Screening of the TOWN CRIER + discussion with Artist + Director

Artist Mark Thomas Gibson processes the daily onslaught of news in his Town Crier series, sounding the alarm on our fraying democracy and using art as an urgent call for citizen action.

Join WXXI for a FREE screening of this short film followed by a discussion with artist and subject Mark Thomas Gibson, film director Grace Lee, writer Rob Bell, and photographer, writer, and co-curator for Behind the Glass Gallery Quajay Donnell.

Join us for a community conversation about how ordinary citizens including artists wrestle with current events and the notion of a town crier in our times. Who is your Town Crier? What are you crying about?

Please note: This film is presented with open captions. ASL interpretation will be provided for introductions and panel discussion. Additional information on accessibility at The Little Theatre can be found on their website. For other access needs, please contact Sarah Murphy Abbamonte directly at movetoinclude@wxxi.org.

More about the film:

As America hurtles towards the 250th anniversary of its founding, TOWN CRIER is a short documentary film that examines the role of the artist in our complicated times. How do artists sound the alarm when the world is on fire? When society is in crisis and leaders fail to deliver, can artists hold us to account for our actions? Or for our inaction? American history painter Mark Thomas Gibson began his "Town Crier" series in 2021 in response to the cultural and political storm following Covid and the murder of George Floyd. These single-panel images were in a graphic, pen-and-ink comic book style and featured a Black man in colonial-era garb announcing the headlines of the day.

Since 2024, Gibson’s series and messages have taken on an urgency and greater frequency with regular Instagram posts using the handle @darthgibson. He has also incorporated several town criers into the "Banners" series recently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. More info at www.towncrierfilm.com