Maya Ciarrocchi is a New York City-based interdisciplinary artist whose work addresses identity, outsider-ness and the body as a site of history. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and in New York at: Abrons Arts Center, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, The Chocolate Factory, Kinescope Gallery and New York Live Arts. She has been an artist in residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Millay Colony and the UCross Foundation, and has received grants from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts (Emergency Grant), The Jerome Foundation and The Puffin Foundation. In addition to her art-making practice, Ciarrocchi has created projection designs for dance and theater including the TONY award winning musical The Band’s Visit, currently on Broadway. Her interdisciplinary project Gender/Power, which she co-directs with her collaborative partner Kris Grey, has been presented at Gibney, Jack and Smack Mellon and has received funding from The MAP Fund and The Franklin Furnace Fund.

Project Description: Kris Grey and Maya Ciarrocchi will refine their workshop module using their existing performance model for Gender/Power, which features shared storytelling, extreme vulnerability and exchanges with a live audience around issues of gender perception. Gender/Power workshops vary in length from two hours to two weeks, with longer workshops culminating in performances and facilitated breakout discussions. Grey and Ciarrocchi will develop an empowerment toolkit complementing Gender/Power to create a sustainable impact with groups of all ages that have completed the workshop.

Photo by Robin Michals.