Carl Hancock Rux () is an American poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, recording artist, journalist, curator and conceptual installation artist working in text, dance, ritualized performance, audio, video, and photography. Described in the

NY Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

as "a breathlessly inventive multimedia artist" focused on "art, race, memory and power", Rux is the author of several books including the

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

Literary Prize-winning collection of poetry, ''

Pagan Operetta ''Pagan Operetta'' (1998) is a collection of poetry and experimental prose by Carl Hancock Rux, his first poetry collection. It won the 1999 Village Voice Literary Prize. Rux subsequently adapted one section for stage performance, initially also u ...

'', the novel, ''Asphalt'', and the OBIE Award-winning play, ''Talk'' and five albums. He appears as a frequent collaborating artist, most notably on Gerald Clayton's album ''Life Forum'' (

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and as co-author of the staged incarnation of ''Steel Hammer'' by Julia Wolfe, the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-nominated work, created with Anne Bogart. Rux is the author/performer of the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

commissioned experimental short poetic film
The Baptism
', a tribute to civil rights activists

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashvill ...

and C. T. Vivian, directed by Carrie Mae Weems (an official selection in the 2022 Segal Center Film Festival on Theater and Performance). Rux is Co-Artistic Director and a board member of Mabou Mines, an award-winning New York City-based experimental mixed media art and social service company founded in 1970 by David Warrilow, Lee Breuer, Ruth Maleczech,

JoAnne Akalaitis JoAnne Akalaitis (born June 29, 1937, in Cicero, Illinois) is an avant-garde Lithuanian-American theatre director and writer. She won five Obie Awards for direction (and sustained achievement) and was founder in 1970 of the critically acclaimed M ...

, and

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive ...

; a board member of 122 Community Center "122 CC" (formerly known as Performance Space 122) and Associate Artistic Director/Curator in Residence of Harlem Stage/The Gate House, formerly known only as Aaron Davis Hall (winner of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters William Dawson Award for Programming Excellence and Sustained Achievement in Programming). Rux is also the Multidisciplinary Editor at

The Massachusetts Review ''The Massachusetts Review'' is a literary quarterly founded in 1959 by a group of professors from Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It receives financial support from Five College ...

(recipient of the 2021 Whiting Literary Magazine Prize for Journalism). Mr. Rux is the inaugural curator/director of

, Park Avenue Armory an
Harlem Stage
s annual

Juneteenth Celebration Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of General Order No. 3, i ...

''I Dream a Dream That Dreams Back at Me''.
Rux is the recipient of numerous awards including the

Doris Duke Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American billionaire tobacco heiress, philanthropist, art collector, horticulturalist, and socialite. She was often called "the richest girl in the world". Her great wealth, luxurious ...

Award for New Works, the Doris Duke Charitable Fund, the

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organization ...

Prize, the Bessie Award, the

Alpert Award The Alpert Award in the Arts was established in the 1994 by The Herb Alpert Foundation in collaboration with the California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, Cali ...

in the Arts; a 2019 Global Change Maker award by WeMakeChange.Org. Rux's archives are housed at the Billy Rose Theater Division of the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...

, the

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washing ...

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

as well as the Film and Video/Theater and Dance Library of the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bo ...

Early life

Rux was born Carl Stephen Hancock in Harlem, New York. His biological mother, Carol Jean Hancock, had chronic mental illness. She was diagnosed with

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withd ...

, and institutionalized shortly after the birth of Rux’s older brother. Rux was born the result of an illegitimate pregnancy (while his mother was under the care of a New York City psychiatric institution). The identity of Rux's biological father is unknown. Rux was placed under the guardianship of his maternal grandmother, Geneva Hancock (née Rux), until her death of cirrhosis of the liver due to alcoholism. At four years of age he entered the New York City foster care system where he remained until he was placed under the legal guardianship of his great uncle James Henry Rux and his wife Arsula (née Cottrell) Rux and raised in the Highbridge neighborhood of the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

. Rux attended PS 73, where he was initially exposed to theater by director Neema Barnette who cast Rux in the lead role of ''Old Judge Mose Is Dead'' by playwright Joseph White. While attending

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early dea ...

Junior High School, Rux received a scholarship to the

Horace Mann School , motto_translation = Great is the truth and it prevails , address = 231 West 246th Street , city = The Bronx , state = New York , zipcode = 10471 , count ...

