The Mills Studio Art Collective and the Asian American Women’s Artists Association (AAWAA) will be holding a screening of “The Worlds of Bernice Bing,” a 2013 documentary about the late Bernice Bing, a Chinese American lesbian artist and activist. The 34 minute film was directed by Madeleine Lim in collaboration with Bing scholar Jennifer Banta Yoshida and was produced by AAWAA and Queer Women of Color Media Projects.
Here is the plot of the documentary:
“”The Worlds of Bernice Bing” illuminates the life and times of Bernice Bing – artist, Chinese American, lesbian, and activist. The powerful story of a woman who used color, paintbrush, and canvas to speak from her heart, this film promises to energize and inspire viewers with the resilience of a unique American icon.
Bing came of age during a time when “lesbian” was a bad word, racism was rampant, and women were expected to be housewives. As a young artist, she won a scholarship to attend the California College of Arts & Crafts (now California College of the Arts) and received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute.
She emerged at the forefront of the avant-garde and thrived in the heart of the North Beach bar scene, her large circle of friends including Joan Brown and Jay DeFeo. In addition to producing her own masterful compositions, Bing affected changes in the San Francisco art world and community arts organizations that continue to be vital today.”
The event will happen next Tuesday, Nov. 19 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Danforth Lecture Hall at Mills College and is free admission. There will be a Q&A and a panel featuring Jennifer Banta Yoshida, Art History Professor Moira Roth, Lenore Chinn and Flo Oy Wong.
A reception with light refreshments will follow.
For more information about Bernice Bing and “The Worlds of Bernice Bing,” visit the AAWAA website.
