Park Avenue Armory, National Black Theatre & Others Announce Commissioned Artists For 100 Years | 100 Women Initiative

Park Avenue Armory, National Black Theatre & Others Announce Commissioned Artists For 100 Years | 100 Women Initiative

Published on March 11, 2020
Urban Bush Women "Hair+ Other Stories"; Photo H. Heron

A Response To The Centennial of The 19th Amendment

At its fourth annual “Culture in a Changing America” symposium on Saturday, February 15, 2020, Park Avenue Armory, together with lead partner National Black Theatre and nine additional New York City-based cultural institutions, announced the lead group of artists they commissioned as part of the 100 Years | 100 Women initiative. In addition to the Armory and National Black Theatre, the commissioning institutions are: Apollo Theater; The Julliard School; La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company; The Laundromat Project; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of the Moving Image; National Sawdust; New York University (Department of Photography and Imaging, Tisch School of the Arts; Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity and Strategic Innovation; and Institute of African American Affairs & Center for Black Visual Culture); and Urban Bush Women.


Missouri became the 11th state to ratify the 19th Amendment with the signature of Governor Frederick Gardner. Suffragists worked from the grassroots up to accomplish their mission.  Photo: Library of Congress

The discipline-spanning group of artists, who self-identify as women or gender non-binary, will create works in response to the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave some women the right to vote. The commissioned projects—spanning visual arts, music, dance, film, photography, and performance—will be showcased in a major event on May 16, 2020 in the Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall and historic rooms. Commissioned artists include: Sama Alshaibi, Murielle Borst-Tarrant/Safe Harbors Indigenous Collective, Zoë Buckman, Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Karen Finley, Ebony Noelle Golden, Chanon Judson, L’Rain, Shola Lynch, Meshell Ndegeocello, Toshi Reagon, Jaime Sunwoo, Sahar Ullah, Carrie Mae Weems, Deborah Willis, and many more.

100 Years | 100 Women is part of the Armory’s Interrogations of Form conversation series, which unites artists, thought leaders, and social trailblazers for creative, multidimensional explorations of today’s social and cultural landscape. This year’s “Culture in a Changing America” symposium, also part of the series, included conversations, performances across artistic genres, and intimate salons reflecting on womanhood, citizenship, intersectional feminism, and the myriad ways in which artists navigate these issues.

100 Years | 100 Women is the latest Armory-hosted convening of creatives, cultural leaders, and community members, following Theaster Gates’ “Black Artists Retreat 2019: Sonic Imagination,” which brought together more than 300 black artists and allies for a weekend of conversations, performances, and reflections; a Lenape Pow Wow in 2018, the first gathering of Lenape leaders on Manhattan Island since the 1700s; and 2017’s “The Shape of Things,” a day-long creative reflection on the political and social climate in America, curated by former Armory Artist-in-Residence Carrie Mae Weems.

Stefanie Batten Bland. Photo courtesy of the artist.

“The Armory is so pleased to be able to bring together artists and thought leaders to respond to the issues that shape our society. We, along with our dynamic group of partner organizations, are excited to see how these diverse artistic voices will respond to the realities and consequences of the 19th Amendment, passed a century ago,” said Rebecca Robertson, Founding President and Executive Producer of Park Avenue Armory.

“We are excited to work alongside Park Avenue Armory to empower these artists whose work will enrich and educate the public,” said Sade Lythcott, CEO of National Black Theatre. “As with the symposium, this celebration helps place the spotlight on artists whose work is in keeping with NBT’s tradition of using art and culture to help push forward messages of healing and liberation for all.”

