Alison O’Daniel in Conversation with Mara Mills and Curator Keith Miller

Co-sponsored by the NYU Center for Disability Studies

The Tuba Thieves is an ongoing project by hard of hearing, multidisciplinary artist Alison O’Daniel. The film began as O’Daniel’s response to a series of tubas being stolen from high schools across Southern California between 2011 and 2013. The Tuba Thieves weaves together the stories of Nyke Prince, a Deaf drummer based in Los Angeles, the marching band students impacted by the thefts, and re-enactments of three historic concerts: the 1952 premiere of John Cage’s 4’33”, the 1979 final punk show at The Deaf Club in San Francisco, and a 1984 Prince concert at Gallaudet University. Scenes from the film have been produced and exhibited internationally at film festivals, museums, and galleries. The project is currently in production to be completed as a feature film.

Mara Mills is an associate professor in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University, where she co-founded and co-directs the Center for Disability Studies. Her most recent publication is the edited volume Testing Hearing: The Making of Modern Aurality (Oxford University Press, fall 2020). For more information about her publications and other work, visit her website at maramills.org.

Keith Miller has been the curator of the Gallatin Galleries since it opened in 2008. Prior to that he was the founding curator of the SAC Gallery at Stony Brook University from 2001 to 2008, and has curated over forty thematic gallery and museum exhibitions. His curatorial practice begins from the premise that the gallery is a site for engaged political conversation. He has been a part-time professor at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU since 2006 and was awarded the Gallatin School Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2014. He is a 2015 Guggenheim Fellow, a 2014 Jerome Fellow and works as a filmmaker, artist, and curator. His paintings and videos have been shown in various solo and group shows throughout the world.