Resisting Artwashing: Building Artist-Led Futures in Music and Culture, presented by FEMINAE NOX

As corporate influence and cultural appropriation continue to shape the creative industries, the music world finds itself increasingly entangled in cycles of artwashing—where artists, movements, and communities are co-opted by institutions more concerned with optics than meaningful impact. FEMINAE NOX developed this panel to critically examine how the music industry capitalizes and profits on the aesthetics of resistance while systematically sidelining the very people it claims to elevate. From brand-aligned festivals and performative “diversity” initiatives that extract without reinvesting to censorship and restrictive radius clauses, this panel will unpack the mechanisms through which artwashing sustains power imbalances under the guise of progress.

In contrast, FEMINAE NOX brings together a cross-disciplinary lineup of visionary organizers, curators, and artists: The Godmother of House Music Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale — legendary DJ, producer, educator, and festival organizer, Salome Asega — Artist & Director of NEW INC at the New Museum, and Rachel Weldon — Founder of Debaser & Pique. Together they will explore how artist-run festivals, grassroots venues, community-centered collectives, and genuine partnerships are reclaiming space, shifting power, and cultivating radical ecosystems for the next generation of musicians and cultural workers.

Through lived experience, case studies, and honest dialogue, this conversation unpacks the politics of visibility, structural erasure, gatekeeping, and the violence of co-optation and artwashing—while also celebrating how BIPOC, femme, queer, and community-rooted leaders are building new blueprints for sustainability, sovereignty, touring, sustainability, and joy in music + culture can reimagine a better future for live music. And, most importantly, how artist-forward models can lead to intentionally designed music spaces rooted in autonomy, care, and accountability.

This is not just a panel—it’s a call to action to move beyond inclusion toward transformation.

Please note: this activity will be in English, with live transcription available.