Please join us for a discussion about the evolving role of art, and social practice art in particular, in raising awareness of social issues and influencing policy and social change. Do come and join in the discussion and also check out the Layer by Layer exhibition if you haven’t had the chance.

Moderator: Helen Frederick, artist, professor at George Mason University, founder of Pyramid Atlantic, and leader of the Search Project, a global initiative to research the ways diversity influences collaborative artistic experiences and supports social activism.

Panelists:

Monica Jahan Bose, artist, environmental lawyer/activist, creator of Storytelling with Saris project

J.J. McCracken, artist, creator of performances/installations addressing issues such as hunger and water resources, including Hunger, Philadelphia and Earth To Table; currently participating in the Green Acres exhibition at the Katzen Center

Siobhan Rigg, artist and professor of New Media at George Washington University, engaged with projects implicating food issues and political representation.

Terry Scott, producer and media consultant for the arts and social justice, currently working on Creation With Representation: Cultural Cartography, a public humanities mapping initiative in Ward 8 (Anacostia).

Hope to see our New York friends at the performance/installation of “Sublime Virtue” by Monica Jahan Bose in collaboration with many empowered women, using a 216 foot sari from “Storytelling with Saris.” Monica will be performing at 12 noon and 4pm on Saturday, September 28th, 2013, and at 12 noon on Sunday, September 29th, 2013. The performance is about 2 hours long. Location: 100 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (between Main and Washington Streets). Subway A or C to High Street.

Other performers: Reya Sehgal (performance assistant), Nandita Ahmed, Farhana Akhter, Anjali Bhargava, Anjali Goyal, Negin Moss, Josheen Oberoi, Sa’dia Rehman, and Laju Shah.

“Sublime Virtue” was created as part of an engaging and interactive performance art series presented by the South Asian Women’s Creative Collective at the Dumbo Arts Festival.

Click here for the Sublime Virtue Flyer and Statement.SUBLIME VIRTUE qr

Monica Bose will perform in the third edition of (e)merge Art Fair.

UNWRAPPED is inspired by the Indian mythological story of Draupadi, the eternal virgin who was married to five brothers, as well as the true story of Bose’s grandmother’s marriage at age seven. Speaking to women’s rights to education and over their own bodies, the performance involves wrapping and unwrapping the body with a 216-foot sari covered with writing by women from Bose’s grandmother’s village in Bangladesh, part of a collaboration called Storytelling with Saris.

Performance times:

Thursday, October 3, 2013 – 6:00 – 7:00pm
Sunday, October 6, 2013 – 12:00 – 1:15pm

UNWRAPPED is inspired by the Indian mythological story of Draupadi, the eternal virgin who was married to five brothers, as well as the true story of Bose’s grandmother’s marriage at age seven. Speaking to women’s rights to education and over their own bodies, the performance involves wrapping and unwrapping the body with a 216-foot sari covered with writing by women from Bose’s grandmother’s village in Bangladesh, part of a collaboration called Storytelling with Saris.

An event featuring sari and lungi wrapping for women, men, and children, Bengali writing workshops on handmade paper, and a cocktail reception with food from Bangladesh. All ages welcome!

Monica Jahan Bose will present an interactive mixed-media installation at the TED Midatlantic Talks/Conference on October 25, 2013. This is a ticketed event.

Monica Jahan Bose will be giving a presentation about Storytelling with Saris as part of a conference on Climate Change organized by Refugees International and others. Monica is part of a panel, Inspiring Action, Finding Solutions, from 12:45 to 2 pm. Details here.

Monica Jahan Bose and a group of other women will be performing “Unwrapped 2” at the Brooklyn Museum as a celebration of women’s history month. This is part of SAWCC’s presentation of SUBLIME. Details here. Monica’s performance will start promptly at 8 pm!

Using saris, water, and fire, “Water” speaks to climate change and the destruction of lives and heritage.

The performance will be 30 minutes long and is part of a series curated by Eames Armstrong in connection with the launch of Incidence, a journal about performance and documentation.

We will be screening an excerpt of the film Her Words: Storytelling with Saris followed by a talk on the climate issues facing Bangladesh and concrete steps to reduce carbon emissions.