following Zimmerman’s lecture were MBA student Myren Bobryk-Ozaki and biochemistry student Nikita Robinson. In anticipation of the Q&A, students and staff attending moved the chairs in the room into a circle and discussed more intersections between art and allyship. Many interesting questions were posed, including how to spark fruitful conversations with art even when you may not be part of the demographic it displays, or how to best learn from mistakes you might make during the process.

Zimmerman told students they should feel free to reach out to him at CAD if they have any questions. He is open to discussing his art and enjoys learning about new perspectives through its creation. His unique creative process displays how collaborative art can be, and how rewarding it can be to incorporate diverse perspectives into artworks.