Performance | Performance Space New York

Art Workers are Artists Too

Host: Champagne Jerry

Artists: Sarai Frazier, Andy Sowers, Žilvinas Jonuśas, ESSA.A (Electric Sewage Systems and Analysis), Naomi Harrison-Clay and Tal Mor, Noodt, Matthew Deinhart + Sara Vandenheuvel, Ansel Combs, Jimmy Kavetas and Friends, Emily LaRochelle + Sarazina Joy Stein, Sophia Alaniz, Andrew Fox, Robin A. Ediger-Seto, AMARII, MF BUTCH, CULEBRA, Georgina Kritikos, Sophia Alaniz, Alex Vasquez-Dheming, Evangeline Dillard, and Yisel G.

While artists toil to bring their work to life, there are many unsung heroes that often labor behind the scenes, weaving the intricate threads that bring an artist’s vision to the public. “Art Workers are Artists Too” celebrates and shines a spotlight on the inherent artistry embedded within the daily lives of arts workers, inspiring a shift in perspective to foster a greater understanding and recognition of their skills and creativity. Our crew members, hailing from diverse production backgrounds in theatre, dance, and music, bring a unique set of skills honed from their own artistic practices to support the work of their fellow artists. Grounded in an ethos of support, this creative exchange forms the foundation for a vibrant collaborative environment.

The night honors the vital contributions of those working behind the scenes but also encourages a broader acknowledgment of the artistry, extending beyond the spotlight to encompass the unseen labor wrapped into the creative process.

All of the proceeds raised from this event will support our Derek Lloyd Production Fellowship.

Photo Credit: Rachel Papo

Autonomy

Please Note: This performance will create different access experiences based on hearing status. D/deaf and Hard of Hearing community members will be directed to specific seating upon arrival where they will be able to access captioning and ASL. As an artistic choice, Chella will be intentionally obscuring captions for hearing audience members.

“All of who I am now lies on a continuum—I no longer operate to fulfill roles that were illusions to begin with.”

In this deeply personal and introspective performance, Chella Man shares their narrative of self-determination, grief, healing, and reclamation of one’s body through tattooing and explorations of their scars from the medical industrial complex. To Man, piercing their skin is an act of erosion, revealing what lies beneath the surface, both within the body and the broader societal constructs we navigate. The piece compiles revelations of liberation that have become their leading values in life. Shattering the constraints of binary thinking, the performance celebrates queer, disabled, and trans bodies. Autonomy lives as an embodied experience, a testament to resilience and adaptability. Through this work, Man explores the continuum of art, disability, gender, and race by adapting and navigating their body as a mutable canvas for profound self-expression.

Autonomy is co-produced with the Jewish Museum, where it will be on view, in installation form, as part of Overflow, Afterglow: New Work in Chromatic Figuration, a seven-person group exhibition opening May 24th.

+ Credits

Support for this program is provided, in part, by the Barnett and Annalee Newman Foundation.

You can hear footsteps

Elliot Reed Laboratories presents a dance where linguistic expression, and introspection converge. In this solo performance, Reed assumes the role of a storyteller, producing a world of inner and outer dialogues in search of freedom. Reed considers the dynamics of consumption, spectatorship, and the sublimation of self through this offering, engaging in a thought-provoking exploration of both the individual and the audience.

Hybrid Peasant

Access Provision: ASL Interpretation will be provided on Jan 12, 8:30pm.

Prepare to be transported to the realm of Hybrid Peasant, a three-act tragic comedy operetta that delves deep into the enigmatic landscape of the “Nightmerican dream.” Richard Kennedy creates a mirror, reflecting the dystopian realities of society under capitalism, experienced through the lives of “the housed citizens of Hirth.” This disruptive piece unravels the narrative of a workers’ uprising, all the while challenging our very notions of value, progress, and the all-too-common “crabs in a barrel” mentality that permeates the world of public housing and makes light of bottoming for capitalism.

Kennedy beckons us to surrender to the boundless potential within ourselves. Through his work, he provides us with the keys to unlock dormant abilities and teaches us how to take flight. It’s a powerful call to action, urging us to ascend collectively by nourishing each other, forging a path towards liberation.

Photo credit: Rachel Papo

New Suns : A QTPoC Self-Defense Workshop

“There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns.” — Octavia Butler

J Wortham (they/them) presents an evening of self-empowerment, self-determination and radical preparation. Octavia’s words acknowledged the limits of the unsatisfying reality and open the door to potentials and possibilities for creating paradigms that serve us and center us. The evening will include a 2-hour workshop of self-defense training situational awareness, intervention tactics and embodiment practices. Aftercare will include treats and sweets by FIG and a sensory soundscape by DJCD.

Our evening will honor the living memory of siblings O’Shae Sibley and DéVonnie J’Rae Johnson and others who have been unjustly killed due to rising tides of violence against Black and trans people, and seek to offer strategies of resistance and liberation for the days ahead. After all, we come from “a long line of folk who did just that—who resisted and rebelled, infiltrated and instigated, collaborated and created—in other ways. Like them, we don’t accept the truism that this is just the way things are and will always be,” as scholar Ruja Benjamin said.

This self-defense workshop is meant to serve QTPoC communities. Due to limited space, we encourage folks to keep that in mind before reserving your ticket. Prices are available on a sliding scale so choose what works best for you. Tickets will always be free for Black trans folks. Please email boxoffice@performancespacespacenewyork to reserve their spot.