Artist in Residence in a Political Space, User Manual
2018-2019

This is my User Manual for other artists, to use as they wish for entering a political space - incorporating some/all/none of the actions and to invent their own.

First actions: clean, make a big print, bring furniture.
2018

When a local/national journalist, Ross Barkan, announced he was running for State Senate in my neighborhood (a swing district), I did some research and decided to support him. When he got an office for his campaign, I pitched my idea to be the Artist in Residence in the space and this undertaking became Political Office.

The Print

In addition to making my own large print of lilies, I also invited Alyssa Casey and Salim Hashbini to show their work on the opposing wall - that I named the Visiting Artist Wall.

I came up with two slogans ("Tyranny Is No Joke," "The Future Belongs to Those Who Organize") and started spreading these throughout the space.

The Mobile (Tyranny Is No Joke)
The Window Tweets

I made large prints from screenshots of Ross' tweets and hung them in the windows, along with posters.

I wanted to turn this space into a resting area for campaign staff and volunteers - but it was structurally unsound.

The Planter
The Rear Window
The Fundraiser Outfit
Solidarity Space, 2018-2019

Ross' campaign did not make it past primaries, and I made a different print and created a new space for what would briefly function as an activist community place.

I invited my neighbor and fellow co-founder of Bike SouthBrooklyn, John Tomac, to show his work on the Visiting Artist Wall. I made selections from his extensive body of work and then made large prints, including his New Yorker cover, Liberty's Flameout.

Library

Opening night coincided with me returning from presenting at National Women's Studies Association and being able to bring a lot of donated books from the book fair there.

I organized a movie screening of Saturday Night Fever with local historian, Henry Stewart, introducing the movie and its relationship to Bay Ridge history.