On Art and Social Practice
I’m using these first few posts to lay the groundwork of what Material Encounters means to me. I’m interested in textile art specifically, of course. But more critically, I am interested in community, and in the ways we practice agency. What I’m hoping to do is build an even bigger tent, one that encompasses more materials, that considers innovative, regenerative, and life-affirming materials, and that applies social practice as a means of thinking about and sharing these interests.
Recently I’ve been invited to deliver talks to the Santa Barbara Fiber Arts Guild, American Craft Council, and a UCLA Costume Design course. In them I’d begun to reframe my work as a form of social sculpture. When I told a fellow artist I was interested in social practice, she sent me an article by Harrell Fletcher.
I want to recap some of Harrell’s Art and Social Practice manifesto here, because he does such a wonderful job laying the groundwork. Even if you are familiar with his work or with the concept of social practice, I hope you will find his words a welcome refresher.
He begins by reminding us that “in the case of the developing field of Art and Social Practice, process and product are of equal importance and things like crediting, collaboration, audience, context, and making work in non-art spaces are highly valued.”
Harrell continues, “When I think about my own practice, even outside of the framework of social engagement, there are various important elements. Personal enjoyment, intellectual engagement, and having varied new experiences are of greater importance to me than typical art world success….Have been interested in how my practice can allow me to learn about and experience the world outside of my own normal life conditions. As a result, I prefer an interdisciplinary project-based approach to working that allows me to explore topics, ideas, histories, activities etc., that puts me in the position of learning as I develop work, and in some cases to even become an audience to the projects I have created.“
And then he leaves us with “things to think about while making work as an artist.” The list below is a paraphrase.
Make work that actually interests you. How do you go about figuring out what you are actually interested in so that your art can engage with those things? Start by thinking about what you do when you are not making art.
Consider context. I think for the most part artists are taught to assume that the ideal place to show their work is a white cube gallery type space. By maintaining that assumption, artists are limiting themselves both in regard to the many other interesting places they can present work, but also by the nature of the work that they make, which is almost unconsciously designed specifically as objects for gallery spaces and the ability to transport those things to collectors houses and museums. Instead, I suggest thinking much more inclusively about all of the possible options for where an artist might present work and what that work might be. That could include schools, libraries, parks, stores, front yards, etc., and might be objects and activities that are ephemeral or totally permanent and not designed for shipping at all. (***See below!)
Avoid friction. Artists often create obstacles for themselves that make it very difficult to produce the projects they want to make. Sometimes that is about the need for budgets or other resources that aren’t available.
Expand parameters. Artists are generally taught to focus exclusively on object making in a studio environment, and not at all on the broader set of elements that surround and support the presentation of that work. In that case the “art” is just the object that has been made and nothing else. Artists can broaden out their practice to include a much wider set of aspects than just object making. That could include audience engagement, ephemera production and distribution, the construction of conceptual frameworks, the additions of participatory activities, etc. By working within a larger field of possibilities, artists can, to a much greater extent, determine and influence the way that their work is perceived and experienced.
Give Credit. Art has been made to seem like it is a solo activity. Encourage collaboration and group work.
The full text of what prompted these ideas can be found here >>.
***This idea of context and space is even more critical in modern Los Angeles, where rents are astronomical, artist studios are closing their doors, and landlords would rather take the write off on unrented space than lease affordable working space to a critical subset of our city’s citizens.