INVITATION TEXT:

POST-ELECTION ARTISTS' DISCUSSION

DECEMBER 18TH

4:00PM

PRATT INSTITUTE LIBRARY

200 Willoughby Avenue, Brooklyn

ALUMNI READING ROOM (top floor)

Introductions by Autumn Knight, Jen Liu and Sunita Prasad

Please RSVP here.

(There is a room capacity of 65, but you can come even if you don't RSVP. You can also come for part of the time.)

4:00pm - Autumn, Jen and Sunita present their work in the context of politics and activism.

4:30-5:00 - The three artists discuss post-election experiences including reactions, actions, readings.

5:00-6:00 - The group discusses ideas and plans for effective action as well as art's role.

6:00-7:00 - Mingle and discuss further outside of the panel structure. Snacks.

Please join us on December 18th for a discussion on how to be effective as artists and citizens post-election.

The furious, cool, sage, sad, witty voices of our community have been essential threads of guidance since November 8th. The goal of this meeting is to combine efforts and define method and purpose.

We will discuss the political role and effect of our discipline. We will share plans for taking effective action as citizens. We will identify and create trustworthy platforms for information.

Autumn Knight, Jen Liu and Sunita Prasad will start with brief introductions of their work and lead a discussion on art's political function.

The bulk of the meeting will be dedicated to a group discussion during which all are invited to voice concerns and propose actions.

This meeting has been organized with the advisory help of grassroots organizer and campaign strategist Carinne Luck.

The meeting will be accompanied with a printed publication to which artists have submitted original writing. This publication will be available at the meeting as an alternative to social media or mainstream news sources. It will be followed with an online platform for invited artists to share writing, images, suggested readings and calls to action.

The discussion will be recorded and broadcast on Pratt radio after winter break.

Thank you for the many ways you have all already helped each other move through and address the present state.

Please RSVP here.

Yours,

Angela

Prompts/Questions/Please help:

What are art's limitations as a political agent?

Where and how does it succeed at contributing to an evolution of the collective consciousness?

Is art capable of contributing to the immediate, tangible change that we are now even more aware is so urgently needed?

How can art do this without crossing disciplines into activism?

How can art employ the same forms as activism and still be art?

Are art forms intrinsically excluded from the categories of forms that can produce political results?

Is representing counter-culture enough?

Art aside, what are productive actions we can take as citizens?

How can we sort through the many urgent voices and phony news sources to pinpoint how best to act?

Where are we getting our news sources?

How can we share news outside of the cultural frenzy of social media?

How can we use social media constructively?

Can art be a supplement for conveying ideas when news media is found to be false or insufficient?

NOTES ON THE PRE-MEETING EMAIL EXCHANGE BETWEEN ANGELA, CARINNE, AUTUMN, SUNITA AND JEN:

SAFETY

physical safety (SP)
bringing a new person into the world (SP)
how to protect myself, (JL)

ACTIVISM

the ways in which people will continue to self organize around issues of concern in their communities (AK)
how to be an ally, (JL)
the unfolding of multiple protest and resistance approaches (JL)
how to reconcile art’s/artists’ dual identities as political agents as well as blue chip level capitalist participants? what does it look like for an artist to earn a living without complacency in capitalism? (AC)

TRUTH/TRUST

What kind of society is possible when trust and the expectations of reasonable truth are completely broken down? (JL)
When zero sum structures are the only imaginable framework for social negotiations? (JL)
What methods of "fight" do we mean when the changing of minds - the ultimate purpose of civil discourse - is not at all possible?(JL)
suspicion and surprise (AK)
the power of renaming, for example: "alt-right" (AK)
If truth can not be found in news media, where is it? Is that where art comes in? (AC)
Is there a time in history when news media was trustworthy? To whom? (AC)

POLICY

losing four years of halfway reasonable climate change policy (SP)

the breakdown of democracy here in the US and abroad (CL)

THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

What is the/are the greater stories here - not just in the us, but internationally? Why IS there so much strife? In the past, the coordination between deep resource imbalance and pre famine conditions have lined up fairly nearly with explosions of violence. Is this what we're heading towards/ already in? (JL)
I see anger amplifying, on both sides. How does this converge with or contest the question of normalization? Are the pernicious long term effects of ressentiment in terms of creating whole moral systems part of normalization, or does it stand in resistance to normalization? Is it normal to be living in alternate echo chambers, living in moral systems not just at odds but completely hostile to each other - is that the only feasible social harmony? What kind of imaginary social harmony do we index when we imagine where we should or could be? (JL)
the raw exposure of that battle for power between equally hegemonic but mutually exclusive moral systems!(JL)
Knowing that a consensus of such a country (ever-changing, huge in population and area, of multifarious origins of time and place) is impossible, we settled for the absurd idea that since we can’t unanimously agree, there must be exactly two sides of this argument, which is fought between two distinct but separately whole groups. Do these groups actually exist? (AC)
We haven't been asking the right questions, and we have too passively gone along with a conversation that doesn't benefit anyone. What are the right questions? (AC)
What is the purpose of identity politics? How can we reckon with its necessity when it has turned like a switch to a controversial word?

OPTIMISM

a new battleground for meaning (CL)
in the long-term we will still win (not social harmony, per se, but certainly a period of hegemonic control where the terms of debate and the political terrain is on our terms).(CL)
"Gramsci insists on the importance of struggle in the field of culture, because to a large extent that's where common sense is built, and it's also in the cultural field where one can subvert it. That's why I'm interested in artistic and cultural practices, and how they could contribute to counter-hegemonic struggles," [p.45 Podemos: In the Name of the People] (CL)
the truth is more elusive than we thought. That truth is what we have to wrestle into existence, and art can be a vehicle for it. (AC)

Fight like the tea partiers?

The softness of the left.

Image result for the softness of the left

FORM SUBMISSIONS FROM THOSE INVITED VIA THE EMAIL INVITATION TO THIS MEETING - ANSWERS TO THE QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OR PLAN TO TALK ABOUT [AT THIS MEETING]?:

As creative people, artists, how can we best share/use the insight into our culture and society that we have as cultural producers for political action? As cultural producers (esp. of the 'fine art' kind) we straddle a variety of communities and in particular social and economic strata - often we are both marginalized and privy to (and sometimes even live) the life of the elite/powerful/wealthy - So, what can we do as fluid members of society and how can we use our fluidity for political action/influence?

Using the nuances and accessibility of an "art practice" to enable conversations that resist and subvert polarization and assumptions of all kinds, including right/wrong "sides"...

Intersections of feminism, anti-racism, and environmentalism

Electoral College activism

Art as commerce/ commerce as a voice

ways to organize for and support women of color in positions of power in the "art world"

effective ways for staying engaged long term

The agency, impact and potential infringement of the artist discipline and voice in a post-election space; The source and distribution of our news/messages, and the role of the artist in this practice.

How to kick start the socialist revolution in the USA

scarcity of time, and slowing down to make time for thoughtful, collective acts. Specifically my experience learning about the art scene in Eastern Europe where being political and doing direct change-making actions is a given with being a citizen. Many artists have their own practice which is more conceptual, and then a collective (which meets weekly) where they work together to organize discussions and interventions. What are ways people are organizing and making time for this?

It is important to continue to grapple with about this issue of elitism in art practices and how to have art be more important/ effective for a broader public. All kinds of art are still essential, and don't necessarily need to be outright political to actually be political and help improve quality of life- inspire and shift people's perspective and awareness of their own agency.

Art as political expression

how we can organize and be badass and agitate

Future activism for artists in our community

Resistance is possible!

The strengths and limitations of art as activism

DISCUSSION TOOLS

https://www.newtactics.org/cultural-resistance-arts-protest/how-do-cultural-resistance-tactics-fit-larger-strategy

This diagram, can serve as a way of mapping out resistance along individual, collective, symbolic and material lines: (CL)

QUESTIONS ANGELA PREPARED (only one of which was asked):

Autumn and Sunita:

You have both done work wherein a performer speaks the words of someone of a gender with which they do not identify. Can you each speak to the intended vs. the realised effects of this kind of puppetry?

Autumn:

You have done collaborative work that involves discourse directly comparing your experience of race as compared with your collaborator’s. How and why did you choose discourse as a kind of medium? Where did it lead and how did it surprise you? Did it illuminate?

Autumn:

Your performance work assembles bodies and utilizes your own body as part of the medium. Do you think about performance in relationship to protest? How does marching/gathering/sitting-in relate to the way you think about the use of bodies in art?

Sunita:

Have you done any further work on your Presumptuous series since the election, and if you did, how would the intention adjust according to ways that the safety of public spaces might feel compromised, or what assumptions you might have or others might have are shifted? What assumptions were you working with when making these videos about social norms, and have those assumptions changed?

