Dear Friends:

Though it is often said that works of art speak for themselves, with the opening of Ecstatic Alphabets/Heaps of Language on May 6, this sentiment becomes more than true. This exhibition demonstrates the ways that words, language, and poetry can become physical elements in visual art. In the work of Taryn Simon, whose photographic project A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters will have its U.S. debut at MoMA, text accompanies portraiture to create genealogical narratives. Continuing in May, MoMA's Words in the World program presents a series of performances—including, on May 9 and 10, Guy de Cointet's Five Sisters (1981)—that explore language from a range of perspectives.

In the theaters we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Focus Features, highlight experimental films by Australian artist and filmmaker Tracey Moffatt (who will on be on hand for a Modern Mondays event on May 7), and present a comprehensive retrospective—including feature-length and short films—of the acclaimed director Werner Schroeter.

If you haven't had a chance already, I urge you to visit before Diego Rivera: Murals for The Museum of Modern Art (through May 14), Print/Out (through May 14), and Cindy Sherman (through June 11) come to a close.

Glenn D. Lowry
Director