This interdisciplinary symposium will investigate major themes and questions central to the Wadsworth Atheneum’s special exhibition Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, on view through May 31, 2015. Continental breakfast and lunch included.

The day begins with a keynote address by Robin Jaffee Frank, Exhibition Curator and Chief Curator, followed by a series of intriguing panel discussions including:

– Nightmares and Fantasies: Painting Coney Island, a conversation among artists represented in the exhibition
– Race and Identity at Coney Island, held in collaboration with The Amistad Center for Art & Culture
– Coney Island on the Silver Screen, exploring Coney Island’s starring role in cinema

Panelists include: DAZE, Arnold Mesches, Marie Roberts, Frederick Brosen, Joseph Koerner, Olivia White, Robert E. Steele, Sarah Lewis, Davarian Baldwin, Robyn Autry, Charles Denson, Joshua Glick, Nick Carr, and Charles Musser.