EUGENE, Ore. -- (September 24, 2014) – Artist Ryan Conarro performs “ this hour forward,” an installation of spoken word, song, video, sound, and photography, at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on Friday, October 3, and Saturday, October 4, at 8 p.m. Tickets for the performance are $15 and are available via the Oregon Contemporary Theatre online at https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?theatre=oct or by phone at (541) 465-1506.
“this hour forward” was inspired by the wedding of Conarro’s brother, which coincided with the U.S. Supreme Court's reading of the Defense of Marriage Act. The artist performs as the playful, provocative personas of both groom and bride, and he invites the audience to join an exploration of deeply personal questions about the identities of the self and of others; about the ideals and realities of love and marriage, and heartbreak and failure.
“What does marriage mean to us as individuals? As families?” asks Craig Willis, Oregon Contemporary Theatre’s Artistic Director. “I invited Ryan to bring “this hour forward” to Eugene late last winter when it was expected that an initiative to repeal Measure 28 would appear on the ballot in November. The need for a vote was eradicated by Judge McShane’s decision in May declaring Measure 28 unconstitutional. However, as the Judge noted, his ruling won’t be the last word on the subject. Constitutional or not, the evolving definition of marriage in our culture is still an important topic for artists and audiences to reflect on and explore.”
Ryan Conarro is an Alaska-based theater maker and teaching artist. He’s a company member with Juneau’s Perseverance Theatre and an Adjunct Artist with the New York-based international company Theatre Mitu. He is in residence with Ping Chong + Company in New York through Theatre Communication Group (TCG)’s One-on-One mentorship program. Conarro earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater and English from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is currently an MFA candidate at Goddard College’s Interdisciplinary Arts program, where he’s focusing on documentary theater practice and arts education.
This performance is offered in partnership with LCC Department of Theater, Oregon Contemporary Theatre (OCT), University Theatre/UO Department of Theatre Arts, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public. The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, America and elsewhere as well as changing special exhibition galleries. The JSMA is one of six museums in Oregon accredited by the American Association of Museums.
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
Contact: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu
Links: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu/
