Bits and Peaces
Updates on recent events
This is just a quick update on some of the things I have mentioned recently in the Substack.
Baldwin Biography: I have dipped into Nicholas Boggs’ new James Baldwin biography and it looks like it will be great. In the first few pages he deals with Baldwin’s relationship with his parents, how he grappled with his emerging identity as a gay person, and his relationship with a 24-year old white female teacher, Orilla “Bill” Miller, who took him to plays, libraries and all kinds of educational and cultural events throughout New York City. One outing that had a particularly strong impact on Baldwin was their attendance at a restaging of MacBeth by Orson Welles, transposed to Haiti, with an all-black cast.
“Television Event: I went to a showing of “Television Event,” a documentary about the making of the 1980s film on the consequences of nuclear war, “The Day After.” 100 million people watched the film – something that would be impossible in today’s fractured media environment. We need a whole array of cultural products that can meet people in whatever media outlet they use. If you’re interested in showing or learning about the film, you can contact the director Jeff Daniels at
https://televisionevent.com/
Poster House NYC Exhibit on Posters About Nuclear Weapons:
The exhibit, entitled “Fallout: Atoms for War and Peace,” covers everything from pro-nuclear posters that General Dynamics made for a 1950s Atoms for Peace meeting to a series of anti-nuclear posters from Europe and the United States. The exhibit runs through September 7th.
Yasuko Tanaka:
She is a New York-based artist who I met at a community workshop on Japanese print making. She has been closely involved in disarmament activities. Her website is here. Her current exhibit, “Seed Bomb” is at the Children’s Art Carnival gallery in Harlem. It marks the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The exhibit runs through August 31st at the Children’s Carnival Gallery at 62 Hamilton Place in Harlem.