Episode 20: Only Connect: Creating Virtual and Physical Spaces for Empathy, presented by Facebook

Yelena Rachitsky, Executive Producer of Experiences at Oculus, and Kelly Sicat, the director of the Artistic Program and Lucas Artists Residency Program at Montalvo Arts Center, discussed how cultural producers working with both virtual and analog technologies are addressing the so-called “loneliness epidemic” by creating space for authentic empathic connections. Through the yearlong initiative SOCIAL: Investigating Loneliness Together, Montalvo brings together artists who are investigating how to foster social engagement in an age where social media both connects and isolates people. Oculus’s recent project Traveling While Black is a virtual reality documentary that immerses the viewer in the long history of restricted movement for Black Americans. James Voorhies, Chair, Graduate Program in Curatorial Practice, California College of the Arts, moderated the conversation.