International Women’s Day Local Talk Tonight

This Wednesday evening (Mar. 6) in honor of International Women's Day this week, photographer and South Africa social justice activist Iris Dawn Parker will speak to an audience of Miss Hall's School students, NAACP members and the general public about the intersection of art and social justice in her work and life. This event takes place at Miss Hall's School, 492 Holmes Road in Pittsfield and begins at 6:00 P.M. Her talk is free and open to the public. Press welcome!

Background On Iris Dawn Parker

Iris Dawn Parker is a photographer and visual artist living in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has over 2 decades of experience as a professional photographer and educator. Iris has exhibited her photographs widely with her most current (2017) exhibition , a photography installation titled “Violated Lives: 1Blood 2Blood Red White Blue Blood” at Market Theater Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa. During 2017 in the United States she exhibited a series titled “Mouride Muslims living in South Africa” at Purdue University Black Cultural Center. And during 2016 she had a major photography exhibition titled, "Quotidian Life: the importance of small things" in the capitol city of Pretoria at the Pretoria Art Museum, South Africa.

Iris has experience in various leadership roles and is a Fulbright Memorial Fellow (Japan). Most recently she was selected as a Leadership Scholar at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership residency, Michigan. In South Africa her experience and talents has varied from working as an American Voice Coach for South Africa's most prestigious Market Theatre for the productions of “ One Night in Miami, 2018", The Meeting” 2017 and "A Raisin in the Sun" 2016. To Program Manager for a photojournalism and documentary photography program at the Market Photo Workshop.

In addition, she has been involved in the Arts and Culture sector through teaching, residencies, exhibitions and curatorial projects at several major South African and American Universities/Institutions of Culture and Learning; including: The University of Witwatersrand, Africa Gender Institute at Univ. of Cape Town and the Human Science and Research Council at Rhodes University, University of Johannesburg and University of Pretoria. In the United States she has been hosted by numerous institutions such as, Temple Univ. Arcadia University, Clark Atlanta University, University of Missouri and most recently Purdue University.

(press release sent to WSBS from NAACP Berkshire for online and on-air use, article image taken from the International Women's Day Facebook page)