I feel that I need to unpack this a bit more. "Maintenance Art" initially as I understand it, derives from an intentional solidarity with sanitation workers in NYC. It signifies a bottom up process to change the conditions and image of how workers who clean the city daily are perceived by the general population. The general public looked down ( "garbage workers", etc) and took for granted the cleansing of their surroundings. With these conditions in mind, Mierle was able to connect the simple act of shaking each sanitation workers hand, to the bigger picture of maintaining the enivironment. Mierle's art work comes in part from the notion of "womens work" historically, with the sanitation strike in the 1970's that shut down the city. Maybe choosing a name for your process is a bit to soon. You are building a feminist archive, of many waves of feminist art, both past and present. What you are doing is a process of retrieval and storage of feminist artists interviews, that wants to activate interest in younger women artist, to re-look at why feminist art is historically and presently important as an identification for social change. "Networking" is a 1990's notion related to computers, then it became a term to create business situations for career building. Not what I imagine you are interested in.
It is great that you are thinking through various naming processes for what you are doing. This is part of the learning process of any art exploration of good ideas, which I deeply feel is part of the interesting path you have created for yourself as a student. Not many students at your age, are able to grasp, or have this drive in them to think and feel this perpetual process known as art knowing, doing, knowing... That said, you also must embrace many degrees of discomfort in your journey to learn; this uneasiness may be filled with many unknowns, making your journey magical in some uphill struggles, and in others, a space of desperation, just to get through the day. Embrace it all, that is the learning process!
I feel that I need to unpack this a bit more.
ReplyDelete"Maintenance Art" initially as I understand it, derives from an intentional solidarity with sanitation workers in NYC.
It signifies a bottom up process to change the conditions and image of how workers who clean the city daily are perceived by the general population. The general public looked down ( "garbage workers", etc) and took for granted the cleansing of their surroundings. With these conditions in mind, Mierle was able to connect the simple act of shaking each sanitation workers hand, to the bigger picture of maintaining the enivironment. Mierle's art work comes in part from the notion of "womens work" historically, with the sanitation strike in the 1970's that shut down the city.
Maybe choosing a name for your process is a bit to soon.
You are building a feminist archive, of many waves of feminist art, both past and present.
What you are doing is a process of retrieval and storage of feminist artists interviews,
that wants to activate interest in younger women artist, to re-look at why feminist art is historically and presently important as an identification for social change.
"Networking" is a 1990's notion related to computers, then it became a term to create
business situations for career building. Not what I imagine you are interested in.
I was only joking, I am far from deeming this art networking art... I am far from even categorizing what I am doing.
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you are thinking through various naming processes for what you are doing.
ReplyDeleteThis is part of the learning process of any art exploration of good ideas, which I deeply feel is part of the interesting path you have created for yourself as a student.
Not many students at your age, are able to grasp, or have this drive in them to think and feel this perpetual process known as art knowing, doing, knowing... That said, you also must embrace many degrees of discomfort in your journey to learn; this uneasiness may be filled with many unknowns, making your journey magical in some uphill struggles, and in others, a space of desperation, just to get through the day. Embrace it all, that is the learning process!