, an independent college preparatory school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx before transferring to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art where he studied visual art. Exposed to jazz music by his legal guardians, including the work of Oscar Brown Jr.,

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and rai ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

and Abbey Lincoln,Rux eventually double-majored in music/voice, and sang with the Boys Choir of Harlem. He also became a member of the Harlem Writers Workshop, a Columbia University-based summer journalism training program for inner-city youth. At the age of 15, Rux was legally adopted by his guardians and his surname changed to ''Rux''. Upon graduation from high school he entered

Columbia College Columbia College may refer to one of several institutions of higher education in North America: Canada * Columbia College (Alberta), in Calgary * Columbia College (British Columbia), a two-year liberal arts institution in Vancouver * Columbia In ...

where he studied in the Creative Writing Program; took private acting classes at both HB studios; trained with Gertrude Jeanette's Hadley Players and took private acting lessons with actor Robert Earl Jones (father of actor

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

). Rux continued his studies at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

American University of Paris The American University of Paris (AUP) is a private, independent, and accredited liberal arts university in Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 ...

, and the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the B ...

at Legon.

Career

Writer/Poet

Working as a Social Work Trainer while moonlighting as a freelance art and music critic, Rux became a founding member of Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship gospel choir. Influenced by the Lower East Side poetry and experimental theater scene, Rux collaborated with poets Miguel Algarin, Bob Holman, Jayne Cortez, Sekou Sundiata, Ntozake Shange; experimental musicians David Murray,

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

, Butch Morris, Craig Harris, Jeanne Lee, Leroy Jenkins,

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...

, Steve Earle,

Jim Carroll James Dennis Carroll (August 1, 1949 – September 11, 2009) was an American author, poet, autobiographer, and punk musician. Carroll was best known for his 1978 autobiographical work '' The Basketball Diaries'', which inspired a 1995 film of ...

as well as experimental theater artists Laurie Carlos,

Robbie McCauley Robbie Doris McCauley (July 14, 1942 – May 20, 2021) was an American playwright, director, performer, and professor. McCauley is best known for her plays ''Sugar'' and ''Sally's Rape,'' among other works that addressed racism in the United St ...

, Ruth Maleczech, Lee Breuer, Reza Abdoh, and others. He is one of several poets (including

Paul Beatty Paul Beatty (born June 9, 1962) is an American author and an associate professor of writing at Columbia University. In 2016, he won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Booker Prize for his novel '' The Sellout''. It was the first time ...

, Tracie Morris, Dael Orlandersmith, Willie Perdomo, Kevin Powell,

Maggie Estep Margaret Ann "Maggie" Estep (March 20, 1963 – February 12, 2014) was an American writer and poet, best known for coming to prominence during the height of the spoken word and poetry slam performance rage. She published seven books and r ...

, Reg E. Gaines, Edwin Torres, and Saul Williams) to emerge from the

Nuyorican Poets Cafe Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, or of their descendants (especially those raised or currently living in the N ...

, most of whom were included in the poetry anthology ''Aloud, Voices From the Nuyorican Poets Cafe'', winner of the 1994 American Book Award. His first book of poetry, ''

'', received the ''

'' Literary prize and was featured on the weekly's cover story: "Eight Writers on the Verge of (Impacting) the Literary Landscape". Rux is the author of the novel ''

Asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

'' and the author of several plays. His first play, ''Song of Sad Young Men'' (written in response to his older brother's death from AIDS), was directed by Trazana Beverly and starred actor

Isaiah Washington Isaiah Washington IV is an American actor and media personality. Following a series of film appearances, he came to prominence for portraying Dr. Preston Burke in the first three seasons of the series ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2007. Wash ...

. The play received eleven AUDELCO nominations. His most notable play is the OBIE Award-winning ''

Talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

'', first produced at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in 2002. Directed by Marion McClinton and starring actor Anthony Mackie, the play won seven OBIE awards.

Recording Artist/Performing Artist

Rux was first featured as a recording artist, on Reg E. Gaines CD ''Sweeper Don't Clean My Streets'' (Polygram). As a musician, his work is known to encompass an eclectic mixture of blues, rock, vintage R&B, classical music, futuristic

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...

