In celebration of the National Day of Listening, the Art and Picture Collections have been collaborating with StoryCorps to produce an all-day drop-in event to consider your art and your life.

We invited six artists to the StoryCorps booth to record the story of art in their lives. And, on the National Day of Listening (the day after Thanksgiving), we will hear excerpts from their tales as we look at images from their oeuvre. The artists will participate in a panel discussion about their StoryCorps experiences, while the audience will be invited to share what art means in their personal lives. And StoryCorps representatives will be on hand to explain how to record and document your own story.

Artists Michael Cline, Annette Cords, Anujan Ezhikode, Builder Levy, Justin Lieberman, and Charles Mingus III each traveled with a significant other to the StoryCorps booth in Foley Square to be interviewed about how art has influenced, molded, and changed their lives. Their stories were recorded by StoryCorps and will be archived in the Library of Congress, where their lives can be celebrated through the art of listening for years to come.

Excerpts from the recording session will be played throughout the day on November 27. As a bonus, join us at 2 pm for an artist panel, where they will share their stories and their recording experiences in person at NYPL for the National Day of Listening, a day to slow down and listen to the stories of the people in your life. We are also looking forward to hearing your stories in art. Whether you create doodles, mashups, crochet, or marble sculpture, we want to listen to where they come from.

When: Friday, November 27, 2009, 10 am to 5 pm
Where: South Court Auditorium, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 42nd Street & 5th Avenue

Schedule: 10 am Artist storytelling slideshow, followed by audience interviews
12 noon Artist storytelling slideshow, followed by audience interviews
2:15 pm Artist panel (arrive at 2pm to hear the artists in person), moderated by Arezoo Moseni
3:45 pm Artist storytelling slideshow, followed by audience interviews

We are really grateful to the wonderful folks at StoryCorps for making this event possible. Please join us and listen to the stories of six contemporary artists, and tell the story of what art means to your life.