January 18: View the classic Japanese film “Gion Bayashi” at IMA

Watch “Gion Bayashi,” a classic of Japanese cinema, then head upstairs to see the IMA's remarkable collection of Japanese art and pottery

When: Thursday January 18, 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, DeBoest Lecture Hall


This classic Japanese film (1953, dir. Kenji Mizoguchi, 85 mins) follows the training and daily life of a young geisha and her mentor in the Gion district of Kyoto. The movie, a realistic and sympathetic portrayal of geisha, is in Japanese with English subtitles. Presented by the Asian Art Society. Summary:

In the post-war Gion district of Kyoto, the geisha Miyoharu agrees to apprentice
the 16 year-old Eiko, whose mother was a former geisha who had just died. After
a year of training they have to find a large sum of money before Eiko can debut.
Miyoharu borrows the money from the tea-house owner, Okimi, who in turn obtains
the money from the businessman Kusuda. Kusuda fancies Eiko himself and wants to
give Miyoharu to Kanzaki in order to close a large business deal. However both
geishas have minds of their own and, going against tradition, want to be able to
say no to clients.

The film explores the clash of pre-war traditionalism in the pleasure quarters with the new atmosphere of individual liberty and equal rights for women in post-war Japan.

The film showing is free. Make sure you view the IMA's excellent collection of Japanese art, including ceramics, lacquer ware, woodblock prints, sculpture and paintings, and one of the finest collections of Edo-period painting in the U.S. The collection also offers contemporary ceramics by Japan's leading artists.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the equally classic Japanese film Kaidan on April 28 as part of the IMA's series of films that have inspired the Cuban artist Magdalena Maria Campos-Pons. And definitely attend the Indianapolis International Film Festival April 25 to May 4.

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Visit IndyBuzz's sister site "Views-PRI" for an essay that connects many of the events related to Asian economy and culture: "China, Japan, Indiana: Eastern and Midwestern Cultures Mingle."

January 25: "Throw Your TV Out the Window" with RothStauffenberg

Talk on "Throw Your TV Out the Window" -- RothStauffenberg exhibition placed in context of video art and media criticism

When: Thursday January 25 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

Much of early video art was understood as “media criticism” because it turned the major weapon of mass media--television--against itself. Rosanne Altstatt, former Director of the Edith Russ Site for Media Art in Oldenburg Germany and now a visiting scholar at Purdue University, presents screenings and discussion about historical and recently minted classics by artists such as Nam June Paik, Dara Birnbaum, and Ant Farm. This program, on the opening night of the RothStauffenberg exhibition, will be followed by an informal gallery walk-through led by Altstatt and Rebecca Uchill, IMA assistant curator of contemporary art.

RothStauffenberg is an artists’ team that consists of Christopher Roth and Franz Stauffenberg, both of whom live and work in Berlin, Germany. The duo work on the cusp of media, video, and installation art, often combining elements from all media to create highly experiential environments. For their exhibition at IMA, the artists of RothStauffenberg will display a range of their work, and adapt some elements of existing pieces in new installations. The project will include a multi-part projection of footage taken from the artists’ Hollywood film archive, as well as wallpaper decorated with timecode, pointing to the way that directors and editors use numbers to organize film, independently of a narrative structure.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the RothStauffenberg exhibition, which will be at IMA January 25 to July 29 in the Off the Wall Gallery and Carmen & Mark Holeman Video Gallery. You can attend the crash courses on Pop Art at the IMA February 8, and at the Eiteljorg February 15. See the exhibition of Ed Paschke at Herron School March 9, too.

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January 27: Hear the country's leading Lincoln scholar at IHS

Harold Holzer, foremost Lincoln scholar, discusses the Lincoln Collection at the Indiana Historical Society ... plusfree films!

When: Saturday January 27, 2:00 PM
Where: Indiana Historical Society

History Makers: IHS Distinguished Speakers Series featuring Harold Holzer, author or editor of several dozen books about Abraham Lincoln. Holzer will discuss "Abraham Lincoln Portrayed in the Collections of the Indiana Historical Society," his new book from the IHS Press. Following the presentation, Holzer will sign copies of his book at a cookies-and-punch reception. Guests will have the opportunity to watch the Society's new Civil War film "Well Done, Indiana" and the documentary "Young Lincoln," both of which were produced by Emmy Award-winner Todd Gould from WFYI television. It's free but come early, seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.

