Berklee and Emerson Present New Standards Exhibition and Performance Series

The Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice (JGJ) has partnered with the Office of the Arts at Emerson College to bring the multidisciplinary installation New Standards to the Emerson Contemporary Media Art Gallery. The multimedia exhibition continues the theme set forth in the book New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers by Grammy Award–winning artist Terri Lyne Carrington, and will be free and on display to the public beginning Wednesday, July 12, to Friday, August 4, 2023, with gallery hours from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and by appointment Wednesday through Saturday.

New Standards celebrates the work of women composers and performers who have been either under-acknowledged or rendered invisible regarding the overall representation of the art form. The installation will feature visual arts, film, panel discussions, music, and information on classic and contemporary jazz composers, and is part of the Jazz Without Patriarchy Project (JWP), an ongoing series of initiatives, established by Carrington and the institute.

“The idea for the book New Standards came out of necessity when I realized there were not enough women represented in the canon of jazz standards,” said Carrington, a multi-Grammy-winning artist, NEA Jazz Master, and the institute's founder and artistic director. “It expanded to be an album project and also an exhibition at the Carr Center in Detroit, through the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. I am beyond happy to be able to share this multidimensional work at home and grateful to the Office of the Arts at Emerson College and New Commonwealth Fund for helping to make this dream come to fruition. The hope is that anyone who experiences the exhibition will walk away transformed and excited about different sonic possibilities, imagining what the music will sound like when gender equity with its creators is accomplished."

New Standards will showcase works created by multidisciplinary jazz artists Cécile McClorin Salvant, Carmen Lundy, and Jazzmeia Horn, along with works ranging from print and sculpture to collage, textiles, and multimedia by award-winning visual artists Monica Haslip, Joe Diggs, Yvette Rock, and Ramsess. The exhibit will also feature a stunning portrait collection of 30 influential women instrumentalists by Sherry Rubel, as well as a film installation by award-winning photographer and video-installation artist Carrie Mae Weems, which includes a film capturing the collaborative work between Carrington and visual artist Mikalene Thomas, and a documentary on the book New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers (Berklee Press, 2022).

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Terri Lyne and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice in bringing this compelling experience to audiences in Boston this summer,” said David C. Howse, Emerson's vice president for the Office of the Arts and institutional advancement, executive director of ArtsEmerson, and the Stephen G. Langley Chair. “New Standards reflects our shared beliefs in equity and inclusion and demonstrates our joint commitment to the work of systems change and social justice.”

In celebration of the one-of-a-kind installation, the New Standards Boston Takeover will include public programs, such as panel discussions, curated artist talks, and afternoon and evening concerts that will take place at multiple venues across Boston.

Upcoming Boston Performances

Brandee Younger
July 20, 7:00 p.m.
Red Room at Cafe 939
939 Boylston Street

Landmarks Orchestra featuring Terri Lyne Carrington
July 26, 7:00 p.m.
Hatch Shell Boston, 47 David G. Mugar Way
Admission: Free and open to the public

Mary Halvorson and Tomas Fujiwara Duo
July 27, 7:00 p.m.
MassArt Art Museum, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
621 Huntington Avenue

Kris Davis, the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, and Marquis Hill
July 30, 12:30 p.m.
Cambridge Jazz Festival, Danehy Park
99 Sherman Street, Cambridge

New Standards Jam Session, hosted by Lakecia Benjamin
August 2, 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Wally's Jazz Club, 427 Massachusetts Avenue

Emerson College UnCommon Stage and Trillium Garden on the Common 

• Enbious: July 15, 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
• Devon Gates: July 22, 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
• Jacques Schwarz-Bart presents the Harlem Suite: July 29,  2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
• Zahili Gonzalez Zamora Trio: August 2, 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. 

The New Standards exhibit and New Standards Boston Takeover performance series is sponsored by the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund.

About the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice

The Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice focuses on equity in the jazz field and on the role that jazz can play in the larger struggle for gender justice. It celebrates the contributions women have made to the development of the art form and frames more equitable conditions for all pursuing careers in jazz in an effort to work towards a necessary and lasting cultural shift in the field.

About Emerson College's Office of the Arts

The Office of the Arts exists to serve and engage Emerson College students, faculty and staff, Boston audiences, and theater-makers worldwide through stewarding spaces where everyone belongs and can experience our collective humanity. The office manages, schedules, staffs, and maintains six venues on the Boston campus; provides professional event planning, staffing, and external rental events; and curates and manages ArtsEmerson and HowlRound Theater Commons.