IRIS Nights Presents An Evening With Mikki Willis and Laila Ali



Thursday, February 25, 6:30-8:00pm

This IRIS Nights presentation offers a conversation between Laila Ali and photographer Mikki Willis.

Laila Ali is an undefeated title holder and has been the major draw in women's boxing for years. As a champion athlete, Laila has found a unique value in photography, as the art that has shaped the way people look at female athletes, and specifically women in boxing. Throughout her career she has tried to show that you can be both strong and beautiful as a female athlete. And for Laila, the youngest daughter of Veronica Porsche Anderson and the legendary Muhammad Ali, the action shots of her father in the ring and the confidence and determination in his eyes have been her continual inspiration.

Laila has appeared in numerous magazines, including Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, People, Ebony, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Essence, JET, ESPN the Magazine, TV Guide and Time. She also authored a motivational book entitled Reach!, in an effort to inspire young women. Laila presently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, former NFL player Curtis Conway, and their son, Curtis Muhammad Conway, Jr.

Art and entertainment have always been the heartbeat of Mikki Willis' life. As a photographer, he has shot fashion, music and portraits, including powerful images of Laila Ali. In 1996, Mikki made his directorial debut with the independent feature film Shoe Shine Boys, which won praise from top critics. The film's innovative visual style attracted the attention of major record labels and launched Mikki's career as a music video director. Willis is the founding director of Elevate Films, the Elevate Foundation and the Elevate Film Festival, all of which challenge the international film community to create works of social and global importance. Mikki is the recipient of the 2008 Conscious Life Humanitarian Award.

To register for this lecture, please click here. Additional tickets will be tomorrow morning; Thursday, Feb 18 at 9:30am. We recommend that you make your reservations soon, as our lectures tend to fill up quickly. If you are unable to reserve seats through our ticketing system, don't be discouraged...10 minutes prior to the lecture we release any seats that have not been claimed by ticketholders to standby guests.

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