While you have your Lincoln thing on, you should head to the Indianapolis Museum of Art to see a copy of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, signed by Abraham Lincoln, 33 U.S. senators and 114 U.S. representatives. The 13th Amendment was passed by the House of Representatives on February 1, 1865, ending slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for criminals. After passage, a few souvenir copies of the amendment were circulated. One of these copies belonged to abolitionist Charles Sumner, who presented it to James Wormley, an employee of his household. This copy of the 13th Amendment was passed down in the Wormley family before its sale to J. K. Lilly Jr. Also on view: a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Lincoln in 1863. The Charles Sumner–James Wormley Copy of the 13th Amendment & The Emancipation Proclamation will be displayed January 15 through February 25 all day at the IMA's Lilly House and is Free.

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February 1: Head to IMA to learn whether weddings in China and Nigeria look all that different

Culture, Art, and World Weddings: China and Nigeria

When: Thursday February 1 6:30 pm
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

Participants will learn about Chinese and Nigerian wedding customs in this final installment of IMA’s World Weddings Series, in which representatives from local cultural organizations demonstrate and discuss their wedding customs. After the program, participants are invited to visit the exhibition "I Do" to see examples of wedding attire from these traditions. It's free!

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out see the manifestation of traditional Chinese art and culture at UIndy on Valentine's Day.

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To read an essay about Hoosiers and Africa, "Who Can Help Africans Solve Their Problems?" that connects many of the events relating to Africa this spring, go to Views-PRI, the sister site of IndyBuzz (and forerunner of the electronic magazine Provocate).

Visit "Views-PRI" for an essay that connects many of the events related to Asian economy and culture: "China, Japan, Indiana: Eastern and Midwestern Cultures Mingle."

February 8: Go to IMA to watch the Brazilian film "Favela Rising"

IMA's fascinating "Africa in the Americas" film series presents "Favel Rising"

When: Thursday February 8 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

"Favela Rising" documents a man, a movement, a city divided and a favela – a Brazilian squatter settlement – united. Haunted by the murders of his family and many of his friends, Anderson Sá is a former drug trafficker who turns social revolutionary in Rio de Janeiro’s most feared slum. Through hip-hop music, the rhythms of the street and Afro-Brazilian dance, he rallies his community to counteract the violent oppression enforced by teenage drug armies and sustained by corrupt police. At the dawn of liberation, just as collective mobility is overcoming all odds and Anderson’s grassroots Afro-reggae movement is at the height of its success, a tragic accident threatens to silence the movement forever. Favela Rising has received thirteen national and international film festival awards.

It's free!

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some of the other films the IMA is showing about African culture in the Americas: RIZE on February 15 looks at a life-affirming adaptation of African dance to the hard streets of South LA; "African Blood" about African-Mexicans shows February 22; and you will very much want to attend the Indianapolis International Film Festival April 25 to May 4.

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February 8: Jolt your world with crash course in Pop Art

Art Jolt: Pop Art, at IMA, the first of a two part course on Pop Art (part 2 is at the Eiteljorg Museum February 15)

When: Thursday February 8 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Adult Lecture A

IMA offers the first of a two-part crash course on Pop art, a ‘50s and ‘60s art movement influenced by advertising, mass media, comics and consumerism. Visit the exhibition Pop Art Prints and see other Pop works in IMA’s permanent collection.

During the second session, hosted Thursday February 15 by the Eiteljorg Museum, see the exhibitions Roy Lichtenstein: American Indian Encounters and Andy Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians. Parents: Bring your children for art-making activities while you enjoy the course. Presented in collaboration with the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art. Register by Jan. 31 for either session or both by calling 317-920-2649 or email education@ima-art.org.

$30 public/ $21 members/ $25.50 students and seniors per session
To Register: Print the registration form now and mail or fax it to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (address and fax number are on the form). Or call 317.920.2648 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, to register by phone.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the opening of the exhibition of pop artist Ed Paschke at Herron March 9.

