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Although a relative newcomer to jazz, vibraphonist and composer
Stefon Harris has quickly received recognition, receiving
the Martin E. Segal Award for Jazz at Lincoln Center, and
named Best New Talent by Jazziz magazine. Vibe Magazine recently
reported Harris as "a post-bop master, one with a strong
sense of tradition, definitive sound, and clear, modern vision."
Originally trained as a classical percussionist, Harris is
a music virtuoso, having learned to play every instrument
in the band by the time he graduated from high school. He
went on to receive his Master's degree in jazz performances
from the Manhattan School of Music and since then has put
out two albums, a Cloud of Red Dust and Black Action Figure,
both of which have received wide critical acclaim. His debut
album was named Best Jazz CD in 1998 by Newsweek Magazine.
He has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis as a member
of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, as well as with noted
jazz musicians Charlie Hunter and Cassandra Wilson. During
his Residency at the Gardner, Harris spent much of his time
playing and composing in the Museum's Tapestry Room. In September
he will be returning to the Gardner to give a performance.
Manfred Bischoff is one of the foremost contemporary European
goldsmiths. Born in 1947 in Germany, Bischoff lived and worked
in Munich and Berlin before relocating to Tuscany, Italy,
where he is currently based. His themes are universal-fear,
love, mortality, and sexuality. Working primarily in gold,
silver, coral, and occasionally jade and diamonds, Bischoff
makes sculptures of intimate simplicity that barely hint at
the complexity from which they arose. His work can be found
in collections including the Danner-Stiftung Collection, Munich,
the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, and the Power House Museum,
Sydney, NSW. During his February residency, Bischoff spent
his time reading, studying Gardner's collection, and contemplating
themes and ideas in preparation for his up-coming exhibition
in June.
Dayanita Singh, is a documentary photographer from India.
Her work captures insights into contemporary life that often
challenges the disaster or exotic stereotypes of the West.
Her images offer a broad and rare view of life-styles from
very well-known personalities such as the Dalai Lama, to the
customs of the lesser-known Sikh families living in the United
Kingdom. Singh recently has turned her attention to architecture
and specifically to museum buildings. She has worked extensively
as a photojournalist, freelancing with agencies. She trained
both in India and at the International Center of Photography
in New York and her photographs have been widely published
and shown in numerous international exhibits in India, London,
Zurich, Venice, Stockholm, Brussels, and New York. Singh will
discuss her work and her recent book, Myself Mona Ahmed, along
with Contemporary Curator Pieranna Cavalchini, on April 18,
6:30 p.m.
Jamaican born sculptor Nari Ward uses everyday objects, often
found in his Harlem neighborhood to construct large scale
installations. Weaving culture, history and personal narrative,
Ward creates and transforms environments through physical
construction and intangible elements such as sound and light.
His materials reflect a broad range of human experience and
his incorporation of personal narrative create complex installations.
His sculptures often evoke emotional responses from viewers
while challenging their social and spiritual beliefs. Ward
has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and was the Artist-in-Residence
at The Studio Museum in Harlem. His work has been shown at
the Whitney Biennial, at Deitch Projects and the Harlem Firehouse
Space in New York City, and at Le Magasin, Centre National
d'Art Comtemporain, Grenoble, France, among others. During
his residency at the Gardner, Ward will be preparing for an
exhibition of his work in October.
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