presentation on social practice and made for each other

8/9/2019 Presentation on Social Practice and Made for Each Other

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www.made4.org

Tuesday, June 22, 2010
http://www.made4.org/http://www.made4.org/


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social practice artwhat it is (or might be) and how it can help our city



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now is the time.Contemporary art often doesnt appeal to manypeople. Why not? It can be cold, stylized and

obscurely conceptual. Much of what has become

the standard in museums and galleries lacks theemotional, social and narrative connections that

audiences seek. This kind of pessimistic and post-postmodern its all been done before art can

make audiences feel like they must not be smartenough or cool enough to get it.



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Dia Art Foundations Walter De Maria: The New York Earth Room



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optimistic art.On the flip side, the work of social practice artists

like Harrell Fletcher is positive, hopeful andinvolves non-art people as participants in the

process. Fletcher and other social practice artistsare not using people. And theyre not pandering to

get a good crowd at a show. They are helpingguide people toward creativity and toward

connecting with art and each other.



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this art about

other people

(besides the

artist) is easier

for other people

to enjoy.

I started to feelguilty making art that

was about me.- Harrell Fletcher atHerron in 2009

above: ThriftStore Music;left: SevenSimultaneousLectures atCentral Library2010



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big foot sightings project at Big Car



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where it comes from:Wikipedia says: Distinct from modern art of the 20thcentury, social practice builds on a variety of contemporaryart movements, including public art, Institutional Critique,

interactive art, performance art, and environmental art. It isdistinct from academic art or the high arts movements inthat it does not require any association with formal arttheory or training. Breaking away from the conventions of

any particular structured aesthetic theory, social practicemaintains the intention of creativity while incorporatingelements of sociology, anthropology, social work,environmentalism, journalism and community outreach.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_Critiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_Critiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_Critiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_art


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social practice art is aboutpeople and about the world

around us. It is empatheticart and requires artists to becapable of empathy.



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I go around the world, really, in various sorts of

ways, Im pointing to things, identifying them, andsaying theres something good about this.

Harrell Fletcher



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it is also crowd-sourced art

This is similar to what we see all of the time withcrowd sourcing entertainment on the Internet

(YouTube, Facebook, etc). People love to

participate. They love to express themselves. Andthey like to see work that is made by people who

come from a similar place and background. Theseare the things that happen with social practice,

community-oriented public art like Fletchers andlike the Made for Each Other project.



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www.learningtoloveyoumore.com

http://www.learningtoloveyoumore.com/http://www.learningtoloveyoumore.com/


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Why do this?Big Car, which has always been influenced by the

philosophies of the Dada and Surrealist art

movements, started with a focus on collaboration and

building a community of artists who work in different

ways. So, over the years, weve put on art shows,

poetry readings, music shows, dance performances

and plays bringing all kinds of people together

through collaboration. As we thought about what to do

next, we knew it was important to connect with people

together from the community at large. Made for Each

Other is bringing joy to a lot of people and helping

us grow a new group of art lovers by involving them

and engaging them in the process.



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musical performance inside a

sculpture at Big Car, 2010Tuesday, June 22, 2010


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collage party at Big Car 2009Tuesday, June 22, 2010


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who are you and what do you wantBig Car, 2008



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Made for Each Other...is a series of eight community art projects takingplace in neighborhoods across Indianapolis during

2009-2010. MFEO is social practice art

meaning that the projects are social, interactiveand interpersonal in nature. This kind of art isabout projects that involve, engage and help

people and communities grow. Social practice art

and MFEO are about people and place versus thecreation of traditional art products.



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We call it Made for Each Other

because the projects are just that made for and by each other in our

community. If it sounds like the title for

a romantic comedy thats just fine.This series is all about exploring a

real love for our city and our

neighbors and having fun makingart together while helping the

community in small ways.



