Please join us for our first Community Conversation at Index! During this event series, we feature members of our community who share their thoughts on a given topic, seeding the ground with fertile conversation and connection.

This month’s conversation is On Hope. We ask: What could the future look like for the hopeful? How can we spend our time radically imagining good — from the local scale to the universal?

Our three speakers will each take 7 minutes to introduce a conversation topic related to the subject of hope. After the presentation session, we will split into smaller groups to unpack the ideas presented. Then we will regroup to talk about the presentations in a panel format.

We would like to thank our PALs for making this event possible and completely free. To learn more about the impact of PALs, check out this page, here.

Watch the recording →

An exploration on the potentials of Social Media Platforms with Ana Luisa Figueiredo

Ana Luisa Figueiredo is a graphic designer from Rio de Janeiro based in Switzerland. Her work as an independent researcher is mostly focused on philosophy of technology and pop culture.

Amulets, Placebo and Culture of Hope with Mavis Yue Cao

Mavis Cao is a multidisciplinary designer and researcher. She is currently working towards the completion of her MFA at ArtCenter College of Design, and her ongoing thesis examines how to create a culture of hope in medical practices.

Two Outlooks on Utopia: An Introduction to Walter Benjamin and Ernst Bloch with Zach Whitworth

Zach Whitworth is an art historian from the Umpqua Valley of the Pacific Northwest. He currently works with the Los Angeles Contemporary Archive and is a governing member of the Community Reading Group.

My name is Sam Taylor and I’m based in Richmond, VA. Additionally, I’m a former librarian 📚 turned Product Strategist at Manhattan Hydraulics and the Head of Community at Index. After a very short time talking with me, you’ll quickly realize I am obsessed with hyper-niche corners of the Internet. From domestic cozy to the rock tumbling community on TikTok, I’ve always been interested in how folks express themselves and craft community across platforms and IRL 🌎.