I live in Staten Island, so I was able to visit the Alice Austen House, which is a borough landmark and museum that usually hosts photography events and historic exhibits.
So I went over to the Alice Austen House, and they did in fact have an exhibition happening. It was about a woman named Audre Lorde, and the exhibition was called “POWERFUL AND DANGEROUS”.
The title of the exhibition was inspired by the centerpiece photograph of Audre Lorde, where she is sitting beside a wooden chalkboard with the phrase “WOMEN ARE POWERFUL AND DANGEROUS” written in chalk on it. Audre Lorde’s facial expression in the photo is a face that says “Don’t F**k With Me”. Audre Lorde is an African American woman. The photo was taken in the nineteen eighties.
Robert Alexander is the man who is responsible for taking this striking picture. In the caption, he explains that the picture was taken at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Alexander was the arts editor for a local newspaper outlet. He said that despite for angry pose in the picture, Lorde was actually friendly and hospitable. Lorde was a teacher by trade.
The Alice Austen House is a walk through exhibit where you can walk at your leisure to see many different exhibits year round. There is a ten dollar entry fee, and for the price you can get a tour guide to explain the house to you. The house is not big, but it is an important city landmark of Staten Island.
Walking through the exhibit, there were many different photographs of Audre Lorde, showing her with many different expressions. On the walls were descriptions of Lorde’s life, as well as poems she had written. Audre Lorde was a Staten Island resident, and she often wrote about Staten Island in her poems.
I would say this exhibit was very informative and well put together.