With Yo-Yo Ma and Maria Popova (Brainpickings.org)
Photo by Jill Steinberg
Elena Park, Curator
Jeff Tang, Consulting Producer
NationalSawdust+ is a lively performance and conversation series in which luminaries from across disciplines share their passion for music and explore ideas, making surprising connections. The series, curated by Elena Park with Associate Producer Jeff Tang, taps artists and thinkers from theater, film and visual art, literature, science and beyond, to create insightful programs that reflect their own interests. Whether through live performances, conversations, or readings, each program has its own alchemy, engaging the audience in new and unexpected ways. Often topical and always imaginative, NationalSawdust+ is an ideal space for those with curiosity, adventure, and vision.
The series has featured musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Esperanza Spalding, Laurie Anderson, Patti Smith, Caroline Shaw, Du Yun, Pussy Riot, the Knights, and Radiolab's Jad Abumrad; visual artists Marina Abramovic, Carrie Mae Weems, and Mickalene Thomas; writers Maria Popova (brainpickings.org), Doreen St. Felix (The New Yorker), Paul Muldoon, Min Jin Lee, Tracy K. Smith, and Jacqueline Woodson; and directors Ava Duvernay, Julie Taymor, Blitz Bazawule, and Michael Mayer, among many more.