Part artist lecture, part memoir, part cultural essay, Farmhouse/Whorehouse: an Artist Lecture by Suzanne Bocanegra Starring Lili Taylor considers the lives of Bocanegra’s grandparents on their small farm in La Grange, Texas, which was located across the road from the Chicken Ranch, better known as “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” Using text, song, film and projections, Bocanegra and actress Lili Taylor tell a rambling story that examines the idyllic place the rural world occupies in our urban imagination, with occasional detours to explore the pastoral in art, homesteading, French painting in the 19th century, Star Trek, and various utopian communities throughout history, including the Shakers.

This fundraising event for Shaker Museum is presented in conjunction with its fall exhibition, CRADLED, a collaboration between Suzanne Bocanegra and Frances McDormand.