How Artists Respond to Trauma and Urban Violence

In conjunction with the current exhibition, Teresa Margolles: We Have a Common Thread, on view at the Neuberger Museum of Art through October 11, the Museum has organized a special panel discussion, tour, and opening reception with the artist on Wednesday, September 2, 2015. The subject of the panel discussion to be held at 12:30 pm, “How Artists Respond to Trauma and Urban Violence,” reflects concerns about the socio-political issues related to violent death that Ms. Margolles raises in the exhibition.

The panel discussion will focus on how creative expression can provide an outlet to communicate ideas, make observations, forge connections, and send powerful messages about violence and injustice. Panelists include: Michelle Bishop, founder and executive director of Harlem Needle Arts, which preserves an promotes fiber and needle arts in the African Diaspora; Nathan Connolly, assistant professor of history at John’s Hopkins University, whose scholarship focuses on the politics of race, capital, and property; Warren Lehrer, Purchase College Art+Design professor and co-founder of the non-profit community organization EarSay, Inc.; and Lachell Workman, an artist whose work investigates race, identity, society, memory, and trauma. The curator’s talk will begin at 5 pm. led by Patrice Giasson, curator of the Margolles show. Giasson will explore the ways in which Margolles’s work transmits the personal experiences of communities plagued by violence and social inequities.

According to panelist Michelle Bishop, “Yes, this is a presentation on art responding to trauma and violence, but it’s also a wakeup call for a generation of people who’ve been disconnected from the history of this country and desensitized to the reality here in America.” She says, “One of the areas that I wish to discuss is how fiber, textile, and needle arts tell a story, and it’s not just about hanging art on the wall and giving it a title, it’s about addressing issues, bridging gaps, creating balance, and honoring traditions, ritual, and family through cultural art forms.”

Michelle Bishop, who founded Harlem Needle Arts 10 years ago, is a needle arts connoisseur and collector by night and an IT and special events fundraising professional by day. As a needle arts advocate, instructor, and artist, Bishop understands the benefits of engaging in various rhythmic arts and understanding the cultural relevance of creating textiles. She views the art forms as mantras of functional empowerment to help enhance lifestyles and continue traditions. At Harlem Needle Arts, she work with artisans to introduce the crafts of quilting, knitting, crocheting, spinning, fiber fusion and construction to the Harlem community to improve the quality of life for children and adults.

Nathan Connolly serves as co-director for the Program on Racism, Immigration, and Citizenship and on the Executive Board for the Center for Africana Studies in addition to teaching at John’s Hopkins University. As a scholar of 20th-century history, he explores the interplay between racism, capitalism, politics, and the built environment. Connolly’s book, A World More Concrete: Real Estate and the Remaking of Jim Crow South Florida (University of Chicago Press), argues that landlords and other property owners set the terms for racial violence and economic justice in Jim Crow America, specifically in greater Miami.

Warren Lehrer is a writer and artist/designer known internationally as a pioneer in the fields of visual literature and design authorship. He has written numerous books, acclaimed for capturing the shape of thought and reuniting the traditions of storytelling with the printed page. Lehrer is a professor at the School of Art+Design at Purchase College, SUNY, and a founding faculty member of the Designer As Author graduate program at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Together with Judith Sloan, Lehrer founded EarSay, Inc., a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to uncovering and portraying stories of the uncelebrated, and committed to fostering understanding across cultures, generations, gender, and class.

Lachell Workman creates art that is often performative in nature and involves the exploration of identity as it relates to photographic representation. Her “Divine” body of work, inspired by her experience as a member of the historically black sorority Sigma Gamma Rho, reflects on the ways in which African Americans have been represented in photographs throughout history. In many ways, her photographs tell stories that are not done justice by words alone.

Tickets to the “How Artists Respond to Trauma and Urban Violence” panel discussion and curator’s talk are each $10 for general admission, and complimentary to Purchase College students, staff, and faculty, as well as Neuberger Museum of Art Circle Level Members.

The Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York is the premier museum of modern, African, and contemporary art in the Westchester/Fairfield County area. An outstanding arts and education institution, the Museum was conceived with the dual purpose of serving both as an important cultural resource to its regional, national, and international audiences, and as an integral part of Purchase College. Support for the Museum’s collection, exhibitions, publications, and education programs is provided by grants from public and private agencies, individual contributions, the Friends of the Neuberger Museum of Art and its Board of Directors, the Purchase College Foundation, and the State University of New York.

The Museum is located at 735 Anderson Hill Road in Purchase, N.Y. (Westchester)

914-251-6100

www.neuberger.org

Museum Hours

Tuesday through Sunday, 12 – 5 pm

Beginning September 2, Wednesdays 12 – 8 pm

Closed Mondays and major holidays

Group tours by appointment only on Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 –12

For persons with special needs, designated parking is available at the south end of the Museum building. Call ahead for wheelchair accommodations.

Walk-in Public Tours

Tuesday–Friday, Gallery Talk, 1 pm

Sunday, Topic Tour, 2 pm

Sunday, Gallery Talk, 3 pm

Gallery talks offer fresh insights into the Museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection, while Topic Tours explore different aspects of the permanent collection.

Museum Store

Open during Museum hours. The store features a broad selection of art books, art cards, handcrafted jewelry, children’s items and one-of-a-kind limited edition gifts.

Admission

$5.00 General Public

$3.00 Seniors

Free admission for Museum members, children 12 and under, and Purchase College students, faculty, and staff

Directions

The Neuberger Museum of Art is easily accessible by car or bus, and may also be reached by Metro-North. By car: From the North or South - take the Hutchinson River Parkway to Exit 28. Head north on Lincoln Avenue to Anderson Hill Road. Turn right onto Anderson Hill Road. Left at first traffic light into Purchase College campus. From 684 - take Exit 2 South on Route 120 to Anderson Hill Road. Turn left onto Anderson Hill to 2nd traffic light. Turn left at Purchase College campus. From the East - take Route 287 (Cross Westchester Expressway) to Exit 8E. Take second left over Expressway onto Anderson Hill Road. Follow signs to SUNY Purchase.

Handicap Parking

On the Purchase College campus, park in Parking Lot #1 and proceed to the underpass at the Performing Arts Center. The handicap elevator is located across from the entrance to the Performing Arts Center. Take the elevator to the second level, then exit to the left. The entrance to the museum is located diagonally across, about a city block away.

Photo caption:

Teresa Margolles, american Juju for the Tapestry of Truth, 2015

Mixed media on a textile impregnated on the spot in Staten Island where Eric Garner died while being placed under arrest. Created by artists from the Harlem Needle Arts cultural arts institute: Sahara Briscoe, Laura R. Gadson, and Jerry Gant, under the direction of Michelle Bishop.

66 x 98 inches, courtesy of Teresa Margolles and Galerie Peter Kilchmann. Photo: Jim Frank