Friday, April 22, 2011

Ideas for engagement and institutional critique chez PAM


 Here I go with my lists again... Some thoughts about my year at the Portland Art Museum:

 Institutional critique from the inside out, but not obviously "critical"
 Museum workers as a public/publics, as artworks, as subjects
 Build community in corporate environment
 A collection of smaller gestures growing into a collection

Public:   
Singing tours- learning as spectacle, touring non-art objects, subjectivity

Cheers for art- criticism with humor, gender/power issues with guards

Uniform & Life size cutout as signifier

Library focusing on what the museum has omitted

Private: 
Trophies for workers to add meaning to hi five award

Service performer/singing telegram/cheer for hire

Group meals with facilitated discussions/activities in Executive Board Room: 1) recipes/cookbook 

Anniversary gifts in combined materials of traditional/modern materials i.e. paper clock - Work/marriage- do I want to go there?Parameters to make it feasible? How to take it way further?

Touch Brian: Director shakes the hand of every employee. Documentation: Video? Photos? Close up of handshake with “uniform” sleeve?
            
Retreat: Make empty executive office a retreat for any? Worker- one day or hour on the top floor- Decorate, make sign, plants, yoga mat, art supplies, etc.

Artist as resource/APG-esque- what CAN we do? Don't think about limits of institution

Shine A Light Brainstorm, which may be incorporated into everyday practice:
1)    Make hats & hair pieces based on artworks- to be worn by guests
2)    Live portraiture in gesture/costume of artworks
3)    Live haircutting/styling based on works
4)    Live Singing Docents- songs about artworks, preferably with real docents
5)    Singing tours with me and other singers, touring ‘places of interest’ in the museum- artworks, stairwells, bathrooms, behind the scenes places, etc
6)    Artwork Cheers on video monitors next to artworks- these cheers can be summoned by public in advance
7)    Art studio in Kinney- how to copy an artwork- choose 5 works to be copied & teach them how
8)    If the Ed dept doesn’t do it already, make a flyer which guides viewing and experiencing an artwork
9)    Trophy case of all the trophies made for staff members who won them
10) Various documentation of behind the scenes work
11) Slideshow or exhibition of art made by staff
12) Slideshow or exhibition of cubicles of staff
13) Slideshow or exhibition of Touch Brian
14) Cookbook of staff recipes, from Staff Meals
15) Special Uniforms for Security- colorful, competitive with artwork, in sync with mine

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