FRIDAY JULY 15 530PM - 8PM ARTIST TALK & PANEL DISCUSSION Stony Island Arts Bank 6760 S Stony Island Ave. Chicago,Illinois
ARTIST TALK WITH BILL BERNSTEIN
ART, DISCO AND THE UNDERGROUND NY SCENE Organized by Adrian Loving and Ron Trent, in conjunction with The Frankie Knuckles Foundation (FKF) and The Silver Room.
PART 1. The Disco discussions begin by exploring photography, club culture and access to the musical underground. Artist and author Bill Bernstein discusses Paradise Garage Dancefloor,1979 his book Disco, a compilation of rare photographs taken in New York City’s most popular and underground night- “THE GLAMOUR OF THE 70’S HAS ONLY clubs during the late 1970’s. Moderated by music GROWN AS IT FADED INTO MEMORY AND PHOTOGRAPHER BILL BERNSTEIN WAS scholar and professor Adrian Loving, the talk will uncover THERE TO CAPTURE IT ALL” how Bill gained exclusive access to document nightlife I-D and dance music culture.
These important oral histories seek to shape the sophis- tication and mystique of the diverse range of charachters and communities that participated in the weekly dance rituals. Bill’s vintage photographs capture Studio 54, Paradise Garage, Mudd Club, Larry Levan’s dj booth and take us backstage with transgender performance artists. The audience will gain insight into the mood and sentiment of that magic era - and understand what the images mean in a contemporary context. GG’s Barnum Room, Ava #2, 1979
Bill Bernstein is a successful commercial and editorial photographer and resides in New York City. His photographic career began in the 1970’s documenting pop culture, street photography, and celebrity portraits for The Village Voice and Elle Magazine.
DISCO: THE BILL BERNSTEIN PHOTOGRAPHS Edited by David Hill and Tony Nourmand | Rare Art Press, Ltd. 2015 Foreword by James Hillard, Introduction by Nona Hendryx *Signed Books and Limited Edition Prints For Sale at Event (limited quanity)
FRIDAY JULY 15 DISCO 530PM - 8PM ARTIST TALK & PANEL DISCUSSION
PART 2. PANEL DISCUSSION
MUSIC, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY: INTERSECTIONS IN THE DANCE MUSIC UNDERGROUND CHI / NYC
The Disco discussions continue by expanding the dialogue - with oral histories by legends and architects of Chicago’s House Music scene. Topics include: Disco’s Evolution: House & The Underground Chicago / NY. Architechts of Sound: Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan & Ron Hardy. The Club Space as Refuge. Documenting Disco: Print Media & Promotion. Gay Culture (Pre-AIDS) and Behavioral Decadence. * Audience Q&A to follow discussion
PANELISTS Adrian Loving | Moderator Professor, DJ and Music Scholar based in Washington, DC. Author of the forthcoming book Fade 2 Grey: Androgyny, Style and Art in 80’s Pop Music. Creative Consultant and Program Developer for Smithsonian Museums, National Gallery of Art and Corcoran Gallery of Art, DC.
Ron Trent | Panel Organizer leading Chicago DJ, producer, music scholar, and tastemaker. Founder of Prescription Records, Futurevision Records, Electric Blue Recordings and Music and Power record label. Co-curator of ‘Move Your Body’, the 2015 photographic and video exhibition on the history of House music at the Chicago Institute of Cultural Affairs. Co-curator with Adrian Loving of ‘Downtown Scene NY: A Film Series’, 2011 short film festival in Washington, DC on the downtown NY arts scene of the late 70s - 80s.
Robert Williams Founder of seminal Chicago nightclubs: The Warehouse and Music Box during the early 1980’s
Danny Krivit DJ and New York City native, founder of record label ‘718’ and co-founder of NYC’s Body and Soul event
Lee Collins Legendary Chicago club DJ and founder of ‘Soul in the Hole’ productions and ‘Sweet Dreams Productions’ radio show on WHPK during the late 1970s, early 1980s and present
Mike Ezebukwu Legendary 1970s and early 1980s Chicago DJ from ‘Jeffery’s Pub’ in the early 1970s, the ‘Club La Rays’ during the 1980s and the ‘Clubhouse’ in the 1990s
Donald St. James | Not Pictured Chicago resident and former director of prominent record pool ‘NADJA’ in the 1970s and early 1980s
Special Guest DJ: Duane Powell - (Will be playing Classic Disco and Rare Grooves)
For more information please contact: Adrian Loving - [email protected]