Cate’s previous post from NYC is just the tip of the iceberg at this moment of acute economic distress. Here are a few more local things going on that seem related:
Mel Chin’s FUNDREDS art project in Delaware
This arrived from Michael Kalmbach–an exhibit of false money that will show at the Delaware College of Art & Design. Here’s the info:
Mel Chin’s Fundred Dollar Bill Project is an effort to shame the government into releasing more money for post-disaster New Orleans. (Could they have picked a worse time to be asking the government for more money? I wonder; but really, the effort began in sunnier, bubblier times).
Delaware is participating–part of a larger project to make millions of portraits to grace “dollar bills.” The school children in Delaware are joining others across the country–an expected 3 million in all in the project. The locally created art dollars, aka FUNDREDS, will be exhibited at DCAD.
The Art 21 video of Mel Chin’s project
Here’s the money shot, straight from the press release:
Eventually a specially designed armored truck, fueled by straight vegetable oil, will circle the United States, stopping at Collection Centers, picking up the FUNDRED DOLLAR BILL artworks created by students everywhere. The ultimate destination of the armored truck and the 7000 lbs. of creative cash is Washington, D.C. There a request will be made for the art “money” to be exchanged for actual funds & resources to support a citywide solution to health and quality of life issues that are still challenging post-disaster New Orleans.
Delaware College of Art & Design
March 1- 15
Opening Reception Friday, March 6th from 5pm-8pm
This exhibition is sponsored by the New Wilmington Art Association.
Art 4 Barter in Haddonfield
And here’s another sign of the times–and wonderfully idealistic:
This one came in via Antonio Puri, who curated the show:
Bartering may be the answer to bail us out of our current crisis. Although artists have historically been bartering as much as possible it is more relevant now than ever before. It can provide a solution to survival for so many of us and create a new vision for society. The artists …will present their works for barter.
The show has a great (and diverse) lineup: Ellissa Collier, Vinod Dave, Erica Brown, Alexis Duque, Theodore A. Harris, Quentin Morris, Donald Camp, David Stephens, Walter Edmunds, Lauren McBride, Rachel Robbins, Ed Hughes, Laura Williams Chassot, Brian Cote, Paul Santoleri, Pam Farrell, Leeza Meksin, Celestine Wilson Hughes, and Tanya Dodd.
How the show will work:
No works shall be sold for money but rather for services and goods. The exact service or good that the artist requires will be on the label next to their art. For example, if an artist were to ask for dental work or other medical procedures in exchange for their art, or for a studio to work in, etc., it will give the community an opportunity to barter for those items that are missing from the artists’ lives. The irony is that art is missing from the lives of many people too because it is treated as a luxury item and not as an essential part of our lives. This system will not only inspire people to trade with artists, musicians, writers, dancers, and other creative minds, it will also make society less judgmental about valuing different services. When this becomes the norm, bartering will be a respectable activity and will create relationships between people from different trades.
Society will be able to provide opportunities to artists that were inconceivable before this. In addition to being one of the greatest human events in the beginning of the new millennium, we are also expressing a change that the rest of humanity can participate in. By creating a vision of a new cultural standard, whereby people can get through hard financial times by participating in a win-win situation. This idea can spread to people from all societies of the world. The development of this project relies on the support from venues that can connect artists with members in the community that are able to fill the needs of the artists. Therefore, I am offering to barter a work of art with institutions that will host our next exhibition. [bold is inserted by artblog in hopes some other venue sees this suggestion and runs with it].
Opening on February 25th, 2009
Reception: 6 – 9pm
Show runs through March 4, 2009
SoHa Gallery
1001 White Horse Pike, Haddon Township, NJ 08107
856 854 0200
By Appointment
