Andrea Martin Will Participate in 92nd Street Y & MacDowell Conversation

Historian, author, visual artist, and MacDowell Board Chair Nell Painter will lead a discussion on Wednesday, December 16, at 6 p.m. with actor and writer Andrea Martin, theatre director Indhu Rubasingham, and author Jacqueline Woodson about the relationship between their identities and their art. They'll further reflect on the barriers that artists face when telling the stories that are traditionally left untold.

As she approaches her first anniversary at the helm of MacDowell's Board of Directors, Painter is looking forward to expanding the dialog about the importance of art for our current historical moment and the role of artists in a changing world. Reflecting on the period during which she is completing her first year as Madam Chairman of the Board, Painter said, "A year of social justice activism, pandemic, and complex politics has made MacDowell's support of artists all the more crucial. We embrace the challenges of our times as extraordinary opportunities."

"A Conversation on the Enactment of Identity" will be a discussion led by Painter about creativity and its social and historical importance, especially in today's world. "How do these artists - a lauded novelist, theatre director, and actor - interpret the relationship between their personal lives and the art they generate?" asks Painter. "Individual experience doubtless nourishes art, even as art is creation, not a reenactment of life. This conversation probes that relationship, as both something to exploit and something to avoid."

The free evening, tackling everything from racial inequities in artistic representation to the importance of hair styling and color, will be presented jointly by the 92nd Street Y, New York's world-class cultural and community center, and MacDowell, the nation's oldest contemporary arts residency program. MacDowell, celebrating 113 years of fueling contemporary artistic expression, offers Fellowships to artists working in all disciplines.

Register for this free event.

The four artists will share their insight on creativity and culture, delving into questions such as what does interpreting or enacting oneself mean, how does an artist envision or interpret characters' identities, and which identities are more likely to have their stories told in the current cultural climate?

The intimate event will deliver a front row seat to the type of unscripted, interdisciplinary discussions that often happened between MacDowell fellows before the pandemic, and will occur again when it is over. Our Fellows often tell us that these conversations are a cherished and essential component of the MacDowell experience.

A veteran of television, stage and film, Andrea Martin won Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Awards for her performance in the Broadway revival of Pippin. Her theatre credits include the Lincoln Center Theater adaptation of Moss Hart's Act One; My Favorite Year, for which she received Tony, Drama Desk and Theatre World Awards; the recent revival of Fiddler on the Roof; Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein (Tony, Drama Desk Award nominations); Exit the King (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations); Oklahoma! (Tony, Drama Desk Award nominations); Candide (Tony, Drama Desk Award nominations); and the legendary Toronto production of Godspell in which she co-starred with future collaborators and SCTV alumni Martin Short, Eugene Levy, and Dave Thomas.