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February 8 : Hear IMA's Maxwell Anderson envision a culture of responsibility for museums in the 21st century

IMA director and CEO Maxwell L. Anderson speaks to Butler University's Leadership through the Arts Forum on the important theme of "The Culture of Responsibility in Art Museums"

When: Thursday February 8, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: Butler University, Robertson Ford Salon

Maxwell Anderson became director and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Museum of Art in June 2006. Along with a $354 million endowment, 152 acres of grounds, and a collection of 50,000 works of art, the IMA has among the largest art museum facilities in the United States. Anderson also serves as a research affiliate for Princeton University's Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, a program of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and writes a column on art world trends for The Art Newspaper.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some other discussions of civic leadership such as a talk by NPR's Tavis Smiley February 2. A similar discussion will be whether capitalism can be in the public good February 27.

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February 9: Groove with Sancocho and explore African culture in Latin America

Popular local group Sancocho performs "Nuestra Diaspora: One Beat, One Heart," African-influenced music and dance at IMA

When: Friday February 9 7:30 p.m.
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art Deer Zink Pavilion

Sancocho, (san-KO-choh) is a stew in Latin America that combines meats, vegetables and spices to create a unique taste. Using this metaphor, Sancocho Music and Dance Collage focuses on music and dance traditions from the African diaspora—the unique artistic traditions that began with the journeys of Africans to the New World. Nuestra Diaspora (“Our Diaspora”) brings to life the African elements of the arts in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the U.S., including religious and secular dances such as Rumba, Bailes Orishas, Bomba and Plena.

Nuestra Diaspora is presented in conjunction with the Star Studio exhibition William Rasdell: African Roots in Cuban Soil and Black History Month. $10 public; $5 IMA members and students; children under 12 free

If this event sounds interesting, you should explore some other cross-fertilizations of Africans in the Americas, such as the Affrilachian Poets February 8, or the Brazilian film "Favela Rising" at IMA the same day. Or groove with the Urban Drum Emsemble April 26.

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February 15: Rize to the occasion by viewing the "krump" film "RIZE" at IMA

Part of IMA's "Africa in the Americas" Film Series, "RIZE" documents the rise of new hip-hop dances and fashions drawing from African tribal rituals

When: Thursday February 15 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art 7:00 pm DeBoest Lecture Hall Free

"Rize" reveals a groundbreaking dance phenomenon that’s exploding on the streets of South Central, Los Angeles. Taking advantage of unprecedented access, this documentary film brings to first light a revolutionary form of artistic expression borne from oppression. The aggressive and visually stunning dance modernizes moves indigenous to African tribal rituals and features mind-blowing, athletic movement sped up to impossible speeds. “Rize” tracks the fascinating evolution of the dance: we meet Tommy Johnson (Tommy the Clown), who first created the style as a response to the 1992 Rodney King riots and named it “Clowning”, as well as the kids who developed the movement into what they now call Krumping. The kids use dance as an alternative to gangs and hustling: they form their own troupes and paint their faces like warriors, meeting to outperform rival gangs of dancers or just to hone their skills. For the dancers, Krumping becomes a way of life – and, because it’s authentic expression (in complete opposition to the bling-bling hip-hop culture), the dance becomes a vital part of who they are.

The film will be introduced at IMA by Larry, one of the dancers featured in the film. Earlier in the day, Larry will lead a presentation for students at the Madame Walker Theatre Center. Both events are presented by IMA and the Madame Walker Theatre Center.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out another film at IMA about African music and culture in evolving the Americas, the Brazilian "Favela Rising" on February 8. Get live performances by Sancocho February 9 and the Urban Drum Emsemble April 26.

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February 22: Listen and watch the Music of Art: "Daughter of the Regiment"

The Music of Art: Daughter of the Regiment

When: Thursday February 22 7:00 p.m.
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Pulliam Great Hall (Free)

Members of the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble will perform excerpts from Daughter of the Regiment (La fille du régiment), a comedic opera composed by Gaetano Donizetti and first performed for French audiences in 1840. The story follows the romantic entanglements of Marie, a daughter in love with a peasant soldier but pressured to marry an aristocrat’s son. After the concert, see works of art in IMA’s European galleries that offer views of class differences in 19th-century French life.