, folk, psychedelic music and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

. His debut CD, ''Cornbread, Cognac & Collard Green Revolution'' (unreleased) was produced by Nona Hendryx and Mark Batson, featuring musicians Craig Harris, Ronnie Drayton and Lonnie Plaxico. Discovered by Sony 550 President, Polly Anthony, Rux released his debut CD '' Rux Revue'' recorded and produced in Los Angeles by the Dust Brothers,

Tom Rothrock Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, and Rob Schnapf. Rux recorded a follow up album, ''

Apothecary Rx ''Apothecary Rx'' is the second studio album by Carl Hancock Rux, produced by Rob Hyman (of '' The Hooters'') and Stewart Lerman. The album also features singer Stephanie McKay and contributions from jazz violinist Leroy Jenkins and singer-song ...

'', (selected by French writer Phillippe Robert for his 2008 publication "Great Black Music": an exhaustive tribute of 110 American albums by African American artists. His fourth studio CD, ''

Good Bread Alley ''Good Bread Alley'' is the third studio album of Carl Hancock Rux. Titled after a close-knit historically African American district of shotgun houses that once occupied a segregated neighborhood in Miami, Florida, the cd was released by Thirsty ...

'', was released by Thirsty Ear Records, and his fifth "Homeostasis" (CD Baby) released in May 2013. Rux has written and performed (or contributed music) to a proportionate number of dance companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company; Jane Comfort & Co. and Ronald K. Brown's "Evidence" among others.

Literature

Books by author

*''Elmina Blues'' (poetry) *''Pagan Operetta'' (poetry/Short Fiction/SemioText) *''Asphalt'' (novel/Simon & Schuster) *''Talk'' (drama/TCG Press)

Literary fiction

* ''Asphalt'' (novel) (Atria, Simon & Schuster) *''The Exalted'' (novel) forthcoming

Selected plays

*''Song of Sad Young Men'' * ''Talk'' *''Geneva Cottrell, Waiting for the Dog to Die'' *''Smoke, Lilies and Jade'' *''Chapter & Verse'' *''Pipe'' *''Pork Dream in the American House of Image'' *''Not the Flesh of Others'' *''Singing In the Womb of Angels'' *''Better Dayz Jones'' *''Stranger On Earth'' *''The (No) Black Male Show'' *''Mycenaean'' *''Asphalt'' *''Etudes for the Sleep of Other Sleepers'' *''Steel Hammer'' (co-written by Will Power, Kia Cothran and Regina Taylor for the SITI company, directed by Anne Bogart). *''The Exalted'' * ''WATER ±'' (co-written by Arthur Yorinks, directed by

Kenny Leon Kenny Leon is an American director, producer, actor, and author, notable for his work on Broadway, on television, and in regional theater. In 2014, he won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for ''A Raisin in the Sun''. Career He gai ...

)

Selected essays

*''Eminem: The New White Negro'' *"Dream Work and the Mimesis of Carrie Mae Weems" *"Belief and the Invisible Playwright" *"In Memoriam: Ruby Dee (1922–2014)" *"Up From The Mississippi Delta" *"Democratic Vistas of Space and Light" *"A Rage In Harlem"

Selected anthologies

*''Experiments in a Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, and the Austin Project'' University of Texas Press *''Soul: Black Power, Politics, and Pleasure'' NYU Press *''Heights of the Marvelous'' NYU Press *''Juncture: 25 Very Good Stories and 12 Excellent Drawings'' Soft Skull Press *''Da Capo Best Music Writing 2004: The Year's Finest Writing on Rock, Hip-hop, Jazz, Pop, Country, and More'', DeCapo Press *''Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam'', Counterpoint Press *''Humana Festival 2014: The Complete Plays'', Playscripts, Incorporated *''Action: The Nuyorican Poets Cafe Theatre'', Simon & Schuster *''Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam'', Three Rivers Press *''The African American Male, Writing, and Difference: A Polycentric Approach to African American Literature, Criticism, and History'', State University of New York Press *''Meditations and Ascensions: Black Writers on Writing'', Third World Press *''Plays from the Boom Box Galaxy: Theater from the Hip-hop Generation'', Theatre Communications Group *''Bad Behavior'', Random House *''Verse: An Introduction to Prosody'', John Wiley & Sons Press *''Significations of Blackness: American Cinema and the Idea of a Black Film'', UMI Press *''So Much Things to Say: 100 Poets from the First Ten Years of the Calabash International Literary Festival'', Akashic Books *''Black Men In Their Own Words'', Crown Publishers *'' Bulletproof Diva'', Knopf Doubleday *''Race Manners: Navigating the Minefield Between Black and White Americans'', Skyhorse Publishing *'' In Their Company: Portraits of American Playwrights'', Umbrage Press *''Listen Again: a Momentary History of Pop Music'', Duke University Press

