LaToya Ruby Frazier was born in 1982 in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Her artistic practice spans a range of media, including photography, video, performance, installation, art and books, and centers on the nexus of social justice, cultural change, and commentary on the American experience. In various interconnected bodies of work, Frazier uses collaborative storytelling with the people who appear in her artwork to address topics of industrialism, Rust Belt revitalization, environmental justice, access to healthcare, access to clean water, Workers’ Rights, Human Rights, family and communal history. This builds on her commitment to the legacy of 1930s social documentary work and 1960s and ‘70s conceptual photography that address urgent social and political issues of everyday life.

The University of Utah, is excited to present an in-conversation between trans-masc, ENBY Latinx, author and alumnus, Miles Borrero, and beloved U of U Associate Professor, Robert Scott Smith, about his recently released memoir— BEAUTIFUL MONSTER: A BECOMING. Get ready to dive into Borrero's fascinating life and transition and find out how he ended up at the University of Utah after growing up in Colombia during the Escobar years. The discussion will center around the book's integral themes of queerness, transness, death, and more importantly, love. We will end with a Q&A.