3rd Wednesday: Pandemonium and Paradise / New York City 1970 - 1990
Event Details
The Mizell Center's 3rd Wednesday program for November is Pandemonium and Paradise / New York City 1970-1990 / A Photographic Journey. The event will take place Wednesday, November 16, 2022 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Fasten your seatbelts because Mizell Center is taking you back in time to the "Pandemonium and Paradise" of New York City 1970-1990 with photographer Meryl Meisler. This photographic journey captures a tumultuous time in NYC history: arson, crime, sexual abandon, crack, disco and AIDS.
Meisler will be featured in conversation with curator Edwin Ramoran. You'll see her photographs and hear how she chronicled Manhattan's legendary discos: Studio 54, The Garage, CBGB's, and The Palladium. While noting their cultural and social impact, she will also share juicy tales about the city's hedonistic havens, celebrities, and revelers of the night.
She will also be signing her book, “New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco” - $48. Available at Mizell Center.
ABOUT MERYL MEISLER
“I want to show you who I am now. My identity as a woman, Jew, lesbian, middle-class teacher, Baby Boomer, New Yorker, Liberal, American – influence how I perceive and create art about the world around me.” – Meryl Meisler
Inspired by Diane Arbus, Meryl Meisler enrolled in a photography class at The University of Wisconsin–Madison. She moved to NYC in 1975 and studied with Lisette Model while photographing her Long Island hometown and the city around her. After working as a freelance illustrator by day, Meryl frequented and photographed the infamous New York Discos. As a 1978 CETA Artist grant recipient, Meryl created a portfolio of photographs exploring her Jewish Identity for the American Jewish Congress. After CETA, Meryl began a 31-year career as an NYC Public School Art Teacher. Upon retiring from teaching, she began releasing large bodies of previously unseen work. Meryl is an honoree of the 2021 Center for Photography at Woodstock Affinity Award. Time Magazine includes her on their list of the greatest unsung female photographers of the past century. Meryl is still digging through her archive while continuing her visual memoir, sweet and sassy with a pinch of mystery. The best is yet to come.
Admission $10 - Click here to register for this special program.
