May 2008
A month-long series of creative exhibitions in San Jose, San Francisco and Santa Cruz will culminate in an innovative three-day arts conference hosted by UC Santa Cruz, May 15-17. Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
Titled "Intervene! Interrupt! Rethinking Art as Social Practice," the conference is taking art, performance, technology, and events out of the gallery and into other social and public spaces, in an effort to examine politics and everyday life. More than 50 artists, faculty, and students from the United States and abroad--ranging from performance artists to critics--are participating in a vast array of panels, performances, and exhibitions throughout the conference/festival.
Two years in the making, the event is the brainchild of UCSC Art Department chair Elizabeth Stephens and assistant art professor Dee Hibbert-Jones. It will include an inflatable outdoor museum, a rant recorder, and a stretch limo art bar, as well as art and film in the streets. Events are being held in such diverse venues as UCSC's Sesnon Gallery, the LAB San Francisco, the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Santa Cruz Film Festival, and at various other sites throughout the university campus.
"Each afternoon of the conference there will probably be about 15 artists performing," said Stephens. "We're really crossing boundaries between disciplines in the arts. I think it should be fun, incredibly educational, and it's a great place to connect with artists."
"We're also really reaching out into the Bay Area," Stephens added. "UCSC tends to be isolated in the arts, and we want to include other people and let them in on the great things that are happening here."
Stephens noted that the conference is a perfect blend of interventionist and performance art. Interventionists use humor, surprise, and unusual associations to overturn assumptions about the world. Their projects often bring art to the streets, questioning the boundaries between everyday life and art.
Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison--pioneers of the environmental art movement--will deliver the conference's keynote address on May 15. Other participating artists will include Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Linda Montano, The Yes Men, Suzanne Lacy, Nato Thompson, Annie Sprinkle, Bradley McCallum, Jacqueline Tarry and a host of others.
The event comes to a close on May 17 with "Green Wedding #4"--"a celebration of love, collaboration and the environment" created by performance artists Elizabeth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle--that will be held outdoors under the redwoods at UCSC's Shakespeare Glen.
"Everyone's welcome and it's all free," said Stephens. "The Santa Cruz community has been extremely supportive; we've really enjoyed working with people in the community."
Want to see what 24 hours of creative awesomeness look like? Click here.
This news message is supported by The Creative Finder, an online platform for photographers, illustrators, designers, and art directors to promote their portfolios towards new clients and collaborators. Creatives who wish to sign up for an account can save 10% off annual fees with promo code 'designtaxi'.
