First Saturday Events – Saturday, August 4
7:00 p.m.
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Forum, 4th Floor
Film screening In The Time of the Butterflies (Mariano Barroso, 2001, 95 min., PG-13).
This film is based on a true story of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo dictatorship. Free tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 6 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Film screening When the Spirits Dance Mambo (Marta Vega, 2003, 91 min., NR)
This film examines the traditional spiritual practices of Cuba. Director Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, founder of the Caribbean Cultural Center, introduces the film and answers questions. Free tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 7:30 p.m.
Gallery Talk “Great Women Leaders”
Saturday, August 11
2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Forum, 4th Floor
Young women from Groundswell Community Mural Project discuss The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, women leaders in their community, and the Groundswell murals on Washington Avenue.
Film Screening as part of Artists in the Movies Series
Sunday, August 12
3:00 p.m.
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Forum, 4th Floor
Film screening Frida (Julie Taymor, 2002, 123 min., R)
Salma Hayek plays Frida Kahlo, the Mexican artist and feminist best known for her self-portraits. Directed by the filmographer, Julie Taymor, who created the TV series The Rosie O’Donnell Show (1996), and in 1998 won two Tony Awards for The Lion King as Best Director (Musical) and Best Costume Designer.
Film Screening as part of Artists in the Movies Series
Sunday, August 19
3:00 p.m.
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Forum, 4th Floor
Film screening Fur (Steven Shainberg, 2006, 120 min., R)
Director Steven Shainberg creates an imaginary portrait of the visionary artist and revered photographer Diane Arbus, played by Nicole Kidman, in his film Fur.
Film Screening as part of Artists in the Movies Series
Sunday, August 26
3:00 p.m.
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Forum, 4th Floor
Film screening Artemisia (Agnés Merlet, 1997, 98 min., R)
Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653) was an early Italian Baroque painter now recognized by scholars for her retelling of biblical stories from the perspective of a woman. The movie tells the story of her youth– the artistic education she received from her father, the painter Orazio Gentileschi (Michel Serrault), and her endurance through the trial of her tutor, Agostino Tassi, who was accused of raping her.
Before coming to the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Melissa Messina earned her MFA from Pratt Institute where she received the Presidential Merit Award in Painting. While there, she coordinated the 2005–06 Visiting Artist Lecture Series, which featured such artists as Vanessa Beecroft, Mariko Mori, Judy Pfaff, and Joan Snyder. During this time, she also worked as a Curatorial and Sales Associate for a private dealer in New York specializing in modern abstraction. Prior to moving to New York, Messina was hired by the City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs as an independent curator and executed several regional and national group exhibitions for their public art galleries, City Gallery East and City Gallery at Chastain. In Atlanta, she was also Assistant Director at Comer Art Advisory, LLC, in 2004, and a Curatorial and Marketing Associate for the art consulting firm, Barkin-Leeds Ltd., 2001–2003. She recently was the Assistant Curator to Ernesto Pujol for the exhibition Mediating America (June 2006) at the Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, and was invited to jury the exhibition Adam's Rib Eve's Air in Her Hair (January 2007) at the feminist art gallery SOHO20 in Chelsea. Her own artwork has been exhibited in museums and galleries in the Southeast, New England, and New York.