Presenters
VB17
VB17 is proud to announce the following presenters and contributors! Check back again for additions to the list.
ILENE SAMETH &
BARBARA RAAB
WRITERS AND PERFORMER
Ilene Sameth, writer/performer and Barbara Raab, writer/producer, were instrumental in getting one of VB17s earliest programs off the ground.
With director, Kate Conroy, the team worked tirelessly to develop the script and stage this original show. Bandwidth will debut at Dixon Place on May 15th and run again on July 11th.
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BABS DAVY
WRITER/PERFORMER
THE BEST MEDICINE
co-founder Five Lesbian Brothers
Babs Davy hails from NYC's ground zero of lesbian performance art. One of the beloved Five Lesbian Brothers, Babs has performed in the tradition of the WOW Cafe Theater for decades.
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Davy teamed up with director, Kate Conroy to present the The Best Medicine, a play that reveals intimate details about the troublesome past of a Midwestern family and ensuing psycho-pharmacological solutions. Dixon Place, May 25th.
MARTY CORREIA
WRITER
represented by Ellen Gieger, Frances Goldin Literary Agency
Marty Correia is a writer and curator of Wicked Queer Authors and The Tribe Called Butch reading series at Dixon Place. She is the author of a forthcoming novel, narrative poems, and many short stories. She holds an M.F.A. from NYU's Creative Writing program in fiction.
She's married to the founder of Venus Biennale, so you can imagine what that entails. :-)
KATE CONROY
FOUNDER
VENUS BIENNALE
LEBEING of the DYKEASPORA
Kate Conroy is a radically inclusive lesbian feminist. Kicking off Venus Biennale with VB17 thanks to a keen funder and other generous contributors, Conroy credits VB17 presenters for the program's success.
Conroy is a director, curator, visual artist and activist. Her work centers on the preservation and celebration of the work of lesbian and other queer women and non-binary artists of all cultural backgrounds.
photo credit: Meghan Spitzer
APRIL AND NINA'S SALON
CURATORS and CONDUCTOR
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April and Nina's Salon celebrates artists in semi-monthly gatherings in the east village. Nina Kennedy, concert pianist and conductor, and April Gibson, singer and tech maven, invite remarkable artists to participate in a supportive and creative salon.
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On April 12th they bring their unique approach to Dixon Place as part of VB17.
AFUA KAFI-AKUA
ARTIST & CURATOR
Poet, Multi-media Artist and Curator
Afua Kafi-Akua is a poet, writer, musician and media artist. For over 30 years her photo collages and experimental videos have been exhibited in galleries on the east and west coasts. Afua is also a percussionist who has performed with many innovative performers and groups and was a founding member of the all-female funk/rock band IBIS.
Look for Prophetic Visions at Dixon Place on July 22nd.
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SHELBY ZOE COLEY
PHOTOGRAPHER &
VIDEOGRAPHER
VB17 Documentarian
Shelby Zoe Coley is a documentarian and filmmaker based in New York using rhythm, portraiture, and the spoken word to explore intersections between queerness, race and creative practices.
Shelby is excited to present a sneak peek screening of "Theater of Desire," a documentary exploring the anarchic herstory of the WOW Cafe Theater in conjunction with VB17 and Lower East Side History Month. More at wowdocumentary.com
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photo credit: Eva Weiss
LAUREN SCHELLENBACH
BFF
VENUS BIENNALE
Chief Gnome
Lauren Schellenbach, an early backer of Venus Biennale, contributes from the West Coast with development, web hosting, and curatorial research.
Her Los Angeles base was home to the VB17 retreat and will be a locale for VB19 L.A. events and colloquia.
