Allen After Hours / Art Activism: Build Community and Make Change

Thursday, December 3, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

How can you leverage your creative talents in service to the world you want to see from the micro to the macro? Join us for an Allen After Hours with Shannon Downey, aka Badass Cross Stitch, who will address this and more through her experience as an artist, activist, craftivist, community builder, and general instigator. Downey will take you on a tour of impactful examples of both her work and that of her comrades and then give you tools and resources to elevate your change making. Walk away inspired and prepared to do the damn thing!

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Registration is encouraged but not required

*Enjoy 10% off regular-priced menu items and merchandise at participating Oberlin businesses on the day of this event by showing your registration confirmation email. Get more details.

Access statement: This event will be held in a wheelchair- and rolling walker-accessible building. The lecture space is wheelchair accessible, with moveable seating. Restrooms are gender-specific and wheelchair-accessible. Listening devices will be available for use during the presentation, but ASL interpretation is currently not scheduled for this event. Most talks will be recorded and available with closed captions on the museum’s YouTube page after the event. Please email access questions to Jill Greenwood, jgreenwo@oberlin.edu.

Image description: A close-up portrait of a person with shoulder-length wavy auburn hair, blue-gray eyes, and a small nose ring, looking directly at the camera with a slight, calm smile. They wear a black satin-collared shirt and sit against a softly blurred background with a blush-pink chair and dark drapery.