Party Arty
Artists across the U.S. are coming to the aid of their party in droves by putting the "art" back into the Party (Democratic, that is) and making voting, fundraising, and politicking sexy again. This month, three Seattle events offer opportunities for local art types to get in on the action.
Art vs. Bush, this Friday at Crespinel Studios, is a silent auction and fundraiser for the Seattle-based political action committee No Vote Left Behind (NVLB). In preparation for its massive Music Extravaganza in September, NVLB has been steadily hosting mixers, tabling at events, and organizing fundraisers to benefit the Democrats. NVLB is direct in its goal of removing Bush from office and all proceeds raised at the auction will go to the Democratic National Committee (the only organization permitted by law to coordinate advertising with the Kerry-Edwards campaign). Artists Ellen Forney, Rob Johnson, David Kane, Charles Peterson, David Walega, Scott Wilson, and others have donated work priced from $30 to $3,000.
101 Ways to Remove a President from Power, opening at CoCA this Friday, is more politically oblique. Curator Greg Lundgren asked 50 artists to respond to this timely question: How do you remove a powerful, perhaps corrupt, leader from office? George Bush aside, the exhibition also addresses CEOs, prime ministers, kings and queens--even nonprofit board presidents--and is a creative response to present conditions. Lundgren's group shows sometimes run the risk of redundancy--with so many artists, it's only natural that similar concepts arise. And of course, political art is notoriously tricky. But a look at the lineup suggests this could be one of Lundgren's best democracy-in-action exhibitions yet. Although few of the artists typically address politics directly in their work, many of them are deft at conceptually driven work and well-equipped to handle political content.
Greg Kucera has also joined the fray with the 2004 Election Benefit Print Series, featuring works by such luminaries as Cecily Brown, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Serra, and others for sale during the month of August. The limited-edition prints range from $1,000 to $3,500 and all proceeds benefit America Coming Together (ACT). ACT is a 527--the political organizations allowed to accept unlimited soft money to trash their political opponents (in this case, Bush)--and it describes itself as the "largest voter contact program in history" that's targeting undecided and minority voters.
In a recent New York Times column, John Rockwell wrote, "Art exists in a context inevitably conditioned by politics, and politics and the values behind it express themselves in art." Although politics isn't a necessary component to making art, I am curious to see if this groundswell of political activism by artists will be sustained once this election is over--whatever the outcome.
