From a privately-owned monument of John Sutter to a statue of Junipero Serra at the Capitol, the Sacramento region has seen renewed discussion amidst calls for removal or relocation of contested public memorials. What are monuments, what do they mean to our shared histories, and what are artists doing to engage with them?

Local historians, activists, and stakeholders will join in conversation around the history of Indigenous people in California, context of statues in the region, and new artistic and educational practices that may help to reimagine historical monuments. Asking critical questions about what stories are told and why, this discussion invites participants to engage in a re-imagining of what has been and what could be in the monuments we create.