The full opera will be performed March 9 and 11 at Clowes Memorial Hall. For details visit www.indyopera.org. If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the collaboration of Indianapolis Opera and the great Chinese artist Master Au on Valentine's Day.

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February 22: Learn about Africans in Mexico with the film "AFRICAN BLOOD" at IMA

As part of its "Africans in the Americas" series, IMA shows "African Blood," a documentary by Roberto Olivares featuring testimonies, reflections, and powerful cultural expressions made by contemporary Afro-Mestizos who live in the Costa Chica region, in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero.

When: Thursday February 22 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall (Free)

Mexican identity is often assumed to be a fusion between Indigenous and European cultures. This documentary gives voice to the people of the Costa Chica region in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero of Mexico. They carry a little-known legacy: Afro-Mestizo, or Afro-Mexican culture. Roberto Olivares's film features displays of African traditions: men in masks and costumes resembling West African bush devils to dance on All Saints' Day. An elderly woman reminisces about growing up in a redondo, a round mud house with a thatched roof similar to those found in Africa. A musician plays an instrument made from a pumpkin that mimics a tiger's roar. Women carry items on their heads. Through testimonies, reflections and powerful cultural expressions, we witness their struggle to strengthen and claim their own identity and their African roots. In Spanish with English subtitles. Free!

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some other films shown at IMA about Africans in America: "Favela Rising" on February 8, and RIZE February 15.

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February 24: Experience performance art by María Magdalena Campos-Pons

A World Premiere Performance of María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Regalos/Gifts

When: February 24 3:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art Pulliam Great Hall

February 25: Get your Cuban groove on at the opening of three Cuban-oriented exhibitions

Opening Night at the Indianapolis Museum of Art for three important Cuban-related exhibitions

February 25

AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003 -- This groundbreaking exhibition includes 56 prints and drawings by 26 artists from Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The artists represent a cross section of Cuban society, and their works exhibit a diverse range of subject matter, style and techniques.

Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water -- Organized by the IMA, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything Is Separated by Water will be the first touring mid-career retrospective of this important Afro-Cuban artist’s work, comprising approximately 40 objects produced over the past 20 years. From her earliest relief paintings to her recent room-sized mixed-media installations and large-format Polaroid photographs, Campos-Pons has built a dynamic model of inventive identity. Using art to comment on her imagined displacement from Africa, her actual exile from Cuba, and her experience as a black Cuban woman living in North America, Campos-Pons has re-assembled fragments, symbols and memories of personal and collective history, religion, mythology and art. Many of her works deploy the female body—in its entirety or fragmented—to address the challenges inherent in building a coherent identity in the modern world.

February 25: Talk about "AfroCuba Through the Artist’s Lens"

Judith Bettelheim, professor of art history at San Francisco State University and leading expert on the art of Cuba, gives a talk about "AfroCuba: Through the Artist’s Lens " at the IMA

When: Sunday February 25 1:30 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall (Free)

The kaleidoscope of the contemporary Cuban experience--rife with satire, politics, and religion--becomes vivid in the Forefront exhibition, AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003. Dr. Judith Bettelheim, professor of art history at San Francisco State University curated this thirty-five year chronicle of prints and drawings in many styles and techniques by twenty-six artists from Havana and Santiago de Cuba. In this talk, Dr. Bettelheim will provide context for viewing these diverse artworks that present the complexity of Cuba’s military and religious ties to Africa and offer vibrant critiques of contemporary race and social relations.

