How Do We See Ourselves in Each Other?

Inaugural Program of the Four-Part Series “What Can Become of Us?”

Co-presented by Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies, Zócalo Public Square, and Asheville Art Museum

Moderated by Tomás Jiménez, Founding Faculty Co-Director, Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies  

As people move to and around the U.S., they transform communities, perhaps nowhere as strikingly as in fast-growing North Carolina. As the long-established Native, Black, and white citizens of the state welcome Latino and Asian newcomers into this “new Southern immigrant gateway,” once-separated groups are building new futures together—and understanding themselves anew through the eyes of their neighbors.

This program is inspired by Coatlicue & Las Meninas: The Stanford Edition (2007/2025) by Mexican American artist Pedro Lasch. The piece is a 10-foot black mirror merging Diego Velázquez’s iconic painting Las Meninas (1656) and the monumental sculpture of the Mexica deity Coatlicue (1400s), commissioned by IAJS and on view at Asheville Art Museum from April 16 to July 13, 2025.

Join us to view the artwork and hear a talk between Asheville Art Museum associate curator Jessica Orzulak and artist Pedro Lasch, who will discuss the work’s larger themes, including how mirrors encourage viewers to reflect on the movement of people, ideas, and objects across time and space. A panel moderated by Stanford IAJS founding faculty co-director Tomás Jiménez and featuring philosopher and ethicist Kwame Anthony Appiah, immersive journalism and extended reality (XR) pioneer Nonny de la Peña, and immigrant integration advocate Federico Rios will follow, discussing the ways Americans, old and new, see ourselves in each other.

We invite our in-person audience to continue the conversation with the artist, speakers, and each other at a post-event reception with complimentary drinks, small bites, art-viewing, and entertainment.

“What Can Become of Us?” is a collaboration between the Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies (IAJS) and Zócalo Public Square, envisioning new perspectives on migration, America’s diverse communities, and how people come together across differences. The year-long series activates four regions of the United States and highlights newly commissioned works of art—visual, textile, and dance—to inspire a national conversation through exhibitions, public programs, and essays, and to work toward a better future.