A Film Series Curated by Wolgin Prize Finalist Sanford Biggers Strange Fruit, Dir. Joel Katz, 2002, 57 min. September 30, 7:00 p.m., Paley Library Lecture Hall Introduction by Dr. Diane D. Turner, Curator of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection Director Joel Katz explores the history of the popular song “Strange Fruit,” written by Abel Meeropol and famously performed by Billie Holiday, through interviews with musicians, historians, genealogists and more. Katz fashions a fascinating discovery of the lost story behind this heartbreaking American classic. This event is part of a series of collaborative public programs presented in conjunction with the Tyler School of Art’s Jack Wolgin International Competition in the Fine Arts About Wolgin Prize Finalist Sanford Biggers Sanford Biggers (b. 1970, Los Angeles) is a native of Los Angeles, California, and current New York resident, who uses the study of ethnological objects, popular icons, and the Dadaist tradition to explore cultural and creative syncretism, art history, and politics. An accomplished musician, Biggers often incorporates performative elements into his sculptures and installations, resulting in multilayered works that act as anecdotal vignettes, at once full of wit and clear formal intent. Biggers has won several awards and has participated in a number of prestigious national and international artist residencies and fellowships. Sanford Biggers’ installations, videos, and performances have appeared in institutions in China, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland and Russia as well as several notable exhibitions such as the Prospect.1/New Orleans biennial, Illuminations at the Tate Modern, Performa 07, the Whitney Biennial and Freestyle at the Studio Museum in Harlem. He is currently preparing for solo shows at the Contemporary Arts Forum in Santa Barbara and the Brooklyn Museum and a permanent commission in New York City through the New York Percent for Art. About the Competition Created in 2009 by the real estate developer, banker and philanthropist Jack Wolgin of Philadelphia, the Jack Wolgin International Competition in the Fine Arts was established at the Temple University Tyler School of Art to recognize an emerging artist with a significant studio practice who critically and creatively engages with existing histories and images, and whose work transcends traditional boundaries. With a cash prize of $150,000, the Jack Wolgin International Competition in the Fine Arts grants the world’s largest juried visual art prize awarded to an individual. Inspired by the diversity of Temple University and its unique connection to the thriving art communities of Philadelphia, Mr. Wolgin chose the Tyler School to host and administrate the Competition. By bringing the work of innovative and talented artists to the Tyler School, the Competition seeks to open a dialogue among students, the diverse communities of Philadelphia, and the greater art world. The exchange of ideas and art inspired by the Jack Wolgin International Competition in the Fine Arts also perpetuates the spirit of Philadelphia, a cultural hub since our nation’s founding, rich in both historic and contemporary art.