Alicia Graf Mack. Photo: The Juillard School

Together, this cohort of institutions has commissioned work from the following artists, some of whom are creating solo works, while others are collaborating with other artists, ensembles, and collectives. Additional artists will be named in the lead up to the event:

  1. Abdu Ali, Music & Literature
  2. Sama Alshaibi, Visual Art
  3. Ngozi Anyanwu, Theatre
  4. Armory Arts Education, Multi-disciplinary
  5. Zalika Azim, Visual Art
  6. Stefanie Batten Bland / SBB Company, Dance Theatre
  7. Stephanie Berger, Photography
  8. Hope Boykin, Dance
  9. Mahogany L. Browne, Poetry & Literature
  10. Zoë Buckman, Visual Art
  11. Rashida Bumbray, Performance & Visual Art
  12. Xu Cheng, Music
  13. Elizabeth Colomba, Visual Art
  14. Courtney Cook, Performance & Dance
  15. Renee Cox, Visual Art
  16. Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Performance Art & Literature
  17. Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Visual Art
  18. Helga Davis, Music
  19. Rose DeSiano, Visual Art
  20. LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Multi- disciplinary
  21. Abby Dobson, Conceptual & Performing Art
  22. Nekisha Durrett, Visual Art
  23. Adama Delphine Fawundu, Visual Art
  24. Gayle Fekete, Dance
  25. Jingyi Feng, Dance
  26. Karen Finley, Performance Art
  27. Ebony Noelle Golden & Betty's Daughter Arts Collaborative, Multi-disciplinary
  28. Jasmine Hearn, Performance & Dance
  29. Marguerite Hemmings, Dance
  30. Charlene Incarnate, Drag & Performance
  31. Val Jeanty and Risha Rox, Sound Art & Performance Art
  32. Chanon Judson, Dance
  33. Tendayi Kuumba, Dance
  34. L’Rain, Music
  35. Thapelo Masita, Music
  36. Muriel Miguel / Spiderwoman Theater, Theatre & Performance
  37. Vernice Miller / A Laboratory for Actor Training, Theatre & Performance
  38. Briana Del Mundo, Dance
  39. Love Muwwakkil, Performance & Dance
  40. Meshell Ndegeocello & Staceyann Chin, Music & Poetry
  41. Lorie Novak, Visual Art
  42. Lindsay Phillips, Dance
  43. Toshi Reagon, Music
  44. Kyle Ritenauer, Music
  45. Yelaine Rodriguez, Visual Art
  46. Huang Ruo, Music
  47. Hannah Rosenzweig & Wendy Sachs, Film
  48. Lois Weaver and Peggy Shaw / Split Britches, Theatre & Performance
  49. Karina Aguilera Skvirsky, Multi-disciplinary
  50. Dianne Smith, Visual Art
  51. Sonic and Womxyn Amplify Vibrations Collective, Music
  52. Samantha Speis, Performance & Dance
  53. Amy Rox Surratt / Mistakes Made Theatrical Co, Theatre & Performance
  54. Jaime Sunwoo, Multimedia & Performance
  55. Lourdes Kalichi’naru Lebron, Michelle Lopez & Kasibahagua Taíno Cultural Society, Ceremonial Taino dance
  56. Murielle Borst-Tarrant/Safe Harbors Indigenous Collective, Theatre & Performance
  57. Cyrie Topete, Choreography
  58. Katherine Toukhy, Mixed Media
  59. Carmelita Tropicana, Performance Art
  60. Sahar Ullah, Theatre
  61. Imani Uzuri, Music
  62. Elaisa Van Der Kust, Performance & Dance
  63. Mikaila Ware, Performance & Dance
  64. Angela Wee, Music
  65. Carrie Mae Weems, Muliti-disciplina
  66. Mimi Lien, Architecture & Set Design
  67. Shola Lynch, Film
  68. Alicia Graf Mack, Dance
  69. Tsedaye Makonnen, Visual Art
  70. Deborah Willis, Visual Art
  71. Zhou Yi, Music
  72. Bora Yoon, Music
  73. Pamela Z performed by Amanda Gookin (Forward Music Project), Music
TICKETS:
Purchase your tickets for the May celebration at www.armoryonpark.com.

 


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