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Join us Tuesday, February 10, at 6 pm, for a Whole Grain: Experiments in Film & Video screening of two short video works by artist Jess T. Dugan: Letter to My Father (US, 2017, video, 14 min., 54 sec.) and Letter to My Daughter (US, 2023, video, 16 min.). This screening is a public program of the exhibition Family Forms, which celebrates multiple modes of living and relationships and challenges visitors to reflect on their own definitions of “family.” Corinne Moss-Racusin, Professor of Psychology at Skidmore and co-curator of the exhibition, will introduce the screening.About the Videos
Letter to My Father is an autobiographical video exploring Dugan’s estranged relationship with their father. In the video, they read an undelivered letter to their father, in which they try to come to terms with their difficult and distant relationship. The video is comprised of snapshots of the artist, family, and friends, pulled entirely from Dugan’s personal albums. The open letter weaves together their childhood, early gender nonconformity, parents’ divorce, queer identity, personal relationships, spouse, desire to create a family and become a parent, and – ultimately – their father’s inability to accept them and their eventual estrangement. Through the telling of a highly personal story, the video grapples with two fundamental desires, often placed in direct opposition to one another: the need to live authentically and the desire for acceptance from others.
Letter to My Daughter is an autobiographical video directed to the artist’s five-year-old daughter, Elinor, that centers around their experience with parenthood throughout the first five years of her life. The audio soundtrack is a voice reading a letter to Elinor, and the images are from their personal archive and include snapshots, ultrasound images, and photographs from Family Pictures. The letter is highly personal and addresses a variety of topics, including Dugan’s expectations around parenthood, the long and circuitous journey of trying to have a child with both known and anonymous sperm donors, the experiences of miscarriage and loss, and their adjustment to parenthood as a queer and nonbinary person. Perhaps most importantly, it tries to put into words the intensity of love between a parent and child as well as the significant personal growth parenthood both inspires and requires.
About Whole Grain
The Tang Museum’s Whole Grain series explores classic and contemporary work in experimental film and video. Whole Grain is programmed by Assistant Director for Engagement Tom Yoshikami. All events are free and open to the public.
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815 N Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY, United States, New York 12866
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