art in action

Conversation
At 1-800 Happy Birthday
Wednesday, November 9 at 7-8:30PM

Join Allison Glenn, senior curator at Public Art Fund and the curator of ‘Promise, Witness, Remembrance,’ an exhibition reflecting on the life of Breonna Taylor, and Klaudia Ofwona Draber, curator of 1-800 Happy Birthday, for a conversation with Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd, and Kenya “Art1” Lawton on the lived experience of police and state violence. The conversation will address how to use art, activism, and curation to further the legacy of Black and Brown people with a mandate to re-imagine and create alternative futures. Focusing on solutions and actions, and the people most affected by these issues in NYC: families, Black and Brown community members and advocates, the participants will speak to why and how they fight for justice, and the ways to engage or address this kind of advocacy work. As part of this event WORTHLESSSTUDIOS is launching an initiative to invite local families to the 1-800 Happy Birthday project and 1800HappyBirthday.com website.

Please register below to attend.

allison glenn

Allison Glenn is a curator and writer deeply invested in working closely with artists to develop ideas, artworks, and exhibitions that respond to and transform our understanding of the world. Glenn’s curatorial work focuses on the intersection of art and publics, through public art, biennials, special projects, and major new commissions by leading contemporary artists.

She is currently a Senior Curator at Public Art Fund in New York City and one of the curators of Counterpublic 2023, a St. Louis-based triennial. Glenn recently garnered critical acclaim for Promise, Witness, Remembrance (2021) at the Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY.  Previous curatorial roles include senior curator and director of public art at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; associate curator, contemporary art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; curatorial associate and publications manager for Prospect New Orleans international art triennial Prospect.4: The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp; and a curatorial fellowship with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Her writing has been featured in catalogs published by The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Prospect New Orleans, Princeton Architectural Press, Studio Museum in Harlem, and she has contributed to Artforum, ART PAPERS, Hyperallergic, Fresh Art International, ART21 Magazine, and Gulf Coast Quarterly, amongst others. Glenn received dual master’s degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Modern Art History, Theory and Criticism and Arts Administration and Policy, and a Bachelor of Fine Art Photography with a co-major in Urban Studies from Wayne State University in Detroit.

terrence floyd

Terrence Floyd is a Social Activist, brother of George Floyd and Founder of WeAreFloyd organization.

As Terrence Floyd once said, I am speaking for my brother. When Terrence speaks, he not only honors the life and legacy of his brother George Floyd who was murdered on May 25, 2020 at the hands of Minneapolis Police, but he uses his voice to uplift and galvanize a worldwide racial justice movement. Since his brother’s tragic death, Terrence has served as a tireless community leader and grassroots organizer, sharing a message of unity, equality, criminal justice reform, and civil and human rights.

Terrence is also the founder of We Are Floyd, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit dedicated to honoring the life of George Floyd through community service and leadership and providing young people of color hope for the future. With a mission of giving youth in America reason to believe in a better tomorrow, Terrence shares proactive solutions for ending racial and structural inequality in ways that bring about real and lasting change. He poignantly moves audiences with his brother’s story and inspires younger generations to make a difference, know their worth, and realize they too have a voice and a purpose that needs to be heard.

Kenya “Art1” Lawton

Kenya “Art1” Lawton, a native of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, is a photorealistic airbrush muralist and fine art painter. Inspired by urban struggles and successes, his larger-than-life murals and portraits reflect the vibrant spirit of hip hop culture and pay homage to lost loved ones. As a child, Art1 was inspired to be an airbrush artist after seeing his neighbors airbrush images onto T-shirts in their front yard. Eager to learn the technique, in the tenth grade he saved up and purchased his first airbrush.

In the 1-800 Happy Birthday exhibition mural, the artist represents each celebrant’s likeness. The tableau serves as a collective memory for the many individuals killed by the police, and is designed to receive flowers, birthday cards, balloons, and other memorial offerings.

Art1’s artwork has been shown in exhibitions including Changing the Game at the LeRoy Neiman Arts Center and A Tribute to Miles Davis at the Dwyer Cultural Center. His mural JAM MASTER JAY, the Best DJ in the US of A, located at RUN DMC JMJ Way in Hollis, New York, has famously been featured in numerous books, TV shows, films, and hip hop videos.

Klaudia Ofwona Draber

Klaudia Ofwona Draber is the founder and president of KODA—a social practice residency for mid-career artists. She is also the curator of 1-800 Happy Birthday, an exhibition at WORTHLESSSTUDIOS honoring lives and legacies of Black and Brown people killed by the police. Klaudia has lived and led arts, technology and strategy projects in Europe, Africa and the United States. She also works as Head of Public Relations at Polish Cultural Institute New York. Previously she served as a consultant to the British Council Arts, and worked at UBS, managing arts CSR projects. Klaudia is the 2021-2022 Helena Rubinstein Fellow at the Whitney ISP Curatorial Studies Program. She is a member of ArtTable, mentors at New Museum's NEW INC, and is a member of For(best) The Culture. Klaudia holds MA in Art Business from the Sotheby‘s Institute of Art New York. She also holds MA in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics.