An Evening with Joan Baez: Trailblazing Musician, Artist, and Activist
Saturday, May 6 | 7:30 PM - 9:00 PMFreight & Salvage
- ASL Interpreted programming
- Culture
- Ticketed
From the moment Joan Baez stepped on stage at the first Newport Folk Festival in 1959, she’s been making history. Her seminal debut, Joan Baez, Vol. 1, released the following year, proved her to be a musical force of nature. It was selected for induction into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2015, the same year Baez herself was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Renowned for her impressive natural instrument with a three-octave range and rapid vibrato; her accomplished interpretive skills, which allowed her to expand the emotional depth and sophistication of a song, making it uniquely her own; and her focus on social justice issues and community-building, Baez is a household name and a hero to millions. She’s been on the right side of history at every turn: from marching for civil rights in Mississippi arm-in-arm with Martin Luther King, Jr., to getting thrown in jail in Oakland for protesting the Vietnam War, to conspiring with Vaclav Havel to spark the Velvet Revolution. Am I Pretty When I Fly?: An Album of Upside Down Drawings reveals an additional facet of Baez’s creativity. You may not know that she is also an accomplished painter and has exhibited her artwork in galleries and museums around the world. This collection shows another side of her artistry: lovingly loose and charming sketches on themes she has always found important, such as politics, relationships, women, and family. Baez will be joined on stage by Greg Sarris, who is in his fifteenth consecutive elected term as the Tribal Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. Sarris’s latest release is the powerful memoir Becoming Story, a departure from the novels and essays he is well known for, but no less moving. Currently, he is executive producing a documentary bio on his old friend, Baez. Come sit in on their conversation and celebrate Baez’s celebrated career while also glimpsing a whimsical new side of this living legend.
This is an ASL interpreted programming
Book signing information: Green Apple Books, at the venue. Please note: Joan Baez will be happy to sign copies of "Am I Pretty When I Fly?" for one hour after the conclusion of the program. Although Joan will be happy to see long-time fans in the audience, she's unfortunately not able to sign albums or other merchandise after the event. Thank you for understanding!
Presented by Visit Berkeley.