Library to Host Women’s History Month Video Installation

Tompkins County Public Library has announced, “Putting Her Back Into History,” a Women’s History Month installation showcasing videotaped and written advice and wisdom from more than 70 Tompkins County women.

Opening during Downtown Ithaca’s March 3 Gallery Night, “Putting Her Back Into History,” is curated by Sue Perlgut and will be installed on monitors within the Library. Viewers will have an opportunity to watch one or all of the interviews, read from a journal of compiled responses and share their own wisdom in a provided notebook.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 3 at 6 p.m. and will include a staged reading and screening of Perlgut’s “Women’s Wisdom Project.” Featured readers will be Sherron Brown, Cynthia Henderson and Jayme Kilburn.

This installation celebrates the documentation of women’s lives in the early part of the 20^th and 21^st centuries and recognizes that earlier histories took little account of the experiences of women. By videotaping these responses, Perlgut, has ensured that the voices of the featured women will be available for current and future generations.

Perlgut is an award-winning filmmaker and theatre director. Her CloseToHome Productions, serves to reach a wide-ranging audience with videos that feature topical and socially-relevant issues. She has produced three documentaries, “101 Ways to Retire—or Not!,” “Beets and Beans: Living and Dying with Hospice,” and the acclaimed 2015, “Connie Cook: A Documentary.”

A graduate of New York University with a master of arts in Educational Theatre, Perlgut has worked for more than 40 years in theatre in New York City and Ithaca. She is the founder and writer/director of the Senior Theatre Troupe of Lifelong and is a recipient of multiple local and national grants for her writing, directing and film work.

For more information about “Putting Her Back Into History,” visit www.facebook.com/WomensWisdomPlay/. To learn more about the Library installation and reception, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at cwheeler@tcpl.org or (607) 275-1548.

This project has been made possible with support from the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation, the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County and the New York State Council on the Arts.