A Conversation With MCA Associate Curator of Performance, Tara Aisha Willis
WDCB’s Gary Zidek sits down with Museum of Contemporary Art Associate Curator of Performance, Tara Aisha Willis.
LISTEN
“Part of what I see my work as, is to really look at the scene here in Chicago, outside of Chicago, and do my best to transmit what I see happening, not trends so much as, urgent conversations.” - Tara Aisha Willis, MCA Associate Curator of Performance, talking about her approach to programming/curating.
Photo © Julieta Cervantes, courtesy Live Arts Bard.
Hyde Park native Tara Aisha Willis returned to Chicago after a period in New York City to take on the role as Associate Curator of Performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art. She’s now in a position to provide support to artists that she believes deserve institutional backing on bigger stages.
Image of the performers on stage in WHAT REMAINS. Photo © Julieta Cervantes, courtesy Live Arts Bard.
This week, the MCA will present WHAT REMAINS, a boundary-pushing program that brings together text, sound and dance. The work comes from award-winning poet Claudia Rankine and choreographer Will Rawls. In addition to championing WHAT REMAINS, Willis is also a performer in the program.
WHAT REMAINS will be presented at the MCA Warehouse in the West Town neighborhood, rather than the performance space at the MCA. Willis says she was excited to find a performance space off the beaten path in terms of geography. The thought-provoking performance aims to challenge how audiences recognize personhood, while exploring themes of surveillance, violence and identity. Willis hopes the program sparks new ideas and conversations among audiences.
The MCA