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MFEO projects...... in Indianapolis ask people from eight differentneighborhoods to join us in creating shows and

events within the context of the neighborhoods. Webring neighbors together to help with the planning,

creating and celebration of each project. MFEO

happens in: the Near Eastside, Southeast,Martindale-Brightwood, Near West, West Indy,

Crooked Creek, the Binford Boulevard area, andLafayette Square. Big Car is working with the help

of internationally artist Harrell Fletcher of Portland,Oregon. The project costs are funded by a GINI

Imagine Big Grant we received in 2009.

http://www.harrellfletcher.com/http://www.harrellfletcher.com/http://www.harrellfletcher.com/


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City of Indianapolis, 2005Tuesday, June 22, 2010


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public public art

MFEO moves public art from the realm of culturaltourism to community locations in city

neighborhoods across the city. The target audienceis no longer visitors. It is people who live nearby.

And the art is no longer just dropped in out of

nowhere. The social nature of these projects moredirectly connects members of the community with

the final product. The work located in eachcommunity is about these communities in authentic

ways. The work is made based on ideas and inputfrom neighbors engaged in the communities. And

the community is part of the creation andcelebration of the projects.



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MFEO sculpture at Skiles Test ElementaryTuesday, June 22, 2010


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the process start with gathering ideas and talking with neighbors

team up to form a great idea for a project

work with neighbors to make things happen bring all together to experience and celebrate it

document everything really well along the way.



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our projects Pictures of Us and Our Neighborhoodin the Southeast Playing Andy Goldsworthyat Skiles Test Elementary

Test Fest at Skiles Test Nature Park (BRAG)

MFEO Community Art Space in the Near East

Kountry Kitchen project at The Project School in Martindale-Brightwood

Designed signs exchange and house T-shirts/mural projects

in the Near East.

Community performance and pizza box poems in West Indy

Learning about the world at the grocery store event with

Harrell Fletcher at Saraga Market in Lafayette Square

Still in the idea stage: Near West and Crooked Creek



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southeast photo project



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southeast photo projectTuesday, June 22, 2010


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playing Andy Goldsworthy at Skiles TestTuesday, June 22, 2010


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playing Andy GoldsworthyTuesday, June 22, 2010


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Kountry Kitchen with The Project SchoolTuesday, June 22, 2010


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Kountry Kitchen with The Project School



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Near East house drawing projectTuesday, June 22, 2010


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MFEO community art space at 10th and Rural, opening soon



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MFEO at the West Indy block party doing interviews



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SaragaInternationalMarket



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I form collaborations with people to produce

exhibitions about aspects of their lives, or theworld, that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

More about

Harrell Fletcher



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cometogether

presentation

SF MOMA - pictures collected

from visitors walletsTuesday, June 22, 2010


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In one of Fletchers projects, he visited garagesales in a neighborhood, asking the owners of theitems for sale for the stories behind certain things

he purchased. He then created an art showdisplaying the items and the stories in a location

within that same neighborhood. The resulting showbrought together the neighbors selling things at thegarage sales with members of the arts community

and artists in the area who came to see the show.



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In another project, Fletcher walked through aPortland neighborhood and discovered interestingcement lawn statues in the front lawn of the house.

After getting to know the people there, the ideacame up to create similar small lawn statues of

dozens of people who lived in the neighborhood. Alocal artist was commissioned to make these. And,after they were shown in a gallery (where all of theneighbors came together for the show), the statues

were placed in the yard of the people who firstprompted the idea. They remain there today.



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what can you do?1. help out with Made for Each Other2. learn about your neighbors and your city3. cook up projects of your own

4. research artists who work in social practice:some are Harrell Fletcher, Jon Rubin, Tino Sehgal,Santiago Sierra, San Keller, Mark Dion, NilsNorman, Amy Franceschini, Marc Horowitz, LeeWalton, Creative Time, Daniel Bozhkov, AlyseEmdur, Allison Smith, Tom Marioni.

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