The Shape of Things

As Armory artist-in-residence Carrie Mae Weems concludes her year-long residency, she continues to grapple with the history of violence in our country—personally and within her body of work. Weems curates this day-long convening of like-minded artists, writers, poets, musicians, thinkers and social theorists, inviting them to join her in a critique of our tumultuous political and social climate. Audiences are invited to join participants in interrogating this complex topic through a series of readings, performances, conversations, and other artistic responses held throughout the day in the Armory’s first and second floor historic rooms.

Notable participants include: choreographer and dancer Kyle Abraham; poet Elizabeth Alexander; performer Eric Berryman; performance and installation artist Tania Bruguera; urban revitalization strategist Majora Carter; innovator James Burling Chase; actress and playwright Eisa Davis; architect Elizabeth Diller; The Met’s Kimberly Drew; photographer John Edmonds; juvenile justice reformer Adam Foss; writer and performance artist Malik Gaines; social practice artist Theaster Gates; filmmaker Tony Gerber; FLEXN dance pioneer Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray; trombonist, painter, and composer Dick Griffin; dancer and choreographer Francesca Harper; trombonist Craig Harris; vocalist Nona Hendryx; playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; cinematographer Arthur Jafa; artist and cultural worker Shani Jamila; trumpeter JAWWAAD; gaming pioneers Navid and Vassiliki Khonsari; NYU Professor and musician Jason King; philosopher Gregg Lambert; composer and Bang on the Can co-founder David Lang; novelist, filmmaker, and curator Ernie Larsen;  Wooster Group founding member and director Liz LeCompte;  Harvard Professor Sarah Lewis; journalist Seamus McGraw; poet Aja Monet; jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran; performance studies professor Fred Moten; visual artist Shirin Neshat; playwright Lynn Nottage; professor of contemporary rhetorical theory Kendall Phillips; doctor Jeremy Richman; poet Carl Hancock Rux; performance artist Alexandro Segade; writer and activist Tanya Selvaratnam; guitarist and composer Marvin Sewell; playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith; conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas; performance artist Carmelita Tropicana;  puppeteer Basil Twist; theater director Roberta Uno; vocalist and composer Imani Uzuri; and Wooster Group founding member and actress Kate Valk, among others.

To view the full schedule of events, click here.

#TheShapeOfThings
#PAAInterrogations

Photo courtesy Carrie Mae Weems

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Buy Tickets

Sunday, December 17
12:00pm–10:00pm

Tickets: $45

View the Schedule

Other ways to buy:
Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (212) 933-5812 Monday–Friday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM. The Box Office is open for walk-up sales only on days of performances and during the open hours of visual art installations. On performance days, Will Call opens one hour prior to the performance.

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