VISCERAL UNDERCURRENT, A CHOREOGRAPHIC PERFORMANCE IN RESPONSE TO KARA WALKER: CUT TO THE QUICK

BY MOCA STAFF

Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick, from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, opens Friday, May 20. Presenting more than 80 works created by Walker, a leading artist of her generation, the exhibition demonstrates all facets of Walker's work in diverse media, including her prints, drawings, book arts, sculpture, and film.

In celebration of the opening of this important exhibition, MOCA Jacksonville is proud to present Visceral Undercurrent, a choreographic performance by the company Jade Treadwell & Dancers, with the guest appearance of students from the Dance Department of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Visceral Undercurrent was conceived by Jacksonville native and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts alumna Jade Treadwell, for the Frist Art Museum's presentation of the exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee last fall. Inspired by Kara Walker's work, Visceral Undercurrent in particular explores the various layers of turbulence captured in the stirring imagery in the etching, An Unpeopled Land in Uncharted Waters: no world. Treadwell's contextual reference is also paired with the visual landscape of Nashville poet Ciona Rouse's text, in the poem The Slave Ship Gets Nowhere Without the Sea to Carry It, ;and with original music by Kevin O'Donnell.

© Kara Walker, An Unpeopled Land in Uncharted Waters: no world, edition 19/30, 2010.Etching with aquatint, sugar lift, spitbite and drypoint, 27 x 39 in. Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer. Photo by Strode Photographic LLC

OPENING RECEPTION

MOCA Members are invited to an exclusive opening event on Friday, May 20 from 6-9 P.M. Enjoy an evening of community, contemporary art and dance, lite bites and cocktails. Become a Member now to secure your invite! The reception opens to the public at 8 P.M.

Questions? Contact Shannon Cullen, Coordinator of Membership Engagement, at shannon.cullen@unf.edu or call 904-620-4215.

PROGRAM DETAILS

Date & Time: Friday, May 20 at 7:35 P.M.

Choreographer: Jade Treadwell

Music: Original composition created by Kevin O'Donnell

Costume Design: Ada Hatcher

Poetry: The Slave Ship Gets Nowhere Without the Sea to Carry It by Ciona Rouse in connection with the Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick exhibition by the Frist Art Museum, Nashville, Tennessee

Cast: Avery Biddle, Catherine Bright, Jasmine Dillon, Mikayla Hurst, Rachel Osucha

Guest performances featuring students of the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Dance Dept.

With support from The Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Foundation

ABOUT JADE TREADWELL

Jade Treadwell is a dance artist based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She is a professor of dance in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Middle Tennessee State University. She has performed with Staib Dance and ClancyWorks, as well as freelancing throughout Atlanta, the DC area, and Florida. She received BFA and MFA degrees in dance performance and choreography from Florida State University. While at FSU, she was a member of Dance Repertory Theatre under the direction of Lynda Davis, where she worked with artists such as Dan Wagoner, Tim Glenn, Gerri Houlihan, Susan Marshall, Alex Ketley, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar of Urban Bush Women. As a choreographer, she is inspired by historically informed storytelling of African American culture, music, community, and spirituality, and elevating the significance of women in these spaces.

Treadwell is originally from Jacksonville, Florida and is a alumna of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.