The coming week at The Church will feature two programs devoted to the written word, and a conversation with Oliver Tobin, curator of “Martha Graham: Collaborations,” its current exhibition, and Janet Eilber, the artistic director of the Martha Graham Dance Company.
Word, a recurring program that celebrates the written word as an art form, will kick things off on Friday at 6 p.m. with four writers whose work reflects on the word “identity.” Tom House, a writer, educator, and founding director of Hamptons Pride, is the curator of tomorrow’s event, which will feature the writers Jeremy Dennis, Ariel Ransom, Christine Sampson, and Lora Tucker.
Mr. Dennis, an enrolled tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, is a contemporary fine-art photographer whose practice explores Indigenous identity, culture, and assimilation.
Ms. Ransom is an interdisciplinary artist whose work examines identity, transformation, love, power, and the space between the seen and unseen. Her poetry and prose examine what it means to become oneself in a world that resists Black female authenticity and integration.
Ms. Sampson’s work spans print and broadcast formats. She writes personal essays on her website, csampsonwrites.com, and has three full-length novels to her credit, one of which is set for self-publishing this fall. Director of community engagement for LTV Studios, she has been a journalist with The Star and The Sag Harbor Express.
A poet, activist, and essayist with over 40 years of advocating for racial and social justice, Ms. Tucker has taught graduate level courses in diversity, racism, oppression, and privilege. Currently earning an M.F.A. in creative writing at Stony Brook Southampton, she is the poetry editor for African Voices literary magazine. Her work has been featured in The Southampton Revue, Brooklyn Poets, Canio’s Bookstore, and the Knitting Factory.
Mr. House’s stories and essays have appeared in Harper’s, North American Review, and The Star, among other publications.
Cafe table seating is available for $30 per person; regular seating is $25. Drinks and snacks are available for purchase before the performance.
On Saturday at 6 p.m., Mr. Tobin and Ms. Eilber, who both enjoyed long careers as dancers in the Martha Graham Dance Company, will investigate the depth of materials and histories embedded in the exhibition, sharing insights informed by their firsthand experience with the subject matter.
Mr. Tobin performed in such notable Graham productions as “Appalachian Spring,” “Clytemnestra,” “El Penitente,” and “Embattled Gardens,” among others. His theatrical credits include Off Broadway productions of “The Kentucky Cycle,” “The Lesser Magoo,” and “Tallahassee.”
As director of Martha Graham Resources, he led the preservation and stewardship of the company’s extensive archive, including costumes, production designs, photographs, ephemera, and personal items, and facilitated the relocation of the archive to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
As artistic director of the dance company since 2005, Ms. Eilber oversaw new forms of audience access to the Graham legacy through such initiatives as her spoken introductions, thematic programming, educational and cultural partnerships, licensing of Graham classics to schools and professional companies, and the use of new media and technologies.
While still at Juilliard, she was invited to join the Graham Company, where she worked closely with Graham for almost a decade. She danced many of Graham’s greatest roles, had roles created for her by Graham, and was directed by Graham in most of the major roles of the repertory. She soloed at the White House, was partnered with Rudolf Nureyev, and worked with such important Graham collaborators as Isamu Noguchi, Aaron Copland, and Halston.
Aside from her work with Graham, she co-starred in such films as “Whose Life Is It Anyway?” with Richard Dreyfuss and “Romantic Comedy” with Dudley Moore, was featured in several television series in the 1980s, and danced and acted on and off Broadway with Agnes DeMille and Bob Fosse.
Tickets are $25, $20 for members. A question-and-answer session will follow the discussion.
Star Black, a poet, photographer, and visual artist, will return to The Church on Tuesday and again next Thursday at 10 a.m. for Writing From Art: Poetry, Prose, and the Lyric Essay, a two-session workshop.
The workshop will focus on the idea of ekphrasis, an ancient Greek word meaning “the use of detailed description of a work of visual art as a literary device.” Inspired by “Martha Graham: Collaborations,” participants will create a series of creative texts detailing their unique experiences of selected pieces in the exhibition. Each session will meet in the library of The Church and feature a close viewing of individual works on view. Both will conclude with participants reading the texts they have produced.
The only required materials are a notebook and pen or pencil; the class is limited to eight participants.
Tickets are $40, which includes both sessions.
