Brooklyn Museum Public Programs Feature Congressman John Lewis and More, March 2014

The Brooklyn Museum will present a variety of public programs for adults, teens, and kids in March. Public programs include talks, late night events, sensory tours, performances, screenings, and hands-on workshops for children and adults that amplify the Museum's exhibitions and permanent collection, serve its diverse public, and support learning through the visual arts.

Highlights for March include a special afternoon with Congressman and Civil Rights leader John Lewis in conversation with Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; conversation and song with Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon and Sonia Sanchez; a discussion between artist Judy Chicago and public historian and social activist Elizabeth A. Sackler on studio art education; and "States of Denial: The Illegal Incarceration of Women, Children and People of Color," a series of panel discussions sponsored by the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, including one led by Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison.

The full schedule follows:

March 2, March 9, March 16, March 23, March 30 (11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.): Arty Facts: Amazing Animals
Materials fee (museum admission not included):
$10 per family (up to four participants);
$5 for Gallery/Studio families and Members at the Family level;
Free to Members at the Contributor level and above.

Children ages four to seven and their parents or caregivers explore the galleries, enjoy a team activity, and make their own art in each ninety-minute Arty Facts class. In March, encounter Divine Felines, ferocious tigers, and powerful whales in our galleries, then let these creatures inspire the artist in you. Participants meet in the Rubin Lobby at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Parents and caregivers are asked not to bring siblings older than seven or younger than four.

Sunday, March 9 (3 p.m.): Judy Chicago with Elizabeth A. Sackler: "Transforming Institutions"
Free with Museum admission

How can women and men prepare for a career in today's art world? Artist Judy Chicago and public historian and social activist Elizabeth A. Sackler discuss the challenges and successes of changing such established institutions as museums and studio art education. A signing of Chicago's new book Institutional Time: A Critique of Studio Art Education follows.

Thursday, March 13 (7 p.m.): Performance: "Civil Rights Songbook" with Sonia Sanchez and Bernice Johnson Reagon
Tickets: $20 and include Museum admission; free to Members

Poet Sonia Sanchez and musician Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon talk about their experience as activists and share words and music born from the Civil Rights Movement. To purchase tickets, visit www.museumtix.com.

Saturday, March 15 (3:30 p.m.): Panel Discussion: "Sentenced to Change" with Piper Kerman
Free with Museum admission

Piper Kerman, author of the memoir Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, the basis for the Netflix original series, leads a conversation with an inspiring group of formerly incarcerated women who have initiated criminal justice reform. Panelists include Steeda McGruder, founder of Sisters That Been There; Vivian Nixon, Executive Director of the College and Community Fellowship at CUNY; and Tina Reynolds, founder of Women On the Rise Telling Her Story (WORTH) and a leader of the national reproductive justice campaign, Birthing Behind Bars. The program is part of the series, States of Denial: "The Illegal Incarceration of Women, Children, and People of Color" the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art's seventh anniversary cycle of public programs.

Sunday, March 16 (2 p.m): In Conversation: Congressman John Lewis and Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad
Free with Museum admission

How does history animate and empower the social movements that are changing the world today? Civil Rights Activist and Congressman John Lewis and Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, talk about the Civil Rights Movement, putting it into historical perspective, and connecting it to a new generation who may use social media to take up their civil rights issues.

Tuesday, March 18 (2-4 p.m): Brooklyn Afternoons: Art and Conversation for Individuals with Memory Loss
Free with R.S.V.P.

Individuals with memory loss and their caregivers are invited to join us each month for conversations about art. Program is free, but space is limited, and registration is required. To register or for more information, call (718) 501-6350 or email access@brooklynmuseum.org.

Friday, March 14 (4:45-6:45 p.m.): Teen Nights: Contemporary Art
Free with R.S.V.P.

Planned by teens for teens, this free evening at the Museum is filled with art, friends, food, and fun. Each Teen Night theme relates to a special exhibition or collection. For more information or to RSVP, email teen.programs@brooklynmuseum.org.

Thursday, March 20 (7-9:30 p.m.): Talk: "Power Shift: Becoming an Artist Entrepreneur On Your Own Terms"
Free with Museum Admission
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor

With the rise of the creative economy in Brooklyn and worldwide, more artists and creatives are building their own careers. Join us for an evening of expert talks and community-building activities that will teach you the skills to become a creative entrepreneur. Talk and interactive activities hosted by Jo-na Williams founder of the Artist Empowerment Firm and Boyuan Gao and Jahan Mantin founders of Project Inkblot. Hone in on your focus, leverage your work as a business, and strategize effectively. Music will be provided by DJ Selly.

Thursday, March 27 (7 p.m.): Panel Discussion: "The Future is History:Feminist Legacies in Contemporary Art"
Free with Museum admission

Panelists Deborah Bershad Addeo, art historian and Project Director, NYC Landmarks50; Leah DeVun, artist and historian; Katherine Hubbard, artist; Corrine Fitzpatrick, writer; Christina Stahr Hunter, artist and Director, Nancy Graves Foundation and Daria Dorosh, artist and Co-founder, A.I.R. Gallery, discuss the impact of feminism on contemporary art and preserving the legacies of feminist artists and spaces in New York City.

Saturday, March 29 (2 p.m): Panel Discussion: "Mass Incarceration's Impact on Black and Latino Women and Children"
Free with Museum admission

An inter-generational panel examines the devastating impact the youth justice system has on black and Latino young people, as well as health care for incarcerated women, and the need for comprehensive reform. Panelists include: Soffiyah Elijah, Executive Director of the Correctional Association; Hernan Carvente, Research Assistant, Vera Institute of Justice; Gabrielle Horowitz-Prisco, Project Director, Juvenile Justice Project, Correctional Association; Mercedes Smith, Policy Specialist, Women on the Rise Telling Her Story (WORTH); and Tamar Kraft-Stolar, Project Director, Women in Prison Project, Correctional Association. The program is part of the series, States of Denial: "The Illegal Incarceration of Women, Children, and People of Color" the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art's seventh anniversary cycle of public programs.

Museum admission is a $12 contribution; $8 for students with valid I.D. and seniors. Admission is free to members and children under 12 accompanied by an adult. Group tours or visits must be arranged in advance by calling extension 234.

The museum is open Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and the first Saturday of each month, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.