The Judith Center Poster Project [Phase 1]: Freedom in the Automation Age

About the Exhibition

What are the opportunities and costs of developing new technologies to advance the common good? Freedom in the Automation Age consists of newly commissioned posters by living artists who explore the intersection of gender and emerging technologies. Together they address anxieties about the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it uses our bodies and minds to generate data that may not always benefit our individual interests. Their works ask us to be vigilant about our own relationships with these powerful systems and the consequences of their growing influence.  

This exhibition is a project with The Judith Center, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the urgent need for equitable gender representation in American culture and various professional fields. The debut of the Center’s Poster Project at the MSU Broad Art Museum also considers local issues and concerns. In 2023, Michigan, along with several other states, passed laws regulating the use of AI in the electoral process. This follows concerns about politicians’ security in the state. Coinciding with the current political season in the United States, Freedom in the Automation Age is a catalyst for conversations about how technology affects individual freedoms and democracy. As a university involved with the development and growth of new technologies, MSU offers a rich environment for this dialogue.  

The Judith Center is a new 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by the Los Angeles-based artist Kathryn Andrews. Its mission is to address the structural nature of sexism in the United States in conversation with a widespread audience. In partnership with various institutions, it produces exhibitions and educational programs that seek to consider gender inequality in a variety of different contexts. It invites artists, scientists, activists, and politicians to explore the interconnectedness of bias: how bias in one field reinforces its presence in others. 

The Judith Center Poster Project [Phase 1]: Freedom in the Automation Age is organized by The Judith Center in partnership with the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, with support from Steven L. Bridges, Interim Director & Senior Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, and Rachel Winter, Assistant Curator. This exhibition is made possible through support from the Alan and Rebecca Ross Endowed Exhibitions Fund. 

Artists: Lynn Hershman Leeson; Lauren Lee McCarthy; Warren Neidich; abbi page; Martine Syms; Linda Vallejo