Journalism

Rux has been published as a contributing writer in numerous journals, catalogs, anthologies, and magazines including ''Interview'' magazine, ''Essence'' magazine, ''The New York Times'', the ''Los Angeles Times'', ''aRude Magazine'', ''Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art'' (founded by fellow art critics

Okwui Enwezor Okwui Enwezor (23 October 1963 – 15 March 2019) was a Nigerian curator, art critic, writer, poet, and educator, specializing in art history. He lived in New York City and Munich. In 2014, he was ranked 24 in the '' ArtReview'' list of the 100 ...

, Chika Okeke-Agulu and Salah Hassan) and ''American Theater Magazine''.

Libretti

*''Makandal'' (Composer: Yosvaney Terry, stage design and costumes by Edouard Duval Carrie, directed by Lars Jan) Harlem Stage *''Blackamoor Angel'' (Composer:

Deidre Murray Diedre Murray is an American cellist and composer specializing in jazz and musical theater. She also works as a record producer and curator. As a performer she has worked with Leroy Jenkins, Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson, Henry Threadgill, Muhal ...

; directed by Karin Coonrod) Bard Spiegeltent/Joseph Papp Public Theater *''Kingmaker'' (Composer: Toshi Reagon) BRIC Arts Media *''Perfect Beauty'' (Composer: Tamar Muskal) *''Faggot's Ball'' (Composer: Tamar-kali)

Music

Solo albums

*''Cornbread, Cognac, Collard Green Revolution'' *'' Rux Revue'' Sony/550 Music *''

'' Giant Step *''

'' Thirsty Ear *''

Homeostasis In biology, homeostasis (British English, British also homoeostasis) Help:IPA/English, (/hɒmɪə(ʊ)ˈsteɪsɪs/) is the state of steady internal, physics, physical, and chemistry, chemical conditions maintained by organism, living systems. Thi ...

'' CD Baby

Collaborations

*''Sweeper Don't Clean My Streets'' Reg E. Gaines

Polygram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be ...

*''Eargasms Vol. 1'' *''70 Years Coming''

R. L. Burnside R. L. Burnside (November 23, 1926 – September 1, 2005) was an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He played music for much of his life but received little recognition before the early 1990s. In the latter half of that decade, Bur ...

Bongload/Acid Blues Records *''Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers: Black Poets Read Their Works'', Rhino *''

Bow Down to the Exit Sign ''Bow Down to the Exit Sign'' is a studio album by David Holmes, released in 2000. It features contributions from Bobby Gillespie, Sean Gullette, Jon Spencer, Martina Topley-Bird and Carl Hancock Rux. The song "69 Police" features during the clos ...

'' David Holmes Go! Beat *''Love Each Other'' Yukihiro Fukutomi

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

/ Japan *''Optometry'' DJ Spooky Thirsty Ear Recordings *''The Temptation of Saint Anthony (Studio Cast Recording)'' *''Inradio 5 Morningwatch'' 2004 *''Thirsty Ear Presents: Blue Series Sampler'' (Thirsty Ear) *''Poetry on Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work, 1888-2006 Box Set'' Shout! Factory (2006) *''More Than Posthuman-Rise of the Mojosexual Cotillion'' Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber, TruGROID *''The Dogs Are Parading'' David Holmes Universal *''Life Forum'' Gerald Clayton Concord Jazz *''Tributary Tales'' Gerald Clayton *''Tomorrow Comes The Harvest''

Jeff Mills Jeff Mills (born June 18, 1963, in Detroit, Michigan) is an American DJ, record producer, and composer. Thanks to his technical abilities as a DJ, Mills became known as ''The Wizard'' in the early to mid 1980s. In the late 1980s Mills founded ...

