IN THE COURT OF THE CONQUEROR BY george emilio sanchez
IN COLLABORATION WITH VISUAL ARTIST PATTY ORTIZ
Friday, November 3, 2023, 7:30PM Harlem Stage Gatehouse Address: 150 Convent Avenue at West 135 Street, New York, NY 10031 Phone: 212.281.9240 ext. 19 | Website: www.harlemstage.org
@harlemstage 1
@myharlemstage
ABOUT THE EVENT In the Court of the Conqueror features a solo performance by george emilio sanchez and visual storytelling by his collaborator, visual artist Patty Ortiz. Together, they confront the history of how the U.S. Supreme Court has diminished the Tribal Sovereignty of Native Nations. The piece also tells the story of sanchez’s experiences of navigating generational trauma regarding his Indigenous identity while being raised in an Ecuadorian immigrant household.
PERSONNEL
george emilio sanchez Writer, Performance Artist Patty Ortiz Visual Artist Gonzalo Casals Moderator Jordan Skjaervold Tech Crew Maria Jose Contreras Voiceover in “Indio de mierda” for In the Court of the Conqueror performance
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Abrons Arts Center Lauren Parrish Andre Bouchard & Indigenous Performance Productions Special Thanks to Pat Cruz, and the entire Harlem Stade staff and crew, for all their generous support and belief!
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
The artists wish to express their deep appreciation to Harlem Stage for bringing this performance back to Manahatta where it first premiered at Abrons Arts Center in March 2022. When we premiered this piece we were still in a Covid lockdown and audiences were asked to wear masks during the performance. Since then we have presented the performance at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.; Dartmouth College in New Hampshire; Su Teatro in Denver, CO.; and the Alden Theater in McLean, VA. Presenting this performance at Harlem Stage is a special gift for us. We are always honored and appreciative to share this performance work about something we feel is critically important for the public to experience. We hope people will listen and take in how the content of this historical and autobiographical performance work touches each and every individual in the U.S. and beyond. Indigenous history remains invisible and inaccessible to the general public, and yet, the resulting landscape of indigenous sovereignty affects how we learn to coexist. Patty Ortiz george emilio sanchez 2
SUGGESTED READINGS FOR IN THE COURT OF THE CONQUEROR Dunbar-Ortiz, R, (2015). An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, Beacon Press. This book offers a history of the United States told from the perspective of Indigenous peoples and reveals how Native Americans have actively resisted expansion of the U.S. empire. Duthu, N.B. (2008). American Indians and the Law. New York, N.Y. Penguin Group. This book addresses how Indian tribes are a sovereign entity in the U.S. and it explores landmark cases of Indian Law for the past 200 years. This book assisted me in helping me to formulate a creative response to the Lyng and Oliphant cases, as well as, further understanding of the implicit divestiture doctrine supplied by Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist in Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe (1978) landmark case. Robertson, L. (2005). Conquest by Law: How the Discovery of America Dispossessed Indigenous Peoples of Their Lands. New York, N.Y.. Oxford University Press. This book was invaluable in regards to the central case cited in my performance, the Johnson v. M’Intosh (1823) case. This groundbreaking book reveals the complex and troubling history of how a land dispute became a legal doctrine that dispossessed all indigenous people in the U.S. Most importantly, this book provided me with the map and location of the lands involved in the Johnson case, which is how I was able to film the video “dream letter” to Chief Justice John Marshall. Wilkins, D. & Lomawaima, K.T. (2001). Uneven Ground-American Indian Sovereignty and Federal Law. Norman, OK.: University of Oklahoma Press. This book examines seven foundational doctrines of Federal Indian Law that includes indigenous perspectives of Indian Law and Policy. This book was specifically critical for its content on the doctrines of plenary power and implicit divestiture. 3
BIOGRAPHIES
george emilio sanchez WRITER, PERFORMANCE ARTIST
george emilio sanchez is a writer and performance artist and is an advocate for indigenous rights and sovereignty. He is currently touring the U.S. with his recent solo performance work, In the Court of the Conqueror. The piece was created in collaboration with visual artist Patty Ortiz and it focuses on the 200 year-old history of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have diminished the Tribal Sovereignty of Native Nations. The piece also addresses how sanchez navigated generational trauma related to his indigenous identity while being raised in an Ecuadorian immigrant household and the embedded prejudice towards indigenous peoples and culture. He is also the performance director of Emergenyc since 2008, a program excavating the intersection of arts and activism. He has been awarded two NYFA Fellowships and was named the inaugural recipient of The MacDowell’s Keith Haring Artist Fellowship in 2021. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Peru in 1994.
