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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