How To Build A Fire (October) @ Open Source Gallery
STORYTELLING
Thursday, October 26th, 7-9pm
@ Open Source Gallery
306 17th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Theme: Compose
This month, How to Build a Fire’s stories will be told as Gwenyth Chao’s project, Compos(t)ing Spaces is installed in the gallery. The exhibition will include an experimental installation of a kitchen-lab-art studio and a series of body-habitat sculptures. We’re talking biomaterials, regeneration, and the subversion of systems. And so, our theme for October: Compose. What are the processes we use to create, to construct, to mold what we have into what we need?
Storytellers:
Nathalie Sayago
Nathalie Sayago, is a photojournalist and documentary photographer focusing on social and human rights issues. Originally from Venezuela and based in NYC, her work has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, Canada Broadcasting News, Dennik Slovakia among others.
Graduated in journalism and while living in Venezuela, Nathalie worked for El Universal Newspaper and International News Agency EFE covering social issues during the evolving emergency crisis in Venezuela. Later while living in Peru, she worked for Andina News Agency and El Peruano newspaper covering from socio-political issues to natural disasters.
Nathalie has also collaborated with People in Need. Her work on human rights for children in Venezuela formed part of the NGO’s fundraising which provided school lunches for approximately 700 vulnerable children.
Her personal story of “Women journalists facing life-threatening risks” forms part of the Women’s Media Center, an NGO working to raise the visibility, viability, and decision-making power of women and girls in media.
Nathalie’s work has been exhibited in Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Iran, and New York City in collaboration with the French Alliance and the 24HourProject. In 2019 she participated in the photographic residence with a focus on gender, named “Existimos” organized by Warmi Photo in Sucre, Bolivia.
Nathalie is currently a freelancer, a photographer volunteer at the American Red Cross New York, and the photo editor for Photographers for Social Change.
Renzo Grande
Renzo Grande is a humanitarian, photographer, speaker, and creative director focusing on human rights and social change.
Originally from Peru and currently based in New York City, Renzo is the founder of Photographers for Social Change. He has worked with multiple NGOs worldwide to highlight global issues and raise funds for their needs.
Covering topics from children’s rights, and human trafficking to climate action, Renzo’s work has been featured in Photo France, Los Angeles Times, Serie Oro Italia, Efsyn News Greece, United Nations UNDP Humanum, among others.
Renzo’s photos have been exhibited in Germany, Iran, Finland, Italy, Venezuela, Peru, United States, and Mexico.
Kyle Lewis
Kyle Lewis is a Comedian and Entertainer, born and raised in Brooklyn. He is currently the host of Character Select Comedy, a monthly comedy show at The Stand featuring some of the funniest comics from all over the U.S.
Youngmi Mayer
How to Build a Fire is a community storytelling series where a diverse group of individuals share real-life, personal narratives centered around a different theme each last Thursday of the month. At times funny, at times sad, their stories weave together a broad illustration of the human experience. How To Build A Fire will takes place at Open Source Gallery -a welcoming, nurturing, intimate, safe environment- where, monthly, one can see a new exhibition installed by an array of up-and-coming and established visual artists.
How To Build a Fire was founded by Terence Degnan. This year Stacie Evans and Lana Siebel will be co-curating and co-hosting.
Stacie Evans writes in long hand. With a fountain pen. Because she’s that girl: the wannabe homesteading, selectively Luddite girl who is addicted to her phone and regularly overshares online. She met James Baldwin in Paris … which will ever and always be the most glamorous and dramatic thing about her. Her writing has appeared in New South, After Ferguson, Bellingham Review, and The Rumpus.
Lana Siebel performs all over the US, including NYC, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, NJ, and Washington DC. She was selected as a featured comedian at The Connecticut Comedy Festival along with comedians such as Gilbert Gottfried, The Headliner Series in NY, The Punch Line Comedy Club in Philadelphia, as well as the Fairfield Comedy Club in Connecticut. As an actress, Lana is featured in numerous films and off Broadway plays. She studied acting at Lee Strasberg Institute and HB Studios with Austin Pendleton. Lana was also a competitive International Latin style Ballroom dancer ranked internationally and 7th in the US! She immigrated as a refugee from Kharkiv, Ukraine when she was seven years old with her family to Brooklyn, NY where she grew up and now resides.
This program is supported by the Puffin Foundation