Judith Bettelheim has been doing fieldwork in the Caribbean consistently since 1975, focusing on Afro-Caribbean culture and festivals. Her doctoral work was on the Afro-Jamaican Jonkonnu festival. Since 1985 she has been doing fieldwork in Cuba. In preparation for the exhibition "Caribbean Festival Arts", Bettelheim visited six different Caribbean countries. She co-curated and co-authored Caribbean Festival Arts, (University of Washington Press: 1988) with John Nunley of the Saint Louis Art Museum. She received an American Council of Learned Societies fellowship for research on Carnaval in Santiago de Cuba in 1989-90 and has returned to Cuba many times, recently leading tours to the Havana Biennial and the Fiesta del Fuego in Santiago de Cuba. Her publications include Cuban Festivals: A Century of Afro-Cuban Culture, 2001 (Ian Randle Press) and AFROCUBA: Works on Paper 1968-2003, published by San Francisco State and the U of Washington Press, 2005.

For a preview, see this nice production about "AfroCuba: Works on Paper"

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out a couple of the discussions of the work of María Magdalena Campos-Pons on March 20, or April 26.

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February 25 – July 15: Dig the African roots of Cuba with Bill Rasdell at IMA

William Rasdell: African Roots in Cuban Soil

When: Opening February 25, through July 15
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Star Studio

Indianapolis artist William Rasdell's exhibition in Star Studio will feature digitally altered photographs, video, and sculptures made in response to visits to Callejon de Hamel, an alley in Havana that is the site of Afro-Cuban murals and sculptures by Cuban artist Salvador Gonzalez Escalona. Callejon de Hamel is an active artist community and the site of a weekly Rumba where musicians, dancers, locals, and tourists from around the globe pack the alley. Rasdell has been inspired by the work of Salvador Gonzalez Escalona and by the sights, sounds, and energy of this unique part of Havana. Visitors will be able to explore some of the elements of a Rumba by playing musical instruments, experimenting with hands-on materials and exploring art making processes related to Rasdell's work. In 1996 Bill first ventured to Cuba as a musician researching Afro-Cuban percussion and folklore at the University of Matanzas. Bill regularly utilizes digital technology in the enhancement of his photographs. Working in Adobe Photoshop, he is exploring new areas of creativity producing giclee prints of his work on the finest quality hand made papers.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the retrospective of Bill Rasdell's work at University of Indianapolis through February 9. You can attend a reception with the artist January 19 from 6:00-8:00 PM.

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March 20: Set sail on a "Sea of Longing" with a lecture about Campos-Pons and Caribbean Art

Krista Thompson explores the role of the sea in the art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons and other contemporary Caribbean artists

When: Tuesday March 20 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

In the Caribbean one could say that everything is connected by water, that many Caribbean people across separate islands share the experience of the sea. In striking contrast to the touristic notions of the Caribbean beach, for many contemporary Caribbean artists the sea occupies a space of ambivalence, a terrain of longing and foreboding, of inheritance and loss, of history and the end of the time, of movement and failed passage, of renewal and death, of connection and separation. Krista A. Thompson, assistant professor of African Diaspora Art at Northwestern University, will explore of how María Magdalena Campos-Pons and other contemporary Caribbean artists use the metaphor of the sea to explore their own complex personal, familial, national, and diasporic histories and futures. Krista Thompson's interests include postcolonial theory and visual culture, race and representation, the imaginative geography of the tropics, Caribbean art, African diaspora performance arts, and photography in Africa and the African diaspora. Her current research examines popular photographic practices in the Caribbean and Southern United States.

Free

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April 7: See Seeing Santería with a Babalawo!

A high priest of Santería leads a tour of the art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons

When: Saturday, April 7, 3:00 pm (Thursday, May 17, 7:00 pm (tour repeats)

Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art: Meet at entrance to Special Exhibitions Gallery

Santería is a New World religion derived from Yoruba (Nigeria, West African) spiritual traditions and Spanish folk Catholicism, practiced by millions in the Caribbean and South America. Growing up in Cuba, the practice of Santería shaped the life of María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Central to Santería are Orishas, multi-dimensional beings representing forces of nature symbolized by colors, numbers, rhythms and more. On "Seeing Santería: A Guided Tour," join Anthony Artis, a.k.a Babalawo Awodele, a Santería high priest, for a fascinating tour through the Campos-Pons exhibition with an eye to the Santería rites, rituals and symbols reflected in her works. Babalawo is directly translated as "father of the secrets". For more on the rituals and divinations that only the babalawo can perform, check this out.

