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Park Avenue Armory, National Black Theatre & Others Announce Commissioned Artists For 100 Years | 100 Women Initiative

A Response To The Centennial of The 19th Amendment

At its fourth annual “Culture in a Changing America” symposium on Saturday, February 15, 2020, Park Avenue Armory, together with lead partner National Black Theatre and nine additional New York City-based cultural institutions, announced the lead group of artists they commissioned as part of the 100 Years | 100 Women initiative. In addition to the Armory and National Black Theatre, the commissioning institutions are: Apollo Theater; The Julliard School; La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company; The Laundromat Project; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of the Moving Image; National Sawdust; New York University (Department of Photography and Imaging, Tisch School of the Arts; Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity and Strategic Innovation; and Institute of African American Affairs & Center for Black Visual Culture); and Urban Bush Women.

Missouri became the 11th state to ratify the 19th Amendment with the signature of Governor Frederick Gardner. Suffragists worked from the grassroots up to accomplish their mission.  Photo: Library of Congress

The discipline-spanning group of artists, who self-identify as women or gender non-binary, will create works in response to the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave some women the right to vote. The commissioned projects—spanning visual arts, music, dance, film, photography, and performance—will be showcased in a major event on May 16, 2020 in the Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall and historic rooms. Commissioned artists include: Sama Alshaibi, Murielle Borst-Tarrant/Safe Harbors Indigenous Collective, Zoë Buckman, Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Karen Finley, Ebony Noelle Golden, Chanon Judson, L’Rain, Shola Lynch, Meshell Ndegeocello, Toshi Reagon, Jaime Sunwoo, Sahar Ullah, Carrie Mae Weems, Deborah Willis, and many more.

100 Years | 100 Women is part of the Armory’s Interrogations of Form conversation series, which unites artists, thought leaders, and social trailblazers for creative, multidimensional explorations of today’s social and cultural landscape. This year’s “Culture in a Changing America” symposium, also part of the series, included conversations, performances across artistic genres, and intimate salons reflecting on womanhood, citizenship, intersectional feminism, and the myriad ways in which artists navigate these issues.

100 Years | 100 Women is the latest Armory-hosted convening of creatives, cultural leaders, and community members, following Theaster Gates’ “Black Artists Retreat 2019: Sonic Imagination,” which brought together more than 300 black artists and allies for a weekend of conversations, performances, and reflections; a Lenape Pow Wow in 2018, the first gathering of Lenape leaders on Manhattan Island since the 1700s; and 2017’s “The Shape of Things,” a day-long creative reflection on the political and social climate in America, curated by former Armory Artist-in-Residence Carrie Mae Weems.

Stefanie Batten Bland. Photo courtesy of the artist.

“The Armory is so pleased to be able to bring together artists and thought leaders to respond to the issues that shape our society. We, along with our dynamic group of partner organizations, are excited to see how these diverse artistic voices will respond to the realities and consequences of the 19th Amendment, passed a century ago,” said Rebecca Robertson, Founding President and Executive Producer of Park Avenue Armory.

“We are excited to work alongside Park Avenue Armory to empower these artists whose work will enrich and educate the public,” said Sade Lythcott, CEO of National Black Theatre. “As with the symposium, this celebration helps place the spotlight on artists whose work is in keeping with NBT’s tradition of using art and culture to help push forward messages of healing and liberation for all.”

Alicia Graf Mack. Photo: The Juillard School

Together, this cohort of institutions has commissioned work from the following artists, some of whom are creating solo works, while others are collaborating with other artists, ensembles, and collectives. Additional artists will be named in the lead up to the event:

1. Abdu Ali, Music & Literature
2. Sama Alshaibi, Visual Art
3. Ngozi Anyanwu, Theatre
4. Armory Arts Education, Multi-disciplinary
5. Zalika Azim, Visual Art
6. Stefanie Batten Bland / SBB Company, Dance Theatre
7. Stephanie Berger, Photography
8. Hope Boykin, Dance
9. Mahogany L. Browne, Poetry & Literature
10. Zoë Buckman, Visual Art
11. Rashida Bumbray, Performance & Visual Art
12. Xu Cheng, Music
13. Elizabeth Colomba, Visual Art
14. Courtney Cook, Performance & Dance
15. Renee Cox, Visual Art
16. Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Performance Art & Literature
17. Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Visual Art
18. Helga Davis, Music
19. Rose DeSiano, Visual Art
20. LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Multi- disciplinary
21. Abby Dobson, Conceptual & Performing Art
22. Nekisha Durrett, Visual Art
23. Adama Delphine Fawundu, Visual Art
24. Gayle Fekete, Dance
25. Jingyi Feng, Dance
26. Karen Finley, Performance Art
27. Ebony Noelle Golden & Betty's Daughter Arts Collaborative, Multi-disciplinary
28. Jasmine Hearn, Performance & Dance
29. Marguerite Hemmings, Dance
30. Charlene Incarnate, Drag & Performance
31. Val Jeanty and Risha Rox, Sound Art & Performance Art
32. Chanon Judson, Dance
33. Tendayi Kuumba, Dance
34. L’Rain, Music
35. Thapelo Masita, Music
36. Muriel Miguel / Spiderwoman Theater, Theatre & Performance
37. Vernice Miller / A Laboratory for Actor Training, Theatre & Performance
38. Briana Del Mundo, Dance
39. Love Muwwakkil, Performance & Dance
40. Meshell Ndegeocello & Staceyann Chin, Music & Poetry
41. Lorie Novak, Visual Art
42. Lindsay Phillips, Dance
43. Toshi Reagon, Music
44. Kyle Ritenauer, Music
45. Yelaine Rodriguez, Visual Art
46. Huang Ruo, Music
47. Hannah Rosenzweig & Wendy Sachs, Film
48. Lois Weaver and Peggy Shaw / Split Britches, Theatre & Performance
49. Karina Aguilera Skvirsky, Multi-disciplinary
50. Dianne Smith, Visual Art
51. Sonic and Womxyn Amplify Vibrations Collective, Music
52. Samantha Speis, Performance & Dance
53. Amy Rox Surratt / Mistakes Made Theatrical Co, Theatre & Performance
54. Jaime Sunwoo, Multimedia & Performance
55. Lourdes Kalichi’naru Lebron, Michelle Lopez & Kasibahagua Taíno Cultural Society, Ceremonial Taino dance
56. Murielle Borst-Tarrant/Safe Harbors Indigenous Collective, Theatre & Performance
57. Cyrie Topete, Choreography
58. Katherine Toukhy, Mixed Media
59. Carmelita Tropicana, Performance Art
60. Sahar Ullah, Theatre
61. Imani Uzuri, Music
62. Elaisa Van Der Kust, Performance & Dance
63. Mikaila Ware, Performance & Dance
64. Angela Wee, Music
65. Carrie Mae Weems, Muliti-disciplina
66. Mimi Lien, Architecture & Set Design
67. Shola Lynch, Film
68. Alicia Graf Mack, Dance
69. Tsedaye Makonnen, Visual Art
70. Deborah Willis, Visual Art
71. Zhou Yi, Music
72. Bora Yoon, Music
73. Pamela Z performed by Amanda Gookin (Forward Music Project), Music

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