Mirrors & Misconceptions Series At The Stony Island Arts Bank

 Mirrors & Misconceptions Series At The Stony Island Arts Bank Will Close the “Toward Common Cause” Exhibition at the Arts Bank
with Culminating Poetry Reading, Gallery Talk December 17th and 18th

CHICAGO – Rebuild Foundation, the arts, education and
cultural development organization founded by artist Theaster
Gates, and Court Theatre, the professional theatre of the
University of Chicago, are partnering to present Mirrors &
Misconceptions, a two-day activation at the Stony Island Arts
Bank featuring poetry readings, gallery talks, collage activities,
extended exhibition hours and more beginning December 17,
2021. This special series of events will mark the last weekend
that the multi-site “Toward Common Cause” exhibition, a collaborative presentation in partnership with the Smart Museum of Art, is on view at the Stony Island Arts Bank.

Mirrors & Misconceptions is a special series programmed
during the full moon and designed to explore Black identity
by pairing the visual art of Fred Wilson’s Murano Glass sculpture, Act V. Scene II Exeunt Omnes—the final stage direction in Shakespeare’s Othello—with Court Theatre’s production of The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice to build conversation and community while exploring themes on how Blackness is othered and perceived.

“As we head into winter and honor the end of the Toward
Common Cause exhibition at the Arts Bank, we’re thrilled to
partner with local arts platforms - like the Court Theatre - to
bring Fred Wilson’s salient piece from the show into conversation with landmark works that inspired it,” said Theaster Gates, artist and founder of Rebuild Foundation.“This series of events exploring Black identity on the South Side serves as the perfect transition into our archival work which explores Black life, art and achievement through the lens of the Johnson Publishing Company archives, the Ed J. Williams
Collection, Frankie Knuckles’ personal vinyl collection and
the University of Chicago Glass Lantern Slides.”

“I think it’s never been more important to persist in meaningful
dialogue that centers Black lives and lived experiences. This
creative collaboration merging themes from our production
of The Tragedy of Othello with that of the art of Fred Wilson’s

Murano Glass sculpture, Act V. Scene II Exeunt Omnes—the
final stage direction in Shakespeare’s Othello, allows for multiple points of entry into a conversation not only with the art, but with ourselves and our community about the complexity of this present moment,” said Kamilah Rashied, Court Theatre’s Director of Education. She goes on to express, “part of taking classic works and bringing them into the present moment has to involve pushing boundaries. I think this production of Othello does that in many ways and our endeavor to partner with Stony Island Arts Bank to parallel the narratives within their exhibition with our own is also a thrilling opportunity to redraw the margins of what our theatre can do with and for the South Side.”

On December 17th, Rebuild Foundation and Court Theatre
will host a live poetry reading inspired by Black lives, misconceptions, mirrors and the moon. Featured poets will include Runako Jahi, Tarnynon Onumonu, rebecca brown, Reginald Rice, and Raych Jackson . On December 18th, the two organizations will host a gallery talk and collage activity, which will encourage participants to explore the themes of Blackness through visual art. Both events will be hosted by Smart Museum Educator and Court Theatre Teaching Artist, Nicole Bond.

In celebration of the “Toward Common Cause” exhibition and
its last weekend at the Stony Island Arts Bank, Rebuild Foundation will extend their gallery hours, opening the exhibition and space to the public from 12 - 6 PM from December 17th to December 19th.

EVENTS

Poetry Reading + Activation at 6 p.m., Friday, Dec. 17, 2021
at Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave.
Gallery Talk + Collage Activity at 2 p.m. Saturday, December
18, at Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave.

All events are free to the public. In accordance with CDC
guidelines and in order to keep our community safe and
healthy, guests will be required to wear masks and register for
all events. Guests can reserve their free attendance here.

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