Tony Allen Decca Records *''Humanist''

Rob Marshall Robert Doyle Marshall Jr.http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/s/1410/images/editor_documents/alumnirelations/getinvolved/alumniawards/all_honorees_2018june1.pdf (born October 17, 1960) is an American film and theater director, producer, and choreographer. ...

Ignition Records

Contemporary Dance (text & music)

Movin' Spirits Dance Co.

*''Kick The Boot, Raise the Dust An' Fly; A Recipe for Buckin'' (chor: Marlies Yearby, co-authors: Sekou Sundiata, Laurie Carlos, music: Craig Harris ) Performance Space 122, Maison des arts de Créteil (France) *''Totin' Business & Carryin' Bones'' (chor. Marlies Yearby), Performance Space 122, Maison des arts de Créteil (France) *''The Beautiful'' (chor: Marlies Yearby, co-author:Laurie Carlos), Judson Church, Tribeca Performing Arts Center *''Of Urban Intimacies'' (chor: Marlies Yearby), Lincoln Center Serious Fun!, Central Park Summerstage, National Tour *''That Was Like This/ This Was Like That'' (chor: Marlies Yearby, music: Grisha Coleman), Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Central Park Summerstage, National Tour

Anita Gonzalez

*''Yanga'', (chor: Anita Gonzalez, music: Cooper-Moore, composer), Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Montclair State College

Jane Comfort & Co.

*''Asphalt'' (dir/chor: Jane Comfort; vocal score: Toshi Reagon, music: DJ Spooky, David Pleasant, Foosh, dramaturgy: Morgan Jenness, costumes: Liz Prince, lighting design: David Ferri,) Joyce Theater, National Tour

Urban Bush Women

*''Soul Deep'' (chor: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, composer: David Murray), Walker Arts Center, National Tour *''Shelter'' (chor: Jawole Willo Jo Zollar, music: Junior Gabbu Wedderburn) International Tour *''Hair Stories'' (chor: Jawole Willa jo Zollar) BAM Theater/Esplanade Theater (Singapore) Hong Kong Arts Festival

Jubilation! Dance Co.

*''Sweet In The Morning'' (chor: Kevin Iega Jeff)

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

*''Shelter'' (chor: Jawole Willo Jo Zollar, music: Junior Gabbu Wedderburn) City Center, International Tour *''Uptown'' (chor: Matthew Rushing) Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater *''Four Corners'' (chor: Ronald K. Brown) Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 2014

Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble (Ailey II)

*''Seeds'' (chor: Kevin Iega Jeff) Aaron Davis Hall, Apollo Theater, National Tour

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Theater

*'' The Artificial Nigger'' (chor: Bill T. Jones) Arnie Zane Bill T. Jones Dance Co; music: Daniel Bernard Roumain National Tour

Roberta Garrison Co.

*''Certo!'' (chor: Roberta Garrison, music: Mathew Garrison) Scuola di Danza Mimma Testa in Trastevere (Rome, Italy) Teatro de natal infantil Raffaelly Beligni (Naples, Italy)

M'Zawa Dance Co.

*''Seeking Pyramidic Balance/Flipmode'' (chor: Maia Claire Garrison) 651 Arts

Robert Moses Kin

*''Helen'' (chor: Robert Moses) Yerba Buena Performing Arts Center *''Nevabawarldapece'' (chor: Robert Moses) Yerba Buena Performing Arts Center

Topaz Arts Dance

*''Dreamfield'' (chor: Paz Tanjuaquio) Hudson River Park NY

Actor

Theater

Rux studied acting at the Hagen Institute (under

Uta Hagen Uta Thyra Hagen (12 June 1919 – 14 January 2004) was a German-American actress and theatre practitioner. She originated the role of Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' by Edward Albee, who called her "a ...

