MUSE Winston-Salem is hosting the U.S. premiere of “Chavruta: A Model for Discourse Today,” a social practice project and performance by artist and filmmaker Joel Tauber, professor of art at Wake Forest University. The event will be held on three separate evenings of October 1, October, 15, and October 29 from 7-8:30 p.m. Each event is free, but registration is required. Guests are encouraged to attend multiple events to engage more deeply with the social practice of chavruta, but single-event participation is also welcome.

Each evening will include a screening of the film, “Razor-Sharp: When Arguing Is A Good Thing,” Tauber’s award-winning exploration of the ancient Jewish practice of “chavruta” (or, heated discourse and constructive debate). Following the screening, Tauber will model chavruta discourse—as a performance—with a different guest each evening. The October 1st guest will be Russ May, co-founder of Anthony’s Plot Community and a Moravian pastor; October 15th will feature Dixon Kinser, Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal; October 29th will feature Dr. April Ruffin-Adams, Lecturer in African American and African Diaspora Studies at UNC Greensboro and Master of Divinity student at Wake Forest University. For the final part of each evening, attendees will be invited to participate in chavruta-style conversation about a provided text, an excerpt from the Iroquois Constitution, “The Great Law of Peace.”

‍About Joel Tauber

Joel Tauber, professor of art at Wake Forest University, is an activist, artist, and filmmaker. A descendent of a long line of rabbis, he comes from a specific and rigorous background studying Jewish philosophy and law in a traditional yeshiva for 12 years. His conceptual art practice comes out of his studies at Yale University (New Haven, CT, USA), with Ronald Jones, and at ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena, CA, USA), with Mike Kelley. This combination of experiences has helped Tauber develop a singular and notable artistic voice. He sparks discourse and facilitates change via direct actions and interventions, films, video installations, photographs, public art, podcasts, and written stories. Projects include: Seeking Pasture, Razor-Sharp: When Arguing Is A Good Thing, Sick-Amour: A Love Story, Border-Ball, BELT: A 2-Man Memoir, UNDERWATER: An Operatic Disco, The Sharing Project, Pumping, Searching for The Impossible: The Flying Project, and Seven Attempts To Make A Ritual. More information available at joeltauber.com.