Talks and Tours

Artist in Conversation: Alison Saar

Event Details

Event Date and Time

Sun, Jun 22, 2025
4 to 6 pm ET

Tickets and Reservations

Registration required.
General admission: $25
Seniors, DC residents: $22
Members: $20
Students: $10

Location

Performance Hall, 5th floor

A woman with medium-light skin tone, gray pigtails, and large black glasses stands confidently in an art studio, wearing an orange sweater. Behind her is a large painting of a standing figure with flowers for hair.
Learn more about Alison Saar’s interpretation of Octavia Butler’s iconic novel Kindred.

Event Description

About the Event

Join us for a public conversation with acclaimed artist Alison Saar on the intersection of art, literature, and craft. The talk will explore Saar’s collaboration with Arion Press, the last printer in the United States to make books entirely by hand, to create a new edition of Octavia Butler’s groundbreaking novel Kindred (1979) as a contemporary artist’s book.

Arion’s edition reimagines Butler’s iconic neo-slave narrative, which blends speculative fiction with powerful social critique. Saar’s striking linoleum block prints explore themes of identity, endurance, and the African American experience, exploring how image making can amplify storytelling. The conversation will be moderated by Elizabeth Ajunwa, director of the Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

This program highlights the intersection of literature, art, craft, and social change, reflecting NMWA’s commitment to championing the transformative work of women artists.

Presented in partnership with Arion Press.

Register Today

Accessibility

Accessibility Inquiries

If you are unable to register online or would like to indicate any accessibility services you require, please email gchase@nmwa.org. Two weeks’ notice to request accessibility services is appreciated but not required. We will make every attempt to fulfill requests.