Admission Free

Tepper's program is presented “In Homage to Ruth Draper.” Born in 1884, Draper toured the world doing portraits she conceived as “dramas” and not as monologues or sketches. She was recognized by Duse, Bernhardt, and Ellen Terry as a fellow artist. Tepper maintains that Ruth Draper's example would serve and inspire contemporary explorations of performance as Art.

The tapes: A Real Work of Art: A society woman has commissioned an artist to paint her daughter. The portrait has arrived. On the telephone she smooth-talks the artist into altering the finished portrait (1975, 3 mins, color); A Southern Girl at a Party: A southern girl is attending a New York society party. There are plenty of men, a doctor, a lawyer. She is coy in her questions, but proper, until she meets an artist.... (1977, 5 mins, color); Maria Manhattan: The Box Lunch: “In this videotape parody of another meal-exhibition (Judy Chicago's ‘Dinner Party'), Tepper interviews some of the contributors and workers who help to make The Box Lunch honor 39 women of dubious distinction. Included in the tape are interviews with the token male, the cook, the disillusioned worker, and a woman who claims that Maria Manhattan stole her idea-- and of course Maria, who sets the record straight” (1979, 25 mins, color). Also included will be several tapes made for satellite transmission.