Some Styles of Masculinity is a monologic journey that unfolds in three interconnected chapters over three consecutive evenings, entitled: Rock Star, Rabbi, and Comedian. Under the guise of The Benjamin Zev Show—equal parts television variety show, Catskill stand-up, barmitzvah midrash, and punk-rock listening session—Gregg Bordowitz masterfully improvises each chapter’s preoccupations with a stack of reference books at the ready. Together, the three evenings present a humorous and heartfelt vision of Bordowitz’ complicated masculinity as an artist, writer, and cultural observer.

Some Styles of Masculinity was originally commissioned for “Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon,” at the New Museum, New York. (September 27, 2017—January 21, 2018). Curated by Johanna Burton with Sara O’Keeffe and Natalie Bell. The work is produced for Time Based Art Festival TBA in collaboration with the Reed College theatre department and the Cooley Gallery. Art direction by Morgan Bassichis. Performances are free but require reservations through pica.org. 

Gregg Bordowitz is an award-winning artist, writer, and activist. His films have shown internationally in screenings and exhibitions at museums including: The New Museum, NY; Artist Space, NY; TATE Modern, UK; and MoMA, NY. Bordowitz is the author of many books, including: The AIDS Crisis Is Ridiculous and Other Writings, 1986–2003. He was a member of the groundbreaking AIDS activist group ACT UP, and a founding member of the 1980’s film collective Testing the Limits. He is the recipient of a Rockefeller Intercultural Arts Fellowship, and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. Bordowitz is the Director of the Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He comes to Reed College as a Stephen E. Ostrow Distinguished Visitor in the Arts.

The Stephen E. Ostrow Distinguished Visitors in the Visual Arts program was established by a generous 1988 gift from Edward and Sue Cooley and John and Betty Gray in support of art history and its place in the humanities. The program enables Reed College’s art department to bring distinguished individuals in the arts to the college for extended periods. These visitors give public lectures and conduct seminars with students. The intent of the program is to bring to campus creative people who are distinguished in connection with the visual arts and who will provide "a forum for conceptual exploration, challenge, and discovery." The program is named in honor of art historian Dr. Stephen E. Ostrow, as a tribute to his career and out of respect for his advisory role in the formulation of the Cooley-Gray gift and the design of the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery. Ostrow is the Emeritus Chief of the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.