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Transforming Crisis: Virtual Artist-in-Residence Events with Miwa Matreyek at UMass Amherst
In April, the “Transforming Crisis” series will host three public virtual events, featuring Fine Arts Center artist-in-residence, Miwa Matreyek. The series a semester-long series hosted in collaboration with UMass Fine Arts Center (FAC), the Master of Fine Arts for Poets and Writers (MFA) and the School of Earth and Sustainability (SES). It is devoted to illuminating ecological crises and addressing climate injustice. With support from the Chancellor's Sustainability Advisory Committee, the series includes performances, readings and discussions with prominent scholars, scientists and artists, along with students and community members about pressing environmental issues, promising solutions and the power of creative arts to inspire collective action.
Those public events are:
Monday, April 5, 12 p.m. ET– Miwa Matreyek Artist Talk, Free
Presented with the Partnership for Worker Education. Registration required.
Tuesday, April 6, 7 p.m. ET – “Infinitely Yours”, Virtual Performance and Artist Q & A, Tickets: $10 per household or device.
The performance screening of Matreyek’s newest work, “Infinitely Yours” explores the experience of climate change and personal responsibility in everyday life, plus short works by Miwa’s students at UMass and a live post-show Q&A with the artist.
Wednesday, April 7, 7 p.m. ET – Transforming Crisis Panel Discussion, FREE
Matreyek joins with scientists, thought leaders and activists to discuss environmental issues, potential solutions, and the intersection of arts and science to inspire collective action. Registration required.
In addition to Matreyek's events, the FAC is hosting the following free event:
Reading and Discussion, 7–8:30 p.m., Monday, April 5
Amitav Ghosh, author of “The Great Derangement,” will read and discuss the imaginative possibilities of climate awareness and action. Moderated by writer and activist Emily Raboteau, co-sponsored by the MFA for Poets and Writers, Orion, the department of comparative literature and the environmental humanities program.
For tickets and registration for all events please visit: fineartscenter.com. For tickets and questions, the box office can be reached by email at facbox@umass.edu and by phone at 413-545-2511 or 800-999-UMAS, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Miwa Matreyek is an animator, director, designer and performer based in Los Angeles and has toured internationally since 2010. Working at the intersection of new media technology and the hand-made, she creates live performances by interacting with animation as a shadow silhouette, thus combining the cinematic and theatrical. Miwa’s work makes invisible worlds visible, weaving in the surreal and the poetic narratives of conflict between man and nature. Past presenters include TED, MOMA, Lincoln Center, Sundance New Frontier, Future of Storytelling conference, Exploratorium, Adler Planetarium, ISEA conference, Meta.Morph (Norway), Anima Mundi (Brazil), Houston Cinematic Arts Festival, Carnegie Museum of Natural History and numerous others. She has performed at many universities, including Texas A&M, Boston University, USC, UC San Diego, University of Michigan, Western Carolina University, University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana and the University of Hawaii in Hilo. Miwa received her MFA for Experimental Animation and Integrated Media from CalArts in 2007. She has recieved the Sherwood Award, Creative Capital Award, Princess Grace Award and Princess Grace Foundation’s Special Projects award. Miwa is a co-founder and core-collaborator of the multi-media theater company, Cloud Eye Control.
The Fine Arts Center hosts Miwa Matreyek as part of the Reimagine Residency Series, which invites nationally-recognized artists dedicated to contemporary social issues to engage audiences through performance, education, and outreach. Miwa's residency includes educational outreach to UMass MFA writing students, UMass workers, and area schools, and is supported by the Applewood and Loomis Communities. Matreyek’s residency is further sponsored by the Daily Hampshire Gazette and Coca-Cola, and co-presented by the UMass MFA Poets and Writers Program, UMass School of Earth and Sustainability, and the UMass Sustainability, Innovation and Engagement Fund.