Jen:

Identity as defined by government is addressed in your work the Red Detachment of Women. What has your look at the way art was shaped by the Chinese government during the Cultural Revolution informed you about how art acts in relationship to law? If art is acting outside of government regulation, as it has been generally in this country, can we put words to the way it engages with a public differently than when it is under government control? Is that function something we can rely on as a source of truth or expression of opinion when government and media can not function as such?

OPPOSITE DAY - NOTES

Taken live by Dylan Gauthier during the meeting held at 4:00pm, December 18th 2016:

Q-A: Do you think about performance in relation to protest or vice-versa?

A-A: In what context is it a protest? E.G. I tend to use a lot of Black women’s bodies in my work, but if it were seen by black audiences it wouldn’t be seen as a protest - black artist presenting black bodies to a black audience. But as most of my work is not seen by audiences that are black / much less people of color… … Context may shift, perhaps it won’t need to be a protest - why stamp it in the beginning?

A-J: Maybe “protest” isn’t the word… protest … how does it relate to representation inside/outside of media and national contexts? “Protest” = reactive.

A-A: Representation a better way to talk about what that - thing - above (see above) is.

A-S: Form is similar, not sure if the function is similar. Art = often poor excuse for protest. Art as activism, etc. I make a lot of work about politics / activism - trying to create more of a relationship between these things… SeaChange project - contained many elements of “bad protest” and “bad art” which happens a lot… a lot… important to make a distinction between time of the two - time for being a body / street or person intervening or undermining an exploitative economy… Mention of Gramsci quote ( [p.45 Podemos: In the Name of the People] ) see above.

A-A: There is a (subtle) process of coding (encoding) to hide what I am trying to say, how do I put this in between the (mattress) tuck it in there and see who can see what I am doing… self-selecting audience? Those who can see what I’m doing can come and talk to me later. Strategy - how the message is put inside the work/laid on top. Artists shield themselves from certain labels toward a more nuanced way of speaking - urgency is often so important it needs to be said clearly now (while engaging with activism).

Q-A: Question about Alt-Right “label” mentioned in Autumn’s work earlier. How have your perspectives and/or work changed since the election? (Or has it? - Rachel in the audience.)

A-J: It hasn’t (?) Maybe it’s slightly shifted priorities but hasn’t fundamentally changed my interest/s or the content.

Q-A: what has (changed?)

A-J: Nothing and everything. Which is why it’s so hard to get going. There’s so much chatter - we know the base core of what is happening… “WE” can’t quite nail it. Everything and nothing.

A-S: It’s very early yet to tell - either in your individual practice or in wider trends. Impulse to record what is going on. I need time to make further research to make an effect on what is happening though it feels like there is no time.

A-A: Question about how media relates to truth. Desire for this community to share information and be able to share information. What is it about our particular community or role as artists that can foster that ability to share truth/information.

A-S: Artists are equipped to lean into this idea/question about what truth is, how flexible it is.

A-J: for artists/art practitioners, questioning and knowing how flexible truth is is not mutually exclusive to taking a stand.

A-A: From background in theatre: “Theater is a lie that tells the truth.” Period. As an art form. Which truth do you want to tell within this lie? You have to communicate a particular truth. Visual artists - get to choose which type of truth you want to tell within this overall lie. Cf: Kerry James Marshall talk. Truth: “People don’t need any of this stuff we’re creating as artists”

A-S: As media makers, we’re media literate and able to parse media well.

A-J: This relates to fake news and the fictionalization of media. Artists can help connect this to a much larger picture. But what are the goals? The repeated positioning of truth.

A-A: The “they” is shifting. Some of the “theys” are us.

Q-A: Or nobody knows who “us” “is” and who “they” “is” …

A-A: Formal declaration of “I am an artist.” As a politicized statement. One of the ultimate privileges - you can’t go to … jail for calling yourself an artist if you’re .. not.

Question on militancy:war. Differing relationship to the other. Is it willing to take out the other side if they’re not willing to …

A-S: talking about a less compromising ideology

A-A: If they are not interested in facts, then your argument cannot be about facts.

Q-?: But also how to define facts?

A-A: They have redefined what the facts are for all of us. Thinking about the softness - or strategies to take out the other side. Maybe softness is its own strategy. They don’t have to value softness. As long as the goal is to ^.

Opening up to the floor. Questions from the room.

