Audre Lorde's Cultural Legacy

Details:

This free two-day program celebrates the life and work of the African American poet, author, lesbian, feminist, and activist Audre Lorde. Hosted by the Northwestern Department of German, the program will feature film screenings, a book reading, discussions, and an in-person appearance by Dagmar Schultz, a friend of Lorde and the director of the documentary Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984–1992.

AUDRE LORDE'S CULTURAL LEGACY is sponsored by the Northwestern Departments of African American Studies, of English, of German, and of History; the Comparative Literary, the American, and the Latino and Latina Studies Programs; the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities, the Graduate School, Poetry and Poetics Colloquium, School of Communication, and Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Support provided by the Goethe-Institut, Chicago.

 

Invisible Woman: Growing up Black in Germany—Book Reading

Wednesday, October 3, 2012 4:00 PM FREE

he child of an African American soldier and a white German woman, author Ika Hügel-Marshall took inspiration from her friend and mentor Audre Lorde. Hügel-Marshall will present selections from her critically acclaimed autobiography in a bilingual (English and German) reading.

Reception to follow.

 

Hope in My Heart: The May Ayim Story

Wednesday, October 3, 2012 6:00 PM FREE
(Marie Binder, 1997, Germany, video, 29 min.)

This moving short documentary focuses on the life and untimely death of Ghanaian-German poet, academic and political personality May Ayim, who was also a friend of Audre Lorde.

Showing before the film Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984–1992.

 

Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984–1992

Wednesday, October 3, 2012 6:00 PM FREE
(Dagmar Schultz, 2012, Germany, video, 79 min.)

Join us for the Midwest premiere of the new documentary chronicling Lorde’s residency in Berlin, where she encouraged Afro-German writers and poets to give voice to their unique experience.

IN PERSON: Director Dagmar Schultz,
introduced by Michelle Wright, Associate Professor of African American Studies, Northwestern
University.

Preceded by the short film Hope in My Heart: The May Ayim Story.

 

A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde

Thursday, October 4, 2012 6:00 PM FREE
(Ada Gay Griffin and Michele Parkerson, 1995, USA, video, 90 min.)

An epic portrait of Lorde from her childhood roots in Harlem to her battle with breast cancer, this moving film explores a life and a body of work that embodied the connections between the civil rights movement, the women's movement, and the struggle for lesbian and gay rights.

Showing before the film The Edge of Each Other's Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde.

 

The Edge of Each Other's Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde

Thursday, October 4, 2012 6:00 PM FREE
(Jennifer Abod, 2002, USA, video, 59 min.)

This powerful documentary is a moving tribute to Lorde, one of the most celebrated icons of feminism's second wave. Nowhere was this more apparent than the groundbreaking “I am Your Sister” conference which brought together over 1200 activists from 23 countries, including thrilling footage of the inimitable Lorde herself, and candid interviews with conference organizers.

Showing after the film A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde.

Contact The Block Museum of Art for more information: (847) 491-4000 or email us at block-museum@northwestern.edu