The free musical performance matches the exhibit at the Housatonic Art Museum
Laura Ortman will perform a free evening of musical improvisation at the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport on Thursday, February 20, as part of a new exhibit, “The Hypogean Tip,” by Rachel Owens.
Ortman will engage the scaffolded sculptures in Owens’ exhibit playing the violin, as well as using indigenous instruments and digital effects, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Burt Chernow Galleries.
The exhibit explores both the past of Bridgeport and the wider nation. Comprised of sculptures, including large-scale casts in broken glass of the porch of Mary Freeman’s home (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and works cast in coal and marble dust, the show examines the causes under of the decimation of the historic Little Liberia section of Bridgeport. The exhibition is on view until March 21.
With varied natural and urban instrumentation, Ortman’s experimental music is known for compositions that alternate lyrical intimacy and layered inventiveness, often experimenting with four-track tapes and remixing her own audio catalog in an evolving dialogue with herself, according to a press release.
“Laura Ortman’s music has a strong connection to the visual arts and even describes her compositions as ‘sound sculptures,'” Robbin Zella, director of the Housatonic Museum of Art, said in the statement. a musical performance directly related to this exhibition.”
Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache) is a songwriter, musician and artist from Brooklyn, NY. She produces solo albums, live performances and film/art soundtracks and frequently collaborates with artists in film, music, art, dance, multimedia, activism and poetry. . In 2008, she founded the Coast Orchestra, an all-Native American orchestral ensemble, and in 2019, she participated in the Whiney Biennial.
The Housatonic Art Museum, 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. Thursday, February 20, 5:30 p.m. Free admission. 203-332-5052, HousatonicMuseum.org