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PATTY ORTIZ
VISUAL ARTIST
Ortiz has exhibited throughout the United States and internationally. Her most recent series Work Won’t Kill You was presented at SALT Quarters, Syracuse, NY; Art Produce, San Diego, CA; Terminal Gallery, San Antonio, TX; Emmanuel College, Boston, MA; Luminaria Festival, San Antonio, TX and the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO. Ortiz’ recent collaborations has been with New York based performance artist, George Emilio Sanchez. They include In the Court of the Conqueror (2022) Abrons Art Center, NY, unlocking the cages of captivity while sitting on a park bench (2022) MoreArts, NY; and Only the Imagination (2023) LATEA, NY. Over the years her work has been recognized by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts Inter-Arts Program and the Colorado Council on the Arts. She has also installed permanent public art commissions in Frankfurt, Germany, Boulder, CO and the Denver International Airport.
GONZALO CASALS MODERATOR
A cultural producer, arts administrator, and policymaker, Gonzalo Casals is the Senior Research and Policy Fellow for Arts and Culture at the Mellon Foundation. He held various executive roles at El Museo del Barrio (2006–2013), Friends of the High Line (2013–2017), and the Leslie-Lohman Museum (2017–2020). Recently, Gonzalo was the commissioner for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, where he directed cultural policy for the city of New York while leading the recovery of the arts and culture sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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OUR SUPPORTERS
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council. Harlem Stage’s Programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. 6
UPTOWN NIGHTS LATIN MUSIC SERIES
YASSER TEJEDA & DJ SABINE BLAIZIN (OYASOUND)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023 | 8PM GET TICKETS AT HARLEMSTAGE.ORG
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CALENDAR
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SEPTEMBER 14, 2023
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SEPTEMBER 22, 2023
Tickets must be purchased in a single transaction. Excludes tickets to April 27 Benefit Concert and June 3 Annual Gala.
ON & ON: JOSÉ JAMES SINGS BADU UPTOWN NIGHTS LATIN MUSIC SERIES PABLO MAYOR’S FOLKLORE URBANO ORCHESTRA OCTOBER 13 – 14, 2023
E-MOVES RONALD K. BROWN/ EVIDENCE
OCTOBER 20 – 21, 2023
CRAIG HARRIS TONGUES OF FIRE (in a harlem state of mind)
DECEMBER 1, 2023
UPTOWN NIGHTS LATIN MUSIC SERIES YASSER TEJEDA & DJ SABINE BLAIZIN (OYASOUND) DECEMBER 9, 2023
WATERWORKS EMERGING ARTISTS SHOWCASE FEATURING SHANTELLE OCTOBER 27, 2023 COURVOISIER JACKSON, UPTOWN NIGHTS HANNAH LEMMONS AKA LATIN MUSIC SERIES LEMMONS, BOBBY MORGAN, DAFNIS PRIETO MARY PRESCOTT & FEATURING LUCIANA SOUZA KALÍ RODRÍGUEZ-PEÑA CANTAR JANUARY 26, 2024
NOVEMBER 3, 2023
IN THE COURT OF THE CONQUEROR BY GEORGE EMILIO SANCHEZ IN COLLABORATION WITH VISUAL ARTIST PATTY ORTIZ NOVEMBER 10, 2023
UPTOWN NIGHTS LATIN MUSIC SERIES + CARNEGIE HALL CITYWIDE FLOR DE TOLOACHE
UPTOWN NIGHTS IAN ISIAH + KIMBERLY NICHOLE
FEBRUARY 23, 2024 UPTOWN NIGHTS AN EVENING OF CHAMBER MUSIC PRESENTED WITH SUGAR HILL SALON & CONCERT ARTISTS GUILD
*Note: All presentations subject to change as COVID-19 conditions evolve.
