A People’s History of Madonna
Art by Luke Atkinson
Over the last four decades, Madonna’s brand of evocative dance-pop has become the template that every pop star is expected to follow. She didn’t achieve this alone. By co-opting cultural movements and working with innovative collaborators, the arc of history began bending towards Madonna.
Using rare videos, images, and articles we will examine how Madonna’s ascent and evolution harvested and expounded upon the most dynamic societal trends since the early 1980s. By touching on issues such as sexuality, cultural co-option, music industry politics, fashion, and feminism, we will use Madonna as a guide to better understand the world we interact with every day.
Warning: Some material may be highly sexy.
Location
Red Onion Records
1901 18th St. NW #B
Washington,
DC
Neighborhood: Adams Morgan
Past event
Instructor
Neal Fersko grew up in suburban New York and has lived in the D.C. area since 2003. He has written on music for Spectrum Culture and Canonball.