); the Luleå National Theatre School (Luleå, Sweden) and at the National Theater of Ghana (Accra). Rux has appeared in several theater projects, most notably originating the title role in the folk opera production of '' The Temptation of St. Anthony'', based on the

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaube ...

novel, directed by Robert Wilson with book, libretto and music by Bernice Johnson Reagon and costumes by Geoffrey Holder. The production debuted as part of the Ruhr Triennale festival in Duisburg, Germany with subsequent performances at the Greek Theater in Siracusa, Italy; the Festival di Peralada in Peralada, Spain; the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria in Santander, Spain; Sadler's Wells in London, Great Britain; the Teatro Piccinni in Bari, Italy; the Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, Netherlands; the Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao and the Teatro Espanol in Madrid, Spain. The opera made its American premiere at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

/ BAM Next Wave Festival in October 2004 and official "world premiere" at the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

, becoming the first all-African-American opera to perform on its stage since the inauguration of the Académie Nationale de Musique - Théâtre de l'Opéra. Combining both his dramatic training and dance movement into his performance, Rux's performance was described by the American press as having "phenomenal charisma and supreme physical expressiveness...(achieving) a near-iconic power, equally evoking El Greco's saints in extremis and images of civil rights protesters besieged by fire hoses." Rux has also appeared in several plays and performance works for theater, as well as in his own work.

Film/Television

Radio

Rux was the host and artistic programming director of the

WBAI WBAI (99.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station licensed to New York, New York. Its programming is a mixture of political news, talk and opinion from a left-leaning, liberal or progressive viewpoint, and eclectic music. ...

radio show, ''Live from The Nuyorican Poets Cafe''; contributing correspondent for XM radio's ''The Bob Edwards Show'' and frequent guest host on

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization th ...

as well as NPR. He co-wrote and performed in the national touring production of ''NPR Presents Water±'', directed by

Performance Art Exhibitions/Curator

* The Whitney Museum "Beat Culture and the New America, 1950-1965" *

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously exp ...

"Carrie Mae Weems: Live" *Thread Waxing Space "Sacred Music" *The Foundry Theater "Roundtable on Hope" *The Kitchen "Sapphire: Black Wings & Blind Angels" *Harlem Stage "We Da People Cabaret" *The New School "Comrades and Lovers"

Glenn Ligon Glenn Ligon (born 1960, pronounced Lie-gōne) is an American conceptual artist whose work explores race, language, desire, sexuality, and identity.Meyer, Richard. "Glenn Ligon", in George E. Haggerty and Bonnie Zimmerman (eds), ''Gay Histories a ...

*Mass MoCA "Until" Nick Cave *

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

/ Spoleto Festival "Grace Notes"; Carrie Mae Weems *

Grace Farms Grace Farms is an 80-acre cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, Connecticut. Grace Farms is owned and operated by Grace Farms Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose interdisciplinary humanitarian mission is to pursue peace th ...

"Past Tense"; Carrie Mae Weems *

"The Baptism"; Carrie Mae Weems (Experimental short film tribute to

and C.T.Vivian, written and performed by Rux, and directed by Carrie Mae Weems *

Harlem Stage
I Dream a Dream That Dreams Back at Me: a Juneteenth Celebration." * Park Avenue Armory "Archer Aymes Retrospective"
Harlem Stage
"Black Arts Movement: Examined"

Selected Directorial Credits

*"Chapter & Verse" by Carl Hancock Rux /Dixon Place; Nuyorican Poets Cafe *"Mycenaean" by Carl Hancock Rux CalArts/BAM Next Wave Festival *"Third Ward" by Tish Benson/Nuyorican Poets Cafe *"Girl Group" by Tish Benson, Latasha Nevada Diggs, Sarah Jones/Aaron Davis Hall *"Stranger On Earth" by Carl Hancock Rux/ Live Arts; Harlem Stage *"Poesia Negra" by Carl Hancock Rux /RedCat; Lincoln Center; Aaron Davis Hall; BAM Next Wave. *"Who 'Dat Who Killed Better Days Jones?" by (Various Artists)/ Aaron Davis Hall *"blu" by

Virginia Grise Virginia Grise (born June 27, 1976, in Ft. Gordon, Georgia) is a playwright, and director. Grise's most recognized work is ''blu'' (Yale University Press), the winner of the 2010 Yale Drama Series Award and a finalist for the Kennedy Center for th ...

/ New York Theatre Workshop *"Welcome to Wandaland" by

Ifa Bayeza Ifa Bayeza (born Wanda Williams) is a playwright, producer, and conceptual theater artist. She wrote the play ''The Ballad of Emmett Till'', which earned her the Edgar Award for Best Play in 2009. She is the sister of Ntozake Shange, and directe ...

