Acclaimed novelist and essayist Valeria Luiselli will read from her award-winning novel, “The Story of My Teeth” at WAM.

Pictured above: Valeria Luiselli. Image courtesy of Coffee House Press

Minneapolis, Minn. (Sept. 21, 2016) – Acclaimed novelist and essayist Valeria Luiselli will read at the Weisman Art Museum on Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 7 pm. Luiselli is visiting the Twin Cities in relation to WAM’s exhibition The Talking Cure, in which she is a featured author. Through excerpts from her award-winning novel The Story of My Teeth (Coffee House Press, 2015), Luiselli will expand on one of the primary questions raised by the exhibition: how do objects acquire value through the stories we tell about them?

Centering on the life-story of Mexican auctioneer Gustavo “Highway” Sánchez Sánchez, The Story of My Teeth explores the value of art and the power of stories to inform who we are and how we treat one another. These themes complement WAM’s presentation of The Talking Cure, an exhibition born from the idea of using art, literature, and theater to create a safe place for story sharing. This event is held in partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Creative Writing Program and Coffee House Press.

Luiselli is the author of Faces in the Crowd, Sidewalks and Story of my Teeth, and her work has been translated into many languages and has appeared in publications including the New York Times, the New Yorker, Granta, and McSweeney’s. In 2014, Faces in the Crowd was the recipient of the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 award. The Story of My Teeth was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and won the 2015 Los Angeles Times Prize for Best Fiction.

Additional information about The Talking Cure:

September 3, 2016 – April 30, 2017

The Weisman Art Museum is pleased to present The Talking Cure, an exhibition featuring 12 sculptures, 12 drawings, 12 writers and 12 actors. New York-based artist Melissa Stern has paired her work with monologues written and performed by contemporary authors and actors. Recordings of these performances accompany the sculptures on view and are accessible to visitors through different platforms, including a smartphone app developed for the exhibition.

Stern has said she is interested in creating art that resonates with viewers, evokes their emotions and memories, and draws out their personal stories and reflections. The artist’s background in anthropology has inspired her to explore the boundaries between visual, literary, and theatrical forms, creating a collaborative and transdisciplinary environment.

Inspired by this collaborative spirit, WAM’s presentation of The Talking Cure includes a participatory installation created by Target Studio artist-in-residence Rebecca Krinke. Made of charred cedar, What Needs to Be Said? serves to house viewer-generated responses. In addition to Krinke’s piece, the gallery includes a workshop space, furnished by BluDot, an exhibitioninspired library, and an exciting roster of programs, all meant to encourage you to be a part of The Talking Cure.

ABOUT WAM

Since its origin in 1934, the Weisman Art Museum has been a teaching museum for the University of Minnesota. Today, education remains central to the museum’s mission to create art experiences that spark discovery, critical thinking, and transformation, linking the University and the community. The Weisman Art Museum is located at 333 East River Road, Minneapolis, on the University of Minnesota campus. Admission to exhibition galleries is always free.