In connection with a new exhibit at the Housatonic Museum of Art: The Hypogean Tip by Rachel Owens, the community is invited to join musician Laura Ortman for a free, evening of musical improvisation in the Burt Chernow Galleries. On Thursday, February 20 at 5:30pm, Ortman will engage the scaffolded sculptures of Owens’ exhibit by playing violin, as well as employing native instruments and digital effects.
The exhibit explores both Bridgeport’s and our larger nation’s past. Comprised of sculptures, including large-scale casts in broken glass from the porch of the home of Mary Freeman (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and works cast in coal and marble dust, the show considers the underlying causes for the decimation of the historic Little Liberia section of Bridgeport, CT. The exhibit is on view through March 21st.
With varied natural and urban instrumentation, Laura Ortman’s experimental music is known for compositions that alternate lyrical intimacy with layered inventiveness, often experimenting with four-track tapes and remixing her own audio catalogue in an evolving dialogue with herself.
“Laura Ortman’s music has a strong connection to visual art, and even describes her compositions as “sculpting sound,” said Robbin Zella, Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art. “We’re thrilled to have her create a musical performance that engages directly with this exhibition.”
Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache) is a Brooklyn, NY composer, musician and artist. She produces solo albums, live performances and film/art soundtracks and frequently collaborates with artists in film, music, art, dance, multi-media, activistism and poetry, such as Tony Conrad, Jock Soto, Raven Chacon, Nanobah Becker, Okkyung Lee, Martin Bisi, Caroline Monnet, Michelle Latimer, Raphaele Shirley and Martha Colburn. Ortman’s notable performances include venues at the The National Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of Modern Art, The Kitchen, MoMA P.S. 1, Centre Pompidou, Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, SF MoMA, CBGB’s, St. Marks Church, Dia Art Foundation, amongst countless other established and DIY venues in the US, Canada and Western Europe. In 2008 she founded the Coast Orchestra, an all-Native American orchestral ensemble, and in 2019 she participated in the Whiney Biennial.
The Housatonic Museum of Art is located on the Housatonic Community College campus in Lafayette Hall, 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport, CT. To learn more, visit https://museum.housatonic.edu/ or call 203-332-5052.
On Thursday, February 20 join musician Laura Ortman at the Housatonic Museum of Art as she engages the scaffolded sculptures of the current exhibit by playing violin, as well as employing native instruments and digital effects.