Artist in Conversation: Alison Saar

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. 

Event Sponsors: Presented in partnership with Arion Press. This program is sponsored by Amanda Minami and the Minami Legacy Fund for the Arts. The talk's reception is generously sponsored by Fred Levin and the Shenson Foundation. Additional support for the Women, Arts, and Social Change public programs initiative is made possible through leadership gifts from Denise Littlefield Sobel and the Davis/Dauray Family Fund with additional support provided by Anne N. Edwards, the Revada Foundation of the Logan Family, and the Susan and Jim Swartz Public Programs Fund.