Opening Reception: Dunning

Join the Center for Mad Culture for the opening of Dunning, an exhibition that delves into the history of Cook County’s insane asylum through the powerful works of 10 visual artists and 10 poets. These artists, whose identities might have led to incarceration under psychiatric traditions of the past, reflect on how society treats divergent philosophies. The exhibition highlights the kinds of culture we lose when we respond to difference with institutionalization.

Participating Artists and Poets:
Stephanie Heit, Robert Ives, Gabrielle Jensen, Charlie Nutley, Edwin Parker, Salem Hue Penny, Evan Reynolds, Titus Wonsey, Joy Young, Cam Collins, Lily Cozzens, Melissa Kreider, Michael Michalski, Bri Noonan, Genevieve Ramos, Megan Sterling, Joshua With, and Keira Wood.

Disability Access:
AI captioning and ASL interpreters will be available during the featured performances from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The Center for Mad Culture is wheelchair accessible, and we are happy to accommodate other accessibility needs upon request.

Featured Performances:

• Mad Conductors | 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM
  Featuring poets Stephanie Heit and Alexis Riley, this participatory performance invites the audience to explore memory, forgetting, and the gaps between. Through improvisation, writing, movement, sound, and more, you are welcome to participate or witness as we build a supportive space for imagining new futures of care.
• Crip/Mad Archive Dances | 8:15 PM – 9:00 PM
  Petra Kuppers presents a screening of her experimental documentary Crip/Mad Archive Dances (2024, 35 mins), which explores how disabled and mad people survive and express creativity amid societal stigma. The film features archival dance footage, environmental visuals, and survivor testimonies of reclaiming agency. The screening will be followed by a discussion.

Exhibition Dates:
November 8 – December 31, 2024

The Center is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00am-5:00pm, or by appointment.