By Mary Louise Schumacher
February 1, 2013
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
When Sara Krajewski entered the lobby at Seattle’s On the Boards for a performance, things were already askew. Dancers were in the anteroom, nearly still, like quickened sculptures. Aspects of the stage set were set about the space.
Once inside the black box theater, Krajewski discovered a riser with seats for the audience up on stage, leaving a narrow sliver for the performers. Proximity to the dancers – to their athleticism and grace – was intimate, uncomfortable even.
For Krajewski, who was a curator at Seattle’s Henry Art Gallery then, it was a jolt of newness, the architecture and expectations for performance had been turned inside out. And yet, as someone trained to recognize artists successfully creating meaning, she was oddly at home with it, too.
The piece in question was “Daylight” by choreographer Sarah Michelson, then newly anointed as a leading artistic voice for her generation. It was 2006.
For Krajewski, the recently installed director of Inova, Milwaukee’s principal contemporary art institution, “Daylight” and other early experiences with contemporary performance, including a highly visual solo dance by Christian Rizzo, opened a path of inquiry that’s continued and culminated recently in a coveted prize.
Read the full article at The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
