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\\ SEASON FINALE \\

December finds us primed and energized as we prepare for our final Bunker Fridays of the season: Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian, a not-to-be-missed, end-of-the-year grand finale that celebrates the creative insurgency that has been so important throughout 2025.

We also want to share some exciting news: Zakros has been awarded its first grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, fueling our mission and momentum into 2026. A big thanks to all of you for showing up, tuning in, and descending into the Underground Studio Bunker for our acts of artistic resistance!

\\ THIS FRIDAY • DECEMBER 5 • 4PM ET \\

When citizens take action to protect history, culture becomes an act of resistance. In this special edition of Bunker Fridays – December 5th, 4PM ET – we welcome Jim Millward, Chandra Manning, Phyllis Hecht, Haylee Adamson, and Gretchen Jennings to discuss Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian-a "Crowd to Cloud" initiative mobilizing volunteers to document every object and label currently on display across the Smithsonian's 21 museums, the National Zoo, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Since its founding in August 2025, the project has grown into a powerful civic movement: more than 1,400 volunteers have contributed over 32,000 photographs and videos, documenting more than 60% of Smithsonian exhibits. What began as a response to government overreach has become a model of participatory stewardship-demonstrating how collective action can defend cultural institutions and ensure that knowledge remains public and preserved.

This conversation will explore the origins, ethics, and impact of the Citizen Historians project and its role in safeguarding the Smithsonian's independence for future generations.

Zakros InterArts is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in San Francisco in 1988 by Randall Packer, dedicated to the creation of artistic forms that dissolve the distinction between disciplines and defy categorization. Zakros is focused on emergent forms of interdisciplinary and networked art and its incorporation of evolving technologies. Since 1999, Zakros InterArts has been based in Washington, DC, where it now engages in the critique of the political and media culture in the Nation's Capital.