Milford Graves: A Mind-Body Deal

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Usdan Gallery is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm.

This nationally touring exhibition gathers the many-layered and multifaceted work of Milford Graves and explores the practices and predilections of an extraordinary jazz innovator.

Usdan Gallery presents “A Mind-Body Deal” as tailored to the Bennington context, where Graves, a longtime professor, inspired generations of students. The exhibition includes a collection of Graves’s hand-painted album covers and posters, idiosyncratic drum sets, multimedia sculptures, photographs, and costumes, with elements from his home, scientific studies, recording ephemera, and archival recordings. During the run of the exhibition, events and performances centering music, movement, healing, and film will further explore and celebrate Graves's legacy.

Image credit: detail of Milford Graves collage from 1977, courtesy of the artist’s estate.