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MARCH 1 – 2, 2024
ETERNAL SPIRIT: VIJAY IYER & FRIENDS CELEBRATE THE MUSIC OF ANDREW HILL MARCH 22 – 23, 2024
STEW HIGH SUBSTITUTE FOR THE DREAD LECTURER: BARAKA JONES IN DUB MARCH 29 – 30, 2024
WATERWORKS ESTABLISHED ARTIST COMMISSION AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE banyan seed APRIL 19 – 20, 2024
APRIL 27, 2024
PIANOS FOR DUKE REIMAGINED: FEATURING JASON MORAN, ABDULLAH IBRAHIM & FRIENDS BENEFIT CONCERT MAY 3 – 4, 2024
WATERWORKS ESTABLISHED ARTIST COMMISSION TAMAR-KALI BLACK DAMASK CARL HANCOCK RUX, LIBRETTO MAY 17 – 18, 2024
E-MOVES nora chipaumire ShebeenDUB
E-MOVES BILL T. JONES/ ARNIE ZANE COMPANY
JUNE 3, 2024
APRIL 26, 2024
JUNE 14 – 15, 2024
PIANOS FOR DUKE REIMAGINED: FEATURING JASON MORAN, ABDULLAH IBRAHIM & FRIENDS
HARLEM STAGE 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA E-MOVES CAMILLE A. BROWN & GUESTS: BLACK JOY FEATURING WORKS BY CAMILLE A. BROWN, CHLOE DAVIS, JUEL D. LANE, MAYTE NATALIO, RICKEY TRIPP & MALEEK WASHINGTON
SCAN THIS CODE TO LEARN MORE & GET TICKETS. Lead support for Harlem Stage’s 40th Anniversary Season is provided by the Mellon Foundation. 9
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ABOUT HARLEM STAGE Harlem Stage is the performing arts center that bridges Harlem’s cultural legacy to contemporary artists of color and dares to provide the artistic freedom that gives birth to new ideas. For 40 years our singular mission has been to perpetuate and celebrate the unique and diverse artistic legacy of Harlem and the indelible impression it has made on American culture. We provide opportunity, commissioning, and support for artists of color, make performances easily accessible to all audiences, and introduce children to the rich diversity, excitement, and inspiration of the performing arts. We fulfill our mission through commissioning, incubating, and presenting innovative and vital work that responds to the historical and contemporary conditions that shape our lives and the communities we serve.
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Board of Directors Courtney F. Lee-Mitchell, President Jamie Cannon, Vice President Michael Young, Secretary Mark Thomas, Treasurer Angela Glover Blackwell Jenna Bond Jamila Ponton Bragg
JoAnn K. Chase LaChanze Patricia Cruz Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes Jenette Kahn Rebecca Robertson Tamara Tunie
Staff MANAGEMENT Eric Oberstein, Managing Director
OPERATIONS Rodney Bissessar, Director of Operations Lamont Askins, Operations Associate Acey Anderson Sr., Maintenance
DEVELOPMENT Shamar Hill, Director of Development Shanté Skyers, Associate Director of Development Julianna Friedman, Development Manager
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION NCheng LLC, Accountants/Advisors Jake Lee, Partner Aaron Lam, Supervising Senior Accountant
PROGRAMMING Carl Hancock Rux, Associate Artistic Director/ Curator-in-Residence Sarah McCaffery, Programming Manager and Associate Curator Maurice Ivy, Programming Associate
CONSULTANTS Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY)/ Claudia Kaufman, Insurance Arts Education Consultants: Sobha Kavanakudiyil, Sierra Ray & Wendy Rojas Blake Zidell & Associates, Public Relations Briguel, Digital Video Services DAS, IT Consultant Derrick Saint Pierre/Snugg Studios, Digital Video Services Intrepid Digital, SEO Services JCA, Inc.: Database Consulting Jess Medenbach, Digital Video Services LCM/247, Digital Video Services Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants Madison Consulting Group, Matthew Laurence Manchester Benefits, Greg Martin Marc Millman, Photography Robyn L. Stein, Rl Stein Group, Development Consultant Charles Whelan, The Whelan Group Incorporated
Patricia Cruz, Artistic Director & CEO
MARKETING Deirdre May, Senior Director of Digital Content and Marketing Andre Padayhag, Marketing Manager and Graphic Designer EDUCATION Jordan Carter, Education & Community Engagement Manager PRODUCTION Amanda K. Ringger, Director of Production Anna Adams Stark, Production Coordinator Clarence Taylor, Lighting Op Orlando Alvarado, Audio Engineer Saul Ulerio, Video Engineer David Barrett, Julio Collado Deck, Lighting, & Audio Crew
USHERS Nobar De leon, Toma Carthens, Andy Garcia, Robert Gibbins, Marlon Moncrieffe, Miriam Hernandez