Poetry Performance | “Portrait of Courage”
Judith and Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi (left) and Kehinde Wiley (right)
Brittny Ray Crowell
Kaitlin Rizzo
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith and Holofernes, c. 1612–17, oil on canvas, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy.
Kehinde Wiley, Judith and Holofernes, 2012, oil on linen, North Carolina Museum of Art, purchased with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hanes in honor of Dr. Emily Farnham, by exchange, and with funds from Peggy Guggenheim, by exchange, and from the North Carolina State Art Society, Robert F. Phifer Bequest, 2012. © Kehinde Wiley / Courtesy of the North Carolina Museum of Art and Sean Kelly, New York
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Enjoy an evening of poetry with two graduate students from the creative writing program at the University of Houston: Brittny Ray Crowell and Kaitlin Rizzo. Their performances are inspired by the exhibition Portrait of Courage: Gentileschi, Wiley, and the Story of Judith.
Created 400 years apart and displayed together, the paintings of Judith and Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi and Kehinde Wiley raise contemporary issues through a historical lens. The acclaimed traveling exhibition is in its final days, on view only through April 16.
Plan Your Visit
Admission is free. This program takes place in Brown Auditorium Theater on the lower level of the Law Building, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. The exhibition is located on the street level of the Law Building. On Thursdays, the Museum is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with free general admission.
About the Speakers
Poems by Brittny Ray Crowell have appeared in publications including the literary journals Copper Nickel, Ploughshares, and Split Lip. Her work as a librettist has been featured at Ohio State University and the Kennedy Center’s Cartography Project.
Kaitlin Rizzo is a writer, researcher, and translator working on a series of projects related to the life of Artemisia Gentileschi. Rizzo’s writing has been featured in Plume magazine, Poetry magazine, and the anthology Shreela Ray: On the Life and Work of an American Master.
General admission to the MFAH is free on Thursdays, courtesy of Shell Oil Company.
Learning and Interpretation programs receive generous funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services; Samuel H. Kress Foundation; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; Houston Junior Woman's Club; Sharon G. Dies; Sterling-Turner Foundation; Susan Vaughan Foundation; and additional generous donors.
“Portrait of Courage: Gentileschi, Wiley, and the Story of Judith” is organized by the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the museum box.
Generous support is provided by:
Bettie Cartwright
The Margaret Cooke Skidmore Exhibition Endowment