Free with special exhibition ticket ($12) / Free to museum members

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out discussions of the work of Campos-Pons on March 20 and April 26.

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April 26: Converse about the Art of Magdalena Campos-Pons

April 26
Panel Discussion: Art’s Window: A Conversation with the Art of Magdalena Campos-Pons
Indianapolis Museum of Art
DeBoest Lecture Hall
7:00 p.m.
Free
The art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons defies categorization, breaking the boundaries of race, culture and geography, and blurring the lines between photography, installation, and sculpture. Her work begs the question: how do artists construct meaning with the language of the visual arts? How do viewers bring meanings to art? Come to the IMA for a true conversation with art and the universal human impulse to seek narrative in form. Join Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, psychologist and educator Fayth Parks of Georgia Southern University, and Elizabeth Alexander, poet, as they view the art of Campos-Pons through the window of history, healing, spirituality, and more.

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April 28: Watch three films that inspired María Magdalena Campos-Pons

Take in one or more of these gems of international cinema selected by artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons for their influence on her work.

When: April 28 11:00 AM;
The Body Films: A One-Day Series
DeBoest Lecture Hall
Free

11:00 am
L’Age d’or (dir. Luis Buňuel, 1930, 60 mins.)
L’Age d’Or was a follow up to Buňuel’s collaboration with Salvador Dali: Un Chien Andalou, a groundbreaking surrealist film that opens with a razor slicing the eyeball of a woman. L’Age d’Or details the sexual and social frustrations of a couple prevented from consummating their love by their families, the Church and society. According to Buňuel, Dali wrote that the film was about “the impossible force that thrusts two people together [and] the impossibility of their ever becoming one.” At the opening of the film in Paris in 1930, fascists led a violent protest of the film’s fetishism and blasphemy. Critic Michael Atkinson called L’Age d’Or “subversive culture's seminal anthem film.”

12:45 pm
Kaidan (dir. Masaki Kobayashi, 1964, 125 mins.)
Nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film in 1965, Kaidan is a collection of four different ghost stories, drawn from Japanese folktales. These quasi-horror stories feature a snow witch, a blind musician and a lovelorn samurai. The Kobayashi, a student of Asian art, explores common ground between traditional Japanese visual arts and cinematic expression. The work is a “visually ravishing film that uses dazzling color palettes and carefully composed widescreen photography to bring the viewer into an entirely supernatural world,” writes critic James Kendrick.

3:00 pm
Blow-Up (dir. Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966, 111 mins.)
A detached, aimless London fashion photographer wanders into a park where he photographs what may be a murder. Antonini’s classic thriller was the highest grossing art film of that date, gaining Oscar nominations for screenplay and direction. Blow-Up is a film about illusion, seduction and ennui—a zeitgeist of the swinging sixties—that also toys with the subjectivity of artist, object, and perception.

If this event sounds interesting, you really have to check out the spectacular Indianapolis International Film Festival ... in fact, it's going on during this screening at IMA.

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Visit IndyBuzz's sister site "Views-PRI" for an essay that connects many of the events related to Asian economy and culture: "China, Japan, Indiana: Eastern and Midwestern Cultures Mingle."

May 10: Discuss Cuban dissident Zoe Valdes's "Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada"

IMA Salon discussion of Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada by Zoe Valdes

When: Thursday May 10 6:30-8:00 pm
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Adult Lecture A

IMA's book discussion program highlights literary works that complement exhibitions. Valdes’ novel describes her series of relationships with allegorical characters, representative of a “wry, if not humorous, indictment of Castro’s Cuba,” writes a critic from the Library Journal. In Valdes’ first novel, she takes us from Yocandra’s revolutionary beginnings to her marriage to an abusive diplomat and finally to her position as a literary editor. Through this journey the reader witnesses the effects of a political regime that has forced her parents and closest friends into exile. As an explorer of the hopeful energies of women in Cuba, Valdes was identified by María Magdalena Campos-Pons as an author who has informed her own art work.

Related exhibition: María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water in Special Exhibitions Gallery of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Free

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