Benjamin Anderson is speaking about Spolia as part of Counterpublic 2026: Coyote Time in St Louis on Sunday, October 25.
At the National Building Arts Center, hundreds of thousands of salvaged artifacts hold histories of conflict, displacement, and power. This conversation brings together curator and writer Hamza Walker, art historian and classicist Benjamin Anderson, and curator and writer TK Smith to explore how contested monuments and architectural fragments can be recontextualized to challenge dominant histories. Drawing on Walker’s role in organizing MONUMENTS and NBAC’s behind-the-scenes stewardship of exhibition materials, the speakers will consider spolia–artifacts and objects taken from old structures and repurposed for new uses–as a powerful conceptual strategy. Together, they will examine how artists, curators, and historians can transform the narratives of objects and the structures of white supremacy they represent through new forms of preservation, interpretation, and artistic intervention.
This event is part of Counterpublic 2026: Coyote Time and our three-day Climate Convening, which brings together artists, writers, organizers, designers, scientists, cultural leaders, and community practitioners to explore climate as a lived reality and exhibitions as opportunities for worldbuilding.
For details, see the webpage here.
