Performance artist Ashley Yang-Thompson and author Jaydra Johnson lead a collaborative presentation on the idea of “Cringe.”

Cringe has become a referent for overly earnest, uncool, or passé behavior. But what if cringe vulnerability is actually the path to freedom? In this collaborative presentation, Ashley and Jaydra will reach their hands deep inside the belly of cringe, feel around in the viscera, and ultimately expose its guts. Through images, video, and readings of their work, they will trace the development of their understanding of cringe as a way of life and the apogee of artistic expression. They will even risk doing something as cringeworthy as quote David Foster Wallace when he says, “The new rebels might be artists willing to risk the yawn, the rolled eyes, the cool smile… who treat of plain, old, untrendy human troubles and emotions with reverence and conviction.”

With musical guest Alex Wilson.
Plan your trip