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According to the Macmillan dictionary, public service is “a service that helps people without charging them any money.” Is art and design about serving the public? Many artists have elected to formulate situations in which an extended community can potentially benefit from the outcomes of a work of art. This discursive approach that is sometimes labeled “social practice art,” “social engagement art,” or “participatory art” is gaining prominence in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) region and beyond. The approach is particularly apt for the postcolonial age during which practitioners seek out ways to confront the shared social and historical context in the MENASA region (and elsewhere), including colonial legacy and how it continues to impact life for formerly colonized nations. Utilizing collaborative processes in artistic production, artists aim to uncover and shed light on concerns affecting these societies.

Instead of usual paper presentations, the panel will be a participatory think tank to initiate an analysis of such practices in the region. Being a relatively new method, the roundtable discussion format for the panel will allow the group of participating artists and scholars to begin to understand what its presence means in these locales. It will also generate new avenues of research and other activities. To highlight the collaborative nature of artistic practices, the panel will be a participatory event during which the audience members will be encouraged to take part in thinking through the attendant ideas and debates.