The purpose of this Discussion is to get you to look at the resources on artist projects, publishing collectives, and socially-engaged works related to publishing and zines, and reflect on how projects utilizing books and zines (“stuff”) can be intricately related to social spaces and community formation/organizing when deployed by artists. I also want you to think of questions, dilemmas, or problems in relationship to the production of projects like these. Part of why I am combining both topics (social practice and zines/publications) is that they intersect in many ways and artists use both methods to create larger projects. But social practice in general is always fraught with questions about impact (“who is it actually impacting?”), “what’s the point?” and even “but is this art?”
Many of the examples I’ve provided are quite varied, and range from gallery-centric artists projects (Wafaa Bilal’s “168:01” to publishing endeavors by Temporary Services: Half Letter Press, “Prisoners Inventions,” and more. Quarantine Library is an artist platform that showcases others’ mini-zines for free download. In all these examples there is an emphasis on public engagement and the idea that knowledge can be spread, shared, and disseminated in more collective ways.
DISCUSSION FORMAT:
- Pick TWO projects from any of the resources/artists/texts/publishers I’ve provided in our Modules (from the beginning of class until now) and reflect on how these projects engage with the public and why you want to highlight them. You can talk about what they are attempting to do and how you think this work fits into a larger idea of “socially engaged art” or as “art” in general. Some examples include: Temporary Services, Quarantine Public Library, “Black Ink Book Exchange” by Savannah Wood, “Added Value” by Stephanie Syjuco, any of the books or resources on Printed Matter’s website, the Introduction to “Living As Form” by Nato Thompson, or any of the physical zines or books I showed in class, etc. etc. (length: one paragraph per project)
First Reply
I think what stands out to me among the resources is the Quarantine Library, just because of the time it was created and the sole purpose of the site. Because of the pandemic, there is a huge lack of intellectual connections or any other artistic exchange, this site works great to connect artists with the artists, and artists with the audience. It really feels like you are physically browsing in a library. There are so many styles and themes in every unique zine. Like Professor Syjuco said, “every zine is like a snapshot of a time period.” There are beautiful poetry, ideas, and even what is it like when your brain started wandering around. It is a great tool to connect with people and I am definitely attempted to download some zines for my personal collection!
Secondly, I want to talk about Thompson Nato’s book- “Living as Form.” It is such an amazing archive of all the meaningful social practice arts. As someone who was not familiar with the concept before, this book is definitely eye-opening. The first-introduced work is already very interesting- Women on Waves. I love how it combines socially engaged art and political advocacy. Action-based, participatory art is what interests me the most. I believe that art should be engaging, not just standing in front of the artwork and simply appreciating it. Since everyone is so drastically different, inviting the viewers to participate in and complete the artwork can generate various results. It is why social practice art is so worth documenting, because it is “timeless” but also temporary.
I wonder what are some fine lines between non-profit organizations related to volunteering and art? Can we call everyone who’s running the good-cause organization part of this evolutionary social art period? Likewise, what distinguishes artists who are doing heroic acts and the people who are getting paid minimum wage but also doing the same job?
SECOND REPLY
The Quarantine Public Library (QPL) is one of the resources that stood out to me because of the immediacy of the free material. It shocked me that all of the zines provided can be downloaded and printed with ease. The accessibility of this project made me smile because it’s reaching out for people to engage in this extra communication and commitment to art and self-reflection in a time where we all needed it most. It was also so admirable because not only does this project encourage accessible means of art consumption, but it also encourages its users to donate to “EveryoneOn” which helps low-income families with attaining access to computers and the internet. The donation process is also really cute! They have a library card that you can buy, and you can also purchase their whole catalog of zines, all while 100% of the proceeds go to EveryoneOn. The connection to art, accessibility and non-profit support enhances their commitment to their communities digitally while creating real change outside these spaces. I think the previous sentence encapsulates why I believe this resource is linked to social practice. A question that I have about the QPL is why they don’t place the donation encouragement on their main page?
Printed Matter Inc. is another resource/company that extends its hands and exists within the art advocacy realm of social change. They do so many things! The company provides consultation services for bookstores/libraries/institutions looking to expand and revise their “artist book” section, they also hold tours, and talks for visiting classes. On top of this, they have kept an active and accessible archive and database of artist’s publications. They hold archival exhibits open to the public, and they provide more programs that are curated by artists for everyone. They also make it really easy if you want to submit your own book and have a place to distribute it! With all of this advocacy and talk about access, I was left a bit sad that there aren’t many locations. So I question if they are planning on expanding their process to other locations, cities, and towns that don’t have these types of opportunities.
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