R: Positive benefit of the art work that you/we’re making, please don’t change the work you do (weird, zone, doing your thing, etc.) and maybe being direct/action activism is totally separate. Widening your scope - changing the audience. Showing your work to a broader audience - none of the “they” that you speak of have seen your work. So if you want art to act as activism, do you change your work in a way that makes it more accessible, more available? How do we make it more available, to speak to the people we can’t currently speak to, without changing the work/content itself? -> M

M: If you’re thinking about changing audience [having an effect on a changing audience] we’re talking about the insularity of art. Art as something with power to move more people it has to become something that a broader audience of people can understand?

J: What is art for such that it’s an unquestioned … to expand its audience.

W: … Thinking of Autumn’s work in terms of the audience that is viewing it. Depending on where it is presented it may have a political effect, which may or may not be your intent. I wanted to ask whether art making in general constitutes an analogous thing that needs to be protected? We fall into a trap because we find ourselves against political opponents who don’t necessarily value the ends toward which we choose to put our lives. BUT If I don’t want to read the news today and want to work on a creative project am I being an ostrich? Question of transforming your work into a propaganda tool/toward furthering your cultural values [...]

M: The thought exercise is when you’re dealing with a lot of nuance and references in the work that an audience needs to have in hand for the work to appeal to that audience…-

R: Your work all has political content already. Not saying we need to change our practices - but if you are whispering things to people - which I’ve always learned is a way to create change in the world - maybe it’s the little things - having a show outside of New York City in a place your work has never been seen before.

A: Ernesto Pujol. Who travels around the country holding workshops - a purposeful part of his work is to bring this work to areas where students wouldn’t have access to that - which is specific to Pujol’s work and obviously not all of us can just take the show on the road…

M: To go larger… I have been thinking about audience a lot and there’s such a lack of understanding about art in this country and a lack of valuing of art - a failure of imagination and lack of access. We understand as artists that art is a part of culture. Artists should be thinking about this - how can art become more a part of this culture? Our country is not founded on the values that support the arts - as important to human mental health and well-being. Commissioner DCA is holding office hours/open conversations about this comprehensive cultural plan right now, broadening this question of audience. How can we make art something that is valued in this culture, not elitist, as its important that people have access to this.

Z: These are great points - but we just democratically elected a Fascist. It’s our job to get out of bubble land and educate people. Soft approach is great but it doesn’t work when it’s inside this bubble. It’s our job to get out of NY and get out to the places where education is needed. I’m personally not going to show any more work in NY until I’m showing outside of NY.

AC: What is the message - is it just having access to art?

Z: No.

S: Will showing your art outside of NY change their minds?

Z: It’s a soft sell. You all remember when you … etc.

AC: So your plan is to be cool.

JL: Models for art in crisis: Act UP. Artists can coalesce into groups / R: outside of their own personal practices / Going outside of the coastal regions - you’d be surprised this “loose theys” how open people are. Issue is how seldom we leave our safe spaces, and for good reason sometimes. Which is increasingly a reality with “The Enabled Theys of Trumpland.”

AK: Are we OK with this enclosed bubble-like space? “They” again but “they” are moving past art, they’re so shut off from it. A shift is happening and we need to be aware of it. Clearly a shift just happened. We’re talking about institutionalized art.

AC: The fact that we’ve chosen to participate in institutionalized art-- can we stay with that choice and be effective citizens?

IA: This conversation wouldn’t have been called if Hillary had won, we’d just go on having the conversation we were having with our personal values whatever they were I don’t personally think we should change our personal practices, but as artists we have particular strategies that we’ve honed to help us organize and contribute and engage… our understanding of the broader narrative has changed.

Q: Depends on the audience/participants at this kind of conversation - in these conversations with pocs I hear there’s no surprise, this is just the status quo, this has always been here. People now are saying “You weren’t making this up.” It’s always been here. Just depends on how people want to participate in what’s already here.

Z: One of the things this ties into is - is changing your practice really that bad? If circumstances call for a change, why not change your practice?

IA: I’m not suggesting we need to change our practice, but to use what we have in an activist manner?

RESOURCES and ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED:

https://www.indivisibleguide.com/

http://www.mcny.org/exhibition/activist-new-york

http://gulflabor.org/

#allofus

https://www.hifromtheotherside.com/

http://www.actupny.org/

https://www.visualaids.org/projects/detail/the-red-ribbon-project

https://www.womensmarch.com/transportation/

Prospect-Lefferts Gardens: https://crowdtrips.com/app/site/p/trips/c/trip/id/579/#trip_details