John Giorno utilized language as his primary tool in his practice as a poet and visual artist. Artists Raque Ford, virgil b/g taylor and Nora Turato place importance in the written word in their respective practices. Ebony L. Haynes, Director of 52 Walker, will host a discussion with Ford, taylor, and Turato on how these artists use text in their performances and paintings to mirror social and political issues respective to their generation. John Giorno’s interest in activism was manifested in his work as an AIDS activist. Haynes will discuss how the artists’ interests in activism, for example, overlap with John Giorno’s artistic oeuvre.