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Don't call Patti Smith an artist, musician, composer, writer, or poet because she dismisses labels, having welded many genres to make her groundbreaking creations. A revolutionary artistic force, Smith is the honoree at "Booked for the Evening," Westport Library's benefit on May 19 at 7 p.m.Smith's move to New York City in the 1970s and the combustion she felt from her meeting and aligning with fellow visionary photographer-artist Robert Mappelthorpe, broke open her creative vault. Out poured a new music genre, punk, which she helped shape, as well as poetry, paintings and a guiding role as doyenne of the era's downtown arts scene.
"Just Kids," Smith's 2010 autobiography-memoir, describes her influential role in reshaping the tastes and styles of the time, as well as the trajectory of her envelope-pushing creative work. Her book won the National Book Award last year.
And with her elevation to Time Magazine's 2011 world's most influential people list, (she was also inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 2007,) four decades after she burst on the art scene, Smith retains her role as an innovator with a purpose. "When I was younger, I felt it was my duty to wake people up. I thought poetry was asleep. I thought rock 'n' roll was asleep," she's said. Westport Library's award to Smith will offer a chance to experience Patti Smith's no-holds barred, fully awake and thoroughly fascinating take on things. Tickets start at $175 and proceeds benefit Westport Library. For more information and reservations, visit the Library's website.
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