Ruby City is honored to welcome New York-based artist Melissa Joseph for a special artist talk during her return to San Antonio for conservation work on her monumental textile piece, Indian Dirty Dancing (2024). Realized while she was in Artpace’s International Artist-in-Residence program, this deeply personal work is Joseph’s most significant to date—measuring 12 x 9 ft and based on a family photograph of her parents rehearsing an Indian dance.
Drawing on her father’s Indian heritage, her mother’s Pennsylvanian roots, and the iconic 1987 film Dirty Dancing, the artwork captures a powerful, joy-filled moment from her youth and family’s history—one the artist did not witness but has reimagined with vibrancy and affection. In this conversation, Joseph will reflect on the layered influences and emotional resonance of Indian Dirty Dancing, which blends elements of memory, diasporic experience, and cultural hybridity.
Attendees will also learn about the conversation Joseph undertook and hear insights into her broader practice, which explores the labors of women, the complexities of immigrant life, and the tactile language of textiles.