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03-17-10

Open Engagement 2010

Open Engagement is a conference for artists with a socially-based practice.

Yesterday, Riva and I booked train tickets aboard the Amtrack Empire Builder from Chicago to Portland, Oregon to get us to the Open Engagement Conference.  I am so ridiculously excited to attend the conference and meet other artists with a socially-based practice that you can’t even imagine it.

I can remember when I first started doing socially-based works as an undergrad, but felt really confused at the same time.  I wasn’t sure if what I was doing and what I wanted to do was even considered art.  All I knew for sure was that it felt more real than anything else creative I had ever done.  I began to look for other examples in the past of artists creating social artworks and came across FLUXUS.  It was an awakening.  I realized not only was I not alone as a social artist, but there were actually tons of people who thought the way I did, and some of them are really amazing!

On a related note, I will be heading to the Detroit Institute of Art tomorrow night to see Alison Knowles and Hannah Higgins give a lecture/performance.  I am super psyched about that as well.  I’ll report back on Friday with my thoughts on their presentation.