PRESS RELEASES
BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY AND
ALBRIGHT-KNOX ART GALLERY
PRESENT A SCREENING AND DISCUSSION PROGRAM
BASED ON PBS art:21 SERIES --
May 20 th
~ Women Artists - Women's Voices ~
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Buffalo , NY -- The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (B&ECPL), in partnership with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery , is presenting a screening and discussion forum based on the PBS art:21 - Art in the Twenty-First Century series. The program explores themes and narratives in art and literature under the topic, “Women Artists - Women's Voices.” It is taking place on Saturday, May 20 th at 1 pm at the downtown Central Library and is free and open to the public.
Attendees will view a taped interview from art: 21 with Buffalo native and contemporary artist Laylah Ali . Her work often examines socio-political issues, including how people are stereotyped and current events. In style, Ali's paintings resemble comic-book serials, but they also contain stylistic references to hieroglyphics and American folk-art traditions. She has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York , ICA in Boston , MCA in Chicago and Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis , among others. Her work was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2003 and the Whitney Biennial in 2004.
Following the screening, a facilitated discussion of Ali's work and science fiction writer Octavia Butler 's novel Wild Seed will take place. Butler was one of very few African American women working in the field of science fiction and was the first writer in that genre ever to be the recipient of the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant in 1995. Her work explores the impact of race and sex upon future society.
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The discussion will be led by Alexis De Veaux , Ph.D., associate professor and director of graduate studies for the Department of Women's Studies at the University at Buffalo .
For more information on this program, visit the B&ECPL's website at www.buffalolib.org.
This event is presented in collaboration with Art21, a non-profit contemporary art organization that produces the PBS series, art:21 - Art in the Twenty-First Century , companion books, website, educational resources and outreach programs, and is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.
art:21 is an education and outreach campaign between libraries and museums to reveal the relevance of contemporary visual art to communities throughout New York State . For further information, visit www.pbs.org/art21.