Multidisciplinary Artist Kia LaBeija Named Artist in Residence at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC and WQXR
Kia LaBeija: Photographs From Plague In The Shadows debuts a new collection of portraits of New Yorkers featured in a new podcast from WNYC Studios and The HISTORY CHANNEL about the untold stories of the AIDS epidemic. Opening reception is February 25 from 6pm-8pm and is free and open to the public.
LaBeija will also host a documentary theater performance about women AIDS activists, a LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN Valentines Day dance, and a live musical concert that explores the enduring bonds of family ties.
(New York, NY – January 22, 2024) – The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the live event space and broadcast studio at WNYC and WQXR, announces Kia LaBeija as the winter Artist in Residence. An image maker and storyteller, Kia employs a multidisciplinary approach to art that includes photography, performance, collage, design, writing, and film to narrate complex stories at the intersections of womanhood, sexuality, ethnicity, and living with HIV. During her residency LaBeija will present a new collection of photographs in an ongoing exhibition and curate three ticketed events for the public.
“For my residency at The Greene Space, I am curating events uplifting and unveiling lost narratives around HIV,” said LaBeija. “As an artist I am dedicated to creating spaces to share love, grief, and togetherness in ways that can empower, educate and bring joy to anyone willing to listen and participate.”
”We are honored to be in community with some of the most innovative and inspiring artists of our time. It is even more meaningful to have the opportunity to support their practice at critical moments in their careers,” said Kristina Newman-Scott, Executive Director of The Greene Space. “Kia LaBeija’s work has consistently made the invisible visible, and her residency at The Greene Space uplifts an underrepresented topic and offers individuals a platform to share their authentic journeys, connecting people of all different experiences and backgrounds.”
Kia LaBeija: Photographs From Plague In The Shadows
Exhibition open January 25 to March 11, 2024
Opening reception January 25 from 6 to 8pm
Photographs From Plague In The Shadows is a new collection of portraits of people who were at the center of the early years of the AIDS epidemic in New York City. They include Valerie Reyes-Jimenez, an HIV-positive woman, activist, and city organizer; Maxine Frere, a retired nurse who spent the entirety of her 40-year career at Harlem Hospital and was the head nurse of the pediatric AIDS unit; Governor David Paterson, and Terry McGovern, lawyer, and Senior Associate Dean at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, and founder of the HIV Law Project. Their stories, and Kia’s, can be heard on WNYC’s and the History Channel’s podcast Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows. No tickets required, exhibition open during programs at The Greene Space or by appointment.
I, of Course, Was Livid
February 5 at 7pm
Elizabeth Koke and Theodore (Ted) Kerr present their documentary theater work, I, of Course, Was Livid, based on a historic 1992 hearing at the CDC, when ongoing activism by women living with HIV finally resulted in expanding the clinical definition of AIDS to include their experiences. After the performance, members of What Would an HIV Doula Do? will facilitate conversation and offer additional education about the play and the history it reveals.
LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN Valentine’s Day Dance
February 14 at 8pm
Kia hosts the inaugural LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN Valentine’s Day Dance in partnership with Visual AIDS, celebrating women living with HIV. The evening will feature sweet treats, a photo booth, cash bar, and music by DJ Isas Lobas.
Benbow Family Reunion Band
February 23 at 7 pm
Kia takes stage with her father, renowned jazz artist Warren Benbow and her brother, multi-hyphenate artist musician/composer/technologist Kenn Michael, for an intimate listening party and live performance.
Additional information about the Artist in Residence series and tickets for each event can be found here.
The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space Artist in Residence (AIR) program welcomes NYC’s most innovative artists, cultural institutions, and community organizations as partners in curation and programming. The AIR program prioritizes the creation and advancement of socially conscious and relevant works by artists and organizations that help promote a more equitable society in NYC and beyond.
Lead philanthropic support for The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space is provided by The Jerome L. Greene Foundation. Additional support for The Greene Space comes from the Howard Gilman Foundation and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The Greene Space Artist-in-Residence Program is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Kia LaBeija’s residency is also supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.
About Kia LaBeija
Kia Michelle Benbow, known professionally as Kia LaBeija, was born and raised in the heart of New York City, Hell’s Kitchen. She composes theatrical autobiographical works ranging from photography, live performance, text based mediums, and film. She’s presented work at The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Tate Modern, The Brooklyn Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Museum of The City of New York, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The International Center for Photography The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, and the Performa ’19 Biennial.
ABOUT THE JEROME L. GREENE PERFORMANCE SPACE
The Greene Space is New York Public Radio’s intimate performance space and multiplatform production studio with a mission to channel the collective genius of New York City to produce forward-looking live art, theater, and journalism that sparks change. It provides a space for fostering artistic experimentation and exploration, convening challenging conversations and forging connections between New York City’s diverse communities. Since 2009, The Greene Space has hosted luminaries including Janelle Monáe and The National, actors Frances McDormand and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, writers Nikki Giovanni, Hilton Als, and Roxane Gay, and newsmakers Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chelsea Manning, among many others. For more information, visit www.thegreenespace.org.