A Picture of Health: Jo Spence, a Politics of Disability and Illness

Simon Watney

Simon Watney, wearing a T-shirt and collared jacket, stands in front of a stone house. He is wearing glasses, has close-cropped hair, and is smiling toward the camera.

Simon Watney
Monday, November 15 | 11:30am – 12:30pm (US Eastern Time)
Registration Link

British writer, art critic, and pioneering AIDS activist Simon Watney discusses his history of organizing and advocacy in the early years of the AIDS epidemic, focusing on his shared work with the disabled artist and activist Jo Spence. Watney will reflect on the politics of HIV/AIDS then—and now. Q&A will follow. ASL interpretation will be provided. For other access queries, contact [email protected].

Pelenakeke Brown

Performing “Excavātion,” Pelenakeke Brown stands in front of her tatau projections, arms outstretched, her long dark hair falling over her left shoulder. She looks toward her left hand. Photo credit: Arielle Knight

Pelenakeke Brown
Monday, October 23 | 3:00pm – 4:00pm (US Eastern Time)
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Pelenakeke Brown, a Sāmoan/Pakehā, crip artist based in Aotearoa (New Zealand), discusses her work, which explores the intersections between disability theory and Sāmoan concepts of time and space. Brown will describe her practice, which spans visual art, text, and performance, in relation to the experience of crip time, including the print series grasp + release, in which she used her medical records. Q&A will follow. ASL interpretation will be provided. For other access queries, contact [email protected].

Yvonne Buchheim
Monday, October 2 | 11:30am – 12:30 pm (US Eastern Time)

Artist Yvonne Buchheim discusses her multi-media exhibition Life Turned Upside Down (2021), developed during two years of breast cancer treatment and recovery. Buchheim will present her work and discuss the influence of pioneering artist Jo Spence on her project. Q&A will follow. ASL interpretation will be provided. For other access queries, contact [email protected].

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