On November 11, 2015, Parsons Fine Arts Program and The New School Art Collection co-sponsored a public event to reflect on the layers of meaning within “Comrades and Lovers”, Glenn Ligon’s site-specific, Walt Whitman-inspired neon installation at The New School. Ligon discussed his exploration of American history, literature, race and society across a body of work that builds critically on the legacies of modern painting and more recent conceptual art. The event began with a film directed by New School alum, Daniela Merino, (MA, Media Studies, 2010, NSPE) that revealed the behind-the-scenes process involved in making the commissioned work. Award-winning poet, playwright and novelist Carl Hancock Rux responded to the piece by performing a poem, as well as engaging in a a conversation with Ligon.