/ Rights & Reasons Theater/Brown University *"String Theory" by Ifa Bayeza/ Rights & Reasons Theater, Brown University *"Bunky Johnson Out of The Shadows" by Ifa Bayeza/Shadows on the Teche

Academia

Rux is formally the Head of the MFA Writing for Performance Program at the California Institute of Arts and has taught and or been an artist in residence at Brown University, Hollins University, UMass Amherst, Duke University, Stanford University, University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Eugene Lang New School for Drama, among others. He has mentored award-winning writers including recipients of the Yale Drama Prize, Whiting Writers Award, Princess Grace Award, and BBC African Performance Playwriting Award.

Arts Related Jury Panels

Rux has served on panels for foundations, cultural councils, and cultural centers for the arts such as

Creative Capital Creative Capital is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in New York City that supports artists across the United States through funding, counsel, gatherings, and career development services. Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has commi ...

, the CalArts

, The Mellon Foundation, the Rockefeller MAP Fund, The MacDowell Colony, The Shed, and others.

Activism

Rux joined ''New Yorkers Against Fracking'', organized by singer Natalie Merchant, calling for a fracking ban on natural gas drilling using

hydraulic fracturing Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frac ...

. A concert featuring Rux, Merchant, actors

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor and producer best known for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2012 in the superhero franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in the television series '' She-Hulk: Attorn ...

and Melissa Leo and musicians

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

, Tracy Bonham,

Toshi Reagon Toshi Reagon (born January 27, 1964) is an American musician of folk, blues, gospel, rock and funk, as well as a composer, curator, and producer. Early life Born January 27, 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia, Reagon grew up in Washington, D.C. She ...

, Citizen Cope,

Meshell Ndegeocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

and numerous others was held in Albany, N.Y., and resulted in public protests. Rux was a co-producer (through a partnership between MAPP International and Harlem Stage) and curator of ''WeDaPeoples Cabaret'', an annual event regarding citizens without borders in a globally interdependent world. A longtime resident and homeowner in Fort Greene Brooklyn, Carl Rux worked with the Fort Greene Association and New York philanthropist

Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel (born January 27, 1932) is an American preservationist, historian, author, and television producer. She is an advocate for the preservation of the historic built environment and the arts. She has worked in the f ...

to erect a cultural medallion at the Carlton Avenue home where novelist Richard Wright lived and penned his seminal work, ''

Native Son ''Native Son'' (1940) is a novel written by the American author Richard Wright. It tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, a black youth living in utter poverty in a poor area on Chicago's South Side in the 1930s. While not apologizing ...

''.

Personal life

Rux's great uncle, Rev. Marcellus Carlyle Rux (January 8, 1882 - January 5, 1948) was a graduate of Virginia Union University, and principal of The Keysville Mission Industrial School (later changed to The Bluestone Harmony Academic and Industrial School), a private school founded in 1898 by several African-American Baptist churches in Keysville, Virginia at a time when education for African-Americans was scarce to non-existent. For about 50 years the school had the largest enrollment of any black boarding school in the east and sent a large number of graduates on to college. For the first five years, Marcellus Carlyle Rux was a teacher in the institution. Such was the record he made that he was promoted to the principalship in 1917. Under his administration, the school reached its highest enrollment and had its greatest period of prosperity. The post-Civil war school was one of the first of its kind in the nation and was permanently closed in 1950. The school's still existent structure once featured a girl's and boy's dormitory and President's dwelling and is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Marcellus Carlyle Rux is listed in ''History of the American Negro and his Institutions''. Rux's younger brother is a New York City Public School Teacher and his cousin a New York City middle school principal. Rux's older brother died of AIDS-related complications. Rux's home, a Victorian Brownstone in the Fort Greene Brooklyn section of New York City, has been photographed by Stefani Georgani and frequently featured in home decor magazines and coffee table books internationally, including Elle Decor UK.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rux, Carl Hancock 1971 births 21st-century American novelists 550 Music artists African-American theatre American artists 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights American male novelists American male musicians American singer-songwriters Bessie Award winners Columbia College (New York) alumni Living people Obie Award recipients University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty Writers from Brooklyn 21st-century American poets American male poets American male essayists American male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Novelists from Massachusetts People from Fort Greene, Brooklyn Thirsty Ear Recordings artists American male singer-songwriters