What do we choose to collectively remember, and how?

In this ArtBreak conversation, Tyler Jones, Director and founding member of 1504, and Joshua Jenkins, Mississippi and Alabama Field Representative for the National Parks Conservation Association, explore how a sense of place shapes individual and collective identity, and why preserving spaces where memory is embedded in the landscape matters. Drawing connections between The Sacred Ordinary, 1504's public memory project, and Roll Call: Two Hundred Years of Black American Art, they will consider how art and storytelling can counteract erasure, deepen our understanding of history, and reveal the sacred within the ordinary. The program concludes with a brief gallery tour of Roll Call led by Jade Powers, Hugh Kaul Curator of Contemporary Art.

Tyler Jones is a filmmaker, experience designer, and founding member of 1504, a Birmingham-based narrative studio that integrates strategic communications with the visual arts. His recent projects include Joe Minter Is Here, a site-specific art installation honoring Birmingham artist Joe Minter, and In Solidarity: The Beth El Civil Rights Experience, an Emmy Award-nominated immersive exhibition exploring the Jewish community's relationship to the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham.

Joshua Jenkins is based in Birmingham and serves as Mississippi and Alabama Field Representative for the National Parks Conservation Association. His work supports national parks and heritage initiatives across Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina's Lowcountry, focusing on the preservation of places that deepen our understanding of history and strengthen connections between communities and the landscapes they inhabit.

Please note that this ArtBreak will be held in the Roll Call exhibition, therefore the registration fee also provides entry into the exhibition.

Please note that members are limited to one transaction per event. For additional questions, please contact [email protected] or 205.254.2389.