For Immediate Release
September 8, 2020
[Digital images available upon request]
CLARK ART INSTITUTE PRESENTS FREE VIRTUAL CONVERSATION WITH AUTHOR BÉNÉDICTE BOISSERON ON ANIMALITY AND OTHERNESS
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Thursday, September 17, Bénédicte Boisseron, professor of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan, joins Robert Wiesenberger, associate curator of contemporary projects at the Clark, for a conversation about animality and otherness. The event takes place over Zoom at 6 pm; participants must pre-register at clarkart.edu.
Boisseron is the author of Afro-Dog: Blackness and the Animal Question (Columbia University Press, 2018), in which she investigates the relationship between race and animals in the Americas, from the era of slavery to today.
This conversation is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Lin May Saeed: Arrival of the Animals, on view through October 25 at the Clark’s Lunder Center at Stone Hill.For the past fifteen years, Lin May Saeed (German, b. 1973) has focused on the lives of animals and the human-animal relationship, dramatizing power dynamics and kinships both within and among species. Saeed’s first solo museum exhibition surveys her drawings on and with paper as well as sculptures in Styrofoam, steel, and bronze. With empathy and wit, Saeed tells stories, both ancient and modern, of animal subjugation, liberation, and harmonious cohabitation with humans, working toward a new iconography of interspecies solidarity.
Lin May Saeed: Arrival of the Animals is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Robert Wiesenberger, associate curator of contemporary projects. Lin May Saeed’s work is courtesy of the artist; Jacky Strenz, Frankfurt; and Nicolas Krupp, Basel. Major support for the exhibition is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel. Additional funding is generously provided by Katherine and Frank Martucci.
Visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 0524for more information about this event.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 275,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For more information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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