SYMPOSIUM: Caribbean Crossroads
Keynote address by
Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott
11–13 October 2012
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street
New York, NY 10029
The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 West 125th Street
New York, NY 10027
www.caribbeancrossroads.org/symposium
The exhibition Caribbean: Crossroads of the World is the culmination of nearly a decade of collaborative research and scholarship organized by El Museo del Barrio in conjunction with the Queens Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in Harlem.
Presenting work at the three museums and accompanied by an ambitious range of programs and events, Caribbean: Crossroads offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore the diverse and impactful cultural history of the Caribbean basin and its diaspora. More than 550 works of art spanning four centuries illuminate changing aesthetics and ideologies and provoke meaningful conversations about topics ranging from commerce and cultural hybridity to politics and pop culture.
The 3-day SYMPOSIUM: Caribbean Crossroads is the scholarly cornerstone of this exhibition, and brings together artists, writers, scholars, and community leaders to examine the arts and culture of the Caribbean, as well as the legacy of artists and activists who gave voice to the communities of the diaspora. Through panels, performances, and screenings at El Museo del Barrio and The Studio Museum in Harlem, scholars and practitioners explore the literary, visual, and performing arts; tradition of festival practices; and the legacies of key historical figures in the region.
Keynote by Derek Walcott
Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott opens the symposium with a keynote address, “A Part of the Continent” from John Donne. The evening will also include a theatrical reading of Walcott’s landmark play, Dream on Monkey Mountain, by the Classical Theatre of Harlem with André de Shields reprising his role as Makak.
An accomplished writer, playwright, and scholar, Derek Walcott has published ten revered books of poetry, including The Antilles: Fragments of Epic Memory, his Nobel lecture which was published in 1992. Walcott has been honored with a plethora of international prizes, including the Queen’s Medal for Poetry. He was a recipient of a five-year fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation and is an Honorary Member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. His poetry books include Another Life, The Star Apple Kingdom, The Fortunate Traveller, The Bounty and Collected Poems 1948–1984, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry. In addition to his poetry, he is the founder of the Trinidad Theater Workshop. His plays—which include Dream on Monkey Mountain, Remembrance and Pantomime and The Odyssey—have been produced internationally, including the New York Shakespeare Festival. Walcott is based out of New York City and Castries, St. Lucia.
Speakers & Performances
Symposium events will take place at both El Museo del Barrio and The Studio Museum in Harlem. Panel presentations will explore topics drawing from art history, literature, and the political and social history of the Caribbean and its diaspora. Panel speakers include: Rich Blint, Marc Latamie, Dr. Erica Moiah James, Richard Rawlins, Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims, Claire Tancons, and Dr. Krista Thompson.
In addition, the New International Center of Diverse Artists (NICODA) will present How We Are Connected, a theatrical response to National Geographic’s The Genographic Project. This performance investigates 50,000 years of human history in a theatrical adventure fusing family lore, cultural mythology and scientific revelations about human migration and genealogy.
Visit our website for a full list of panels and presentations.
Admission to SYMPOSIUM: Caribbean Crossroads is free, RSVP required for select events.
For more information
Von Diaz, Public Relations Officer, El Museo del Barrio: 212 660 7102 / vdiaz@elmuseo.org
Elizabeth Gwinn, Communications Manager, The Studio Museum in Harlem: 646 214 2154 /
egwinn [at] studiomuseum.org
SYMPOSIUM: Caribbean Crossroads is generously sponsored by the Ford Foundation, with additional support from Christie’s.
Presenting Sponsor: MetLife Foundation
Leadership Support provided by: Ford Foundation
Major Support provided by: The Reed Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
