Clarissa Sligh & Nava Atlas in Conversation: Race, Gender and Identity in Artists' Books

The book form can become a vehicle for personal histories and obsessions. Please join us for a discussion of how Sligh and Atlas have explored their own experiences of race, gender, and identity through book arts. Clarissa Sligh is a visual artist, writer, and lecturer. When she was 15 years old she became the lead plaintiff in the 1955 school desegregation case in Virginia. She uses photographs, drawings, text, and personal stories to explore themes of transformation and social justice. Nava Atlas is known both as a vegan cookbook author and as a fine artist. Her artists' books engage images, text, and structure to explore themes of social justice and women's roles. Many of her works reappropriate found materials and challenge the language and images used to reinforce gender roles and stereotypes. Both artists have placed their papers at the Bingham Center.