VIDEO: Works & Process Presents Premieres of New Virtual Commissions by George Salazar and Stephanie Hsu

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, presented the premieres of new virtual commissions by Stephanie Hsu and George Salazar!

another love letter by Stephanie Hsu

Special Thanks to:

Duke Dang, for ringing the bell

Doug Widick, for mixing sound and editing out that dog

Drew Ludwig, for walking with me

and You, Yes You for being here

My Identity by George Salazar

I spent my life trying to navigate what it means to be mixed-race. Being half-Filipino and half-Ecuadorian, I struggled throughout my life to find where I belong. The pause we've sat in as a result of this pandemic gave me the opportunity to really look within and also look outside to find a way to further build community with my mixed race friends and family. We've opened up and talked about our own identity crises and our bonds are stronger than ever. This piece is the result of a passage I wrote, transformed into a sort of monologue/spoken word/mini-one-man-show piece. I filmed it entirely in self-isolation between television jobs, FaceTiming with my parents and asking friends and family to submit videos. After putting the piece together, I sat on my cajon (a box drum) to provide a percussive underscore to help lift and tell my story. My hope is that other mixed race artists focus their storytelling to share their own journeys of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and self-love. Representation matters and every bit of it counts. Special Thanks to Works & Process at the Guggenheim, Jonah Salazar, George Salazar Sr, Janice Perez, Sabrina Shamblin, Pia Paulino, Anna Paulino, Christopher Paulino, Elizabeth Shamblin, Diane Phelan, Mike Millan, Troy Iwata, Holly Meadows-Smith, Sam Levin, Lilli Cooper, Ben Levin, and Sydney Lipez

Works & Process Artists (WPA) Virtual Commissions, a direct response to the pandemic, was launched in April to financially support artists and nurture their creative process during these challenging times. Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, is granting more than $150,000 in commissioning funds to artists who have been or were supposed to be featured at Works & Process. Artists from a wide variety of genres have been commissioned to create new works, less than 5 minutes long, while social distancing, that will premiere on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (@worksandprocess) every Sunday and Monday at 7:30pm and can be viewed anytime after.