James David Morgan wrote this post at 3:45 pm on December 29th, 2009.

Gestures of Resistance returns this January with a re-envisioned show at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. Like the 2008 public presentation, the upcoming show focuses on craft actions, “direct political statements, public interventions, or dialogical, community-specific project.” This is furthered by the exhibition’s planning; each of the eight artists participate by creating their work in the space, sharing it with other artists as the show unfurls, emphasizing both the work produced and the process of its making.
The exhibition takes the approach that to understand ‘performative craft’ requires a relational lens that sees objects and gestures as deriving meaning largely from how and where they are deployed, and that sees action as situated within social and political particulars.
While the studio/town hall/venue is on-going, upstairs in the Museum will be a study center with one work by each artist and reading materials on performative craft. A podcast of the same materials read aloud will also be available.
Participating artists include Sara Black and John Preus, Anthea Black, Carole Lung, Cat Mazza, Mung Lar Lam, Ehren Tool, and Theaster Gates, and the show is co-curated by Judith Leemann and Shannon Stratton.
Disclosure: Co-curator Judith Leemann is a friend of Groundswell, and the artist-in-residence at DS4SI, where we think and work together.
1 comment