Howardena Pindell’s short video, Rope/Fire/Water, is a haunting distillation of historical data and statistics related to lynching and racist attacks. It opens with a personal memory from her childhood but proceeds without further personal comment as she reads — without inflecting her tone with sentiment — short excerpts from historical text. The bibliographical citations simply read out before each excerpt places an emphasis on historical fact. In reciting this history, the video is a closure for the artist and a reckoning for the public whom she hopes would be moved by it.

Each screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion.

Screening Facilitators

• Sept. 24 | Friday | Dr. Sharri L. Coleman (Adjunct Professor, Clara Luper Department of African and African-American Studies, University of Oklahoma)
• Sept. 26 | Sunday | Dr. Sharri L. Coleman (Adjunct Professor, Clara Luper Department of African and African-American Studies, University of Oklahoma)
• Oct. 3 | Sunday | Dr. Robert Bailey (Associate Professor of Art History, University of Oklahoma)
• Oct. 17 | Sunday | Dr. Sharri L. Coleman (Adjunct Professor, Clara Luper Department of African and African-American Studies, University of Oklahoma)
• Oct. 22 | Friday | Michael Eric Owens (Founder and Executive Director of the Ralph Ellison Foundation)
• Te Ata Theater | 7 p.m. Nov. 4