DePaul’s Ida B. Wells-Barnett University Professor Laura Washington will explore the impact of images on racial discourse with a panel of artists, journalists and academicians at her latest roundtable discussion, “Playing the Race Card,” May 9, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Room 314 of the Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave.

Panelists include artists Alice Berry, David Gista and Yoko Noge; journalist Sylvia Ewing, who will speak from her perspective as a collage artist as well; and DePaul Associate Professor Darrell Moore. Washington will serve as moderator. Artists in the group will present images of pieces from their collections as a springboard for discussion of racial discourse.

“Playing the race card is an issue that gets raised in almost every civil discussion that involves race,” explained Washington. “Whenever a racial claim is made, the person making the claim is demonized, and sometimes they should be. However, reflexively denying that race matters makes it impossible to have a civil and productive conversation on these issues.”

Questions that the panel discussion will raise include: A look at the case of U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney and the role media plays when race comes to the fore: Is the media helpful or hurtful? How do race-based images in the media impact perceptions? Did the images seen around the world of Hurricane Katrina victims help or hinder them? Does the perceived validity of playing the race card change with the messenger? Is the race card played among non-white and non-black racial and ethnic groups?

Berry is a clothing designer who has worked extensively in Europe, Asia and the United States. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute, she has distinguished herself as a designer and textile artist with a unique line of knitwear based on interactive color theory.

Ewing, an award-winning veteran in the world of broadcast journalism, currently is a producer at Chicago Public Radio for the popular newsmagazine “Eight Forty-Eight” and the station’s “Chicago Matters” series. She is also an adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia College. Ewing’s recent broadcast specials include “The Hip Hop Blues Experience,” “The Color Complex” and “The State of Black Chicago.”

Gista, born and raised in Paris, is considered part of the new generation of avant-garde French painters. His work is described as “a running commentary on contemporary life with oils and acrylics on traditional and bright-colored cloth canvas.” Gista, who has spent the past six years in Chicago, may be best known for his collection of “soul bags,” a form of painting on cloth that resembles sculpture. His popular show entitled “Presidents, Etc” featured candidates John Kerry and George Bush as well as several former presidents.

Moore is an associate professor of philosophy at DePaul and director of the university’s African and Black Diaspora Studies program. He teaches and conducts research in the areas of aesthetics, political philosophy and critical race theory. A former fellow at the Frederick Douglass Institute at the University of Rochester, Moore is finishing his first book, “Aesthetics and Agency: On Beauty, Race, and the Practices of Freedom.”

Noge, a musician and journalist, moved to Chicago from her native Japan more than 20 years ago to pursue her interest in blues music. Her band, Jazz Me Blues, blends a Chicago blues sound, Japanese music and the artist’s own compositions. Noge is the co-founder of Chicago’s Asian American Jazz Festival, co-chair of the Chicago-Osaka Sister Cities International Program and a Chicago-based correspondent for Nikkei, Japan’s leading financial newspaper.

Washington, a Chicago Sun-Times columnist and a senior editor for In These Times, was named to DePaul’s Barnett University Professorship in 2003. She is also a fellow in the university’s Humanities Center, the sponsor of her roundtable series.

The panel discussion is free and open to the public.

Artists Berry, Ewing, Gista and Noge also are exhibiting works that explore the impact of images on racial discourse at Metalworks Gallery, 2340 N. Lister St., through May 6.