Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women

Date: Monday, March 1, 2010

Time: Doors open at 7:00PM / Panel will start promptly 7:30-8:15PM (w. 15 min. Q&A).

Where: La MaMa La Galleria / 6 East 1st Street b. Bowery & 2nd Avenue

Participants: K. Savage, Vikki Law and Kimberely Mackenzie

Moderator: Joyce Manalo, Curator of ArtUp

The event features the companion pop-up solo exhibition of new work by K. Savage with a reception and a panel in response to Women’s History Month. The panel will discuss art and accessibility, art as a form of empowerment that effects change in the community, and mutually beneficial contributions of community women artists specific to New York City.

Produced by Fourth Arts Block’s ArtUp program in collaboration with ArtForward. There is a $3 suggested donation to expand ArtUp program in the Lower East Side.

Participant Biographies:

K. Savage currently lives in Brooklyn. Her inspiration is founded on the historical activist and bohemian milieu of the Lower East Side. She is an active community artist who believes in preserving humanity in the arts. In a selfless effort to provide opportunities for other artists, she founded “Subject To Change”, an artist collective that is founded on the basis of activism, community, and art. Since 2008, she became a member of the visual arts collective at ABC No Rio and an artist assistant to Jacob Hashimoto.

Victoria Law is a writer, photographer, zinester and mother. She has been involved with community arts center ABC No Rio since 1995, helping to build its photo darkroom and coordinating its free youth programs. Since 2002, she has worked with women incarcerated nationwide to produce the zine Tenacious: Art and Writings from Women in Prison. Her book, Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women is the culmination of 8 years of research, writing and listening to the stories of women incarcerated nationwide.

Kimberley Roode Mackenzie is currently a graduate student in Arts Administration and Art Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she studies the relationship between art education &self-esteem and leadership skills for young girls. She currently works with Artistic Noise, an organization providing art education for incarcerated youth, and recently produced the Vagina Monologues for Columbia University.

Joyce Manalo is an independent curator and founder of ArtForward. She is committed to bringing a larger audience to experience works of artists, in order to perpetuate an appreciation for the visual arts in the Lower East Side. Some of her contributions include writing about art & process, documenting artists, curating exhibitions, and producing art events in New York City and the Hudson Valley. She has curated gallery shows at Leo Fortuna Gallery and ARTJAIL; public art shows at ABC No Rio, Fourth Arts Block's (FAB) ArtUp, Governors Island through FIGMENT, and Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (HVCCA).