Art Exhibition of Hit Graphic Novel 'Diary of a Teenage Girl' to Premier Alongside Theatrical Adaptation

The first New York art exhibit of Phoebe Gloeckner's original artwork from her hit graphic novel The Diary of a Teenage Girl will be presented downtown at 3LD Art & Technology Center, 80 Greenwich Street (just south of Rector Street). Producer Aaron Louis in association with New Georges and The Essentials will present the exhibit in tandem with their production of Marielle Heller's adaptation of Gloeckner's novel. The exhibit will be on display in The Tube, 3LD's gallery space. The official opening of the exhibit will be Wednesday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. Admission to the exhibit is free.

The gallery space and exhibit is open to the public Mondays through Fridays 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM (closing early on Tuesdays at 6:00 PM). Saturdays and Sundays the gallery is open from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, running through May 1. The exhibit includes 24 stunning full-page illustrations and sequential art pages from the graphic novel, in addition to comics that Gloeckner drew when she was a teenage girl, and some of her more recent work. The original art pages, created with brush, pen, and occasional photo-collage, offer a behind-the-scenes look at the book's creation, including a deleted scene and penciled notes on possible alternate dialogue. The exhibit, assembled by Bill Roundy (former chief curator of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art), is designed to compliment the performance, revealing a few scenes and characters who appear only off-stage.

Phoebe Gloeckner, the recipient of a 2008 Guggenheim fellowship, is an American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and novelist. Her comics work, in the form of short stories published in a variety of underground anthologies including Wimmen's Comix, Weirdo, Young Lust and Twisted Sisters was sporadic and rarely seen until the 1998 release of the collection A Child's Life and Other Stories. This was followed by her 2002 novel The Diary of a Teenage Girl, which revisited the troubled life of the young character previously featured in some of her comics, this time in an unusual combination of prose, illustration, and short comics scenes. Her novel and many of her short stories are semi-autobiographical, a frequent cause of comment due to their depiction of sex, drug use, and childhood traumas; however, Gloeckner has stated that she regards them as fiction. Less controversial, and actually intended for children, is her book Weird Things You Can Grow, published by Random House, and books in the series beginning with Tales too Funny to be True published by HarperCollins, for which she did the illustrations.

Former curator of the MoCCA Bill Roundy (exhibit curator) is a Brooklyn cartoonist, editor, and occasional bartender. He was chief curator of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art from 2006-2008, and his autobiographical comic strip "The Amazing Adventures of Bill" appears weekly at www.billroundy.com. His work has also appeared in the gay romance anthologies "Young Bottoms in Love" and "The Book of Boy Trouble 2."

"THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL" (www.diarytheplay.com) is a story about female sexuality and unabashed optimism. Told from the point of view of fifteen-year old Minnie, Diary tells the story of her growing up in the chaos of the 1970s, in the haze that is San Francisco. Minnie is incredibly bright and self-reflective. She is gut-wrenchingly honest, and curious about the world around her. And she has just begun an affair with her mother's boyfriend, Monroe. (The play contains mature themes that may not be appropriate for children.) Tickets to the play are available at 1-866-811-4111 or diarytheplay.com.

Writer and actress Marielle Heller adapted "THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL" after having read the book, which she found to be a jarring and life-changing experience. She immediately contacted the publisher for the rights. Initially dismissed and written off having never pursued the rights to anything, Heller wouldn't take no for an answer. She persisted for months, and finally got her pitch through to Gloeckner, who was impressed with her vision. With Gloeckner's blessing secure, Heller began to develop the adaptation, first with the mentorship of Berkeley Rep's Artistic Director Tony Taccone, and then in collaboration with the directing team of Sarah Cameron Sunde and Rachel Eckerling.

3LD Art & Technology Center (www.3ldnyc.org) is a community-oriented and artist-run production development studio for emerging and established artists and organizations that create large-scale experimental artworks of all kinds. 3LD is owned and operated by 3-Legged Dog Media & Theater Group, an experimental media and theater group founded in 1994 to produce original works in theater, performance, media, installation and hybrid forms. Since its inception, 3-Legged Dog has performed and exhibited at the Kitchen, the Ontological, PS 122, La MaMa, the Signature Theatre, the Venice Biennale, and at their home, 3LD Art & Technology Center.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.