PEN America x Ellis Angel x Magic City Books Collaboration
As part of Banned Books Week (September 22 - 28, 2024), I’m excited to announce my collaboration with PEN America and Magic City Books for a special exhibition titled The Censor's Cut: Weavings for Intellectual Freedom. The show will be on display through November 24, 2024.
This exhibition features my latest series of political paper weavings, each piece inspired by the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2022 Most Banned Books List. Using shredded pages from these banned books, I re-weave their contents into new forms of artistic expression, highlighting both the fragility and resilience of intellectual freedom. The exhibition is a celebration of the freedom to read, a protest against censorship, and a visual representation of the voices that some have sought to silence.
About The Censor's Cut: Weavings for Intellectual Freedom
Each weaving in The Censor’s Cut exhibition represents a banned or challenged book, its pages deconstructed and transformed into a layered piece of protest art. By physically dismantling these books and weaving them back together, I aim to reflect the disruptive impact of censorship and the importance of reclaiming these stories.
Books like Gender Queer, The Bluest Eye, and All Boys Aren’t Blue are among those I’ve re-bound in this series, each one standing as a powerful reminder of the voices that have been targeted by censorship. This exhibition challenges the idea that any book or story should be suppressed, reminding viewers of the critical role that intellectual freedom plays in shaping our society.
Collaborating with PEN America and Magic City Books
I’m incredibly honored to work with PEN America, an organization dedicated to defending free expression and promoting literary culture. Their tireless advocacy for intellectual freedom makes this collaboration particularly meaningful during Banned Books Week, a time set aside to highlight the ongoing threats to free speech and access to literature.
Magic City Books in Tulsa, OK is the perfect venue for this exhibition. As a bookstore that has always supported freedom of thought and expression, Magic City provides a powerful space for art and activism to intersect. The exhibition, which runs through November 24, 2024, encourages visitors to engage with these works and reflect on the importance of protecting free speech.
Why This Matters Now
The rise in book bans and challenges across the U.S. has reached alarming levels, with schools and libraries facing increased pressure to remove books from their shelves. Many of these books focus on marginalized voices, discussing issues of race, gender, and identity that some find uncomfortable. By weaving these banned stories into new works of art, I aim to make a statement: These stories matter, and they will not be silenced.
This exhibition isn’t just about preserving access to literature—it’s about protecting the fundamental right to freedom of thought and expression. Censorship has no place in a society that values inquiry, diversity, and open dialogue.
Final Thoughts
I’m incredibly proud to present The Censor's Cut: Weavings for Intellectual Freedom as part of Banned Books Week 2024, with the show continuing through November 24, 2024. These works serve as a reminder that censorship threatens not just our access to books, but our ability to understand different perspectives and grow as a society. I hope this exhibition will inspire reflection on the importance of protecting intellectual freedom and the dangers of censorship.
If you’re in Tulsa, please visit Magic City Books to see these works in person. Let’s celebrate the freedom to read and take a stand against censorship together!
