Mirrors and Misconceptions: Poetry Reading + Activation

A black and reflective artwork made from the composite of four ornate frames.
Fred Wilson, Act V. Scene II –Exeunt Omnes, 2014. Murano glass and wood, 87” x 10’8” x 8 3/8” (221 x 325.1 x 21.3 cm). © Fred Wilson, courtesy Pace Gallery.

An artwork assembled from overlapping four ornate frames from different historical periods. The entire work is made from dark glass, including the space where an image would appear within the frames and the decoration gilded into the frames.

Photo by Kerry Ryan McFate

Part I in a Series of Activations Focused on Themes of Black Identity and Perception

Mirrors and Misconceptions is a special series exploring Black identity. It pairs the visual art of Fred Wilson’s Murano Glass sculpture, Act V. Scene II Exeunt Omnes—the final stage direction in Shakespeare’s Othello—with Court Theatre’s production of The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice to build conversation and community while exploring themes on how Blackness is othered and perceived.

Poets, commissioned by Smart Museum of Art and Court Theatre, will activate the Stony Island Arts Bank exhibition with public readings of original or archival poems and prose inspired by the themes of Black Lives, misconceptions, mirrors, and the moon in front of Wilson’s sculpture. Commissioned poets include Runako Jahi, Tarnynon Onumonu, rebecca brown, Reginald Rice, and others.

Register to attend

Participants are encouraged to view a live or streamed performance of Court Theatre’s production of The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice prior to attending this event.

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Headshot portrait of Fred Wilson

Fred Wilson

Fred Wilson is a conceptual artist primarily working in installation and sculpture. Central to his practice are the neglected history of Africans and African Americans and the representation of race within the context of colonization, slavery, and abolition through the use of satire and irony. His exploration into museum collections and institutions’ language of display…

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Gallery installation in a long bank corridor featuring a large charcoal on wood panel drawing.

Stony Island Arts Bank

The Stony Island Arts Bank is a hybrid gallery, media archive, library and community center. Plan your visit Stony Island Arts Bank public hours are Sunday noon–7 pm, and public tours take place at 12:15 pm. Learn more and plan your visit.  Toward Common Cause July 15–December 19, 2021 The Arts Bank will be home…

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Gallery entry featuring a large comic painting and wall text.

Smart Museum of Art

The Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago is a site for rigorous inquiry and exchange that encourages the examination of complex issues through the lens of art objects and artistic practice. Plan your visit Visits to the Smart Museum of Art are free, but reservations are recommended. Open Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm;…

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Court Theatre

Court Theatre is the professional theatre of the University of Chicago, dedicated to innovation, inquiry, intellectual engagement, and community service. As a Toward Common Cause programmatic partner, Court Theatre is presenting a suite of conversations centered on MacArthur Fellow Fred Wilson’s Murano Glass sculpture Act V. Scene II Exeunt Omnes.

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