“blessing the boats”: A Night of Poetry and Music with aracelis girmay and Ross Gay
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
7:00 PM
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 5th Ave, New York, NY
Varies
Scheduled
About This Event
At the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, "blessing the boats" pairs poets Aracelis Girmay and Ross Gay with artists linked to Pam Tanowitz, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Sarah Crowner. Girmay offers readings that favor precision and intimacy and a history of cross-disciplinary work; Gay brings a sustained attention to joy, set against choreographic and musical frames provided by the collaborating artists.
About Works & Process
At the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, *Works & Process* presents “blessing the boats,” a jazz-framed program that sets poets Aracelis Girmay and Ross Gay in conversation with artists connected to Pam Tanowitz, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Sarah Crowner. Girmay reads with close attention to the line, shaped by a practice that often crosses disciplines; Gay answers with a more expansive, essaying voice. In New York, where dance, poetry, and museum space routinely share a calendar but rarely a single structure, the evening functions like a study in collaboration rather than a showcase. The most telling gesture is its restraint: it lets each form keep its own tempo while still listening.
About the Artists
Paul Taylor Dance Company
One of the most famous and dynamic modern dance ensembles, the Paul Taylor Dance Company serves as the premiere institution for American modern dance.
Pam Tanowitz
Pam Tanowitz is a choreographer whose work appears in New York City settings including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. She has collaborated with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and visual artist Sarah Crowner, and she shares bills with poets such as Aracelis Girmay and Ross Gay, including the Guggenheim program “blessing the boats.
Sarah Crowner
Sarah Crowner is a dance artist whose work has appeared in New York City performance contexts, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Works & Process series. She has been presented alongside the Paul Taylor Dance Company and choreographer Pam Tanowitz, in programs that place established repertory in dialogue with contemporary makers.
Aracelis Girmay
Aracelis Girmay is a U.S.-based poet, teacher, and editor whose work also moves through collage and essay, with frequent collaborations across sound, film, and performance. Her books include *Teeth*, *Kingdom Animalia*, *the black maria*, and *GREEN OF ALL HEADS*, alongside picture-book projects such as *What Do You Know?* and *Kamau & ZuZu Find a Way*.
Ross Gay
Ross Gay is interested in joy. Ross Gay wants to understand joy. Ross Gay is curious about joy. Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which, Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude.