Currently Browsing: Interview
For artist Camille Eskell, the fez is laden with potent, personal symbolic meaning as vast as its far-reaching mix of geographical and socio-cultural connotations.
“I often use the fez cap,” she elucidates, “as a structural base for storytelling to signify the foundation, and the patriarchal base, established by both my grandfathers…”
Her grandfathers, resourceful patriarchs of an Iraqi Jewish family, were transplants to Bombay (present-day Mumbai) three generations ago.… read more.
Rea Tajiri knew she would eventually lose her mother to dementia. What she didn’t know was how much of her mother she would find.
The unraveling of memories and intimate discoveries of her mother’s inner world that would otherwise be forgotten in a shroud of silence, come to life in Wisdom Gone Wild — an evocative, nostalgic documentary that follows Rea’s 16-year caregiving journey. … read more.
The Gene Siskel Film Center has named Jada-Amina Harvey as the lead curator for this year’s Black Harvest Film Festival. The festival is in its 29th year and will run from November 3rd through November 16th. The festival will show 20 feature-length films. There will be 10 short film programs, as well.… read more.
Being on your own side is already hard enough, but the difficulty of it is often compounded by factors often outside of our control. A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chelsea O’Donnell, the heart of musical project “Stress Dolls,” about her band, her music, and how chronic illness has affected both her personal life and her creative career.… read more.
Even though the music industry is full of women, we haven’t heard many of them. Sarah Cahill’s new album emphasizes just that. This past February, I had the privilege of interviewing pianist Sarah Cahill. Currently a professor at the San Francisco Conservatory, Sarah continues to perform in concerts, gallery events, and recording albums.… read more.
Only some artists are larger than life itself. Niki de Saint Phalle is definitely one of them. Niki’s work is colorful and emotional and was often utilized to discuss her politics, or rather her disdain for the current political sphere. Unfortunately, Niki’s work went unknown in the United States until her later years, showing how even the most influential artists can succumb to the hyper-male-focused art world that leaves women artists in the shadows. … read more.