Visual artist, suzi dessel, will introduce the audience to Martha Gruening (1889 – 1937), a young Jewish woman with a fierce commitment to living a life that reflected her personal values: suffrage and civil rights, particularly for women, African Americans, and conscientious objectors. Her talk will illustrate that Gruening’s life did not conform to conventional roles of young Jewish women-of-means in the early twentieth century.

Dessel joins concept and materials in the creation of process-oriented art. She will describe how research guided the determination of imagery based on Gruening’s work. Conceptual art is often received by the viewing public as perplexing. Dessel’s presentation will include images from this new body of work to enhance understanding of her work, and of the significance of Martha Gruening’s life.