Tatiana Flores (Rutgers) in ""Mexico City—Avant-Garde City?"" explored how avant-garde movements called for making art inspired by modernity, locating the city as a crucial locus for the creation of contemporary art. From this movement through to contemporary artists working in Mexico City, Flores discusses a fundamental unease about the city as backdrop for avant-garde art.

Edward McCaughan (Professor, Sociology, San Francisco State University), in his talk “Art, Activism and New Ways of Being Mexican” explored how artists active in social movements have created visual discourses and spaces in Mexico City that have enabled publics to imagine and enact new ways of being Mexican, and how activist art has contributed to the democratization of Mexico City and to greater understanding and respect for the diversity of the city’s inhabitants.

Journalist Daniel Hernandez, in his presentation ""Me Encanta la Ciudad!: The Perils of a More User-Friendly Mexico City,"" explored whether the true gritty core of the Mexican megalopolis can survive even as it is a city shivering under the weight of its worldwide popularity.

Discussant Ivonne del Valle (UC Berkeley) provided commentary.