the artist as educator

a study guide, self-syllabus, personal curriculum...whatever the girlies are calling it now

a scan of a two year old journal detailing a mind-map stemming from the word "manifestation"; a photo that a friend took of me during clean-up of a community event i organized; a snapshot of the inner workings of a communal studio space in the twin cities that i admire

i recently had the opportunity to go to one of the free lectures at a museum local to me— The Artist as Educator: Pedagogical Experiments in Contemporary Art by professor Noni Brynjolson.

this lecture was really transformative for me. not only was i introduced to developing terminology that called my name—social practice art—but i was also introduce to a couple of artists engaged in practices very similar to my own. this felt rare to find.

stemming from the notes i took at the lecture, the resources referenced, and my own tbr list, i was able to build a syllabus to explore this definition of practice further. my hope is that i’ll be able to really deep dive this topic before winter solstice because i have a lot of self-assigned curriculum to get through next season. i would love it if y’all were able to join me!

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TERMINOLOGY:::

• social practice art

• pedagogical art

• participatory art

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TEXTS:::

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Friere (book)

Ecology and Environmentalism in Joseph Beuys’ Projects of Social Sculpture by Cara Jordan (article)

An Appeal for an Alternative by Joseph Beuys (article)

Mapping the Terrain by Suzanne Lacy (book)

Notes Towards a Model of Resistance (essay 12 from Some of Us Did Not Die) by June Jordan

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ARTIST HIGHLIGHTS:::

Suzanne Lacy—

• Suzanne Lacy: Social Reformer and Witch (article)

• Evalina and I: Crime, Quilts, and Art (piece)

• Immigrants and Survivors (piece)

• The Roof is on Fire (documentary)

Tania Bruguera—

• Arte Util (active collection)

• Towards a Lexicon of Usership by Stephen Wright (guide to Arte Util)

• the Arte Util “manifesto”

  • Propose new uses for art within society

  • Use artistic thinking to challenge the field within which it operates

  • Respond to current urgencies

  • Operate on a 1:1 scale

  • Replace authors with initiators and spectators with users

  • Have practical, beneficial outcomes for its users

  • Pursue sustainability

  • Re-establish aesthetics as a system of transformation

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this summer i submitted to a local zine called The Northern Mirror! the theme of this issue is feeding a community—if that resonates with you, copies are available online and in-person for sliding scale donations starting at $1

tlazocamati,

isabetta 🧿🤍