Seattle’s Vital 5 finds the process of applying for grants demeaning and the results arbitrary. Hence, it launched its Arbitrary Art Grants.You don’t have to be good to win. On the other hand, if you’re fabulous, Vital 5 won’t hold it against you. $500 to each lucky winner. More here.
Last Friday, Vital 5 awarded another $500 dollars to somebody (anybody) with a sign protesting performance art in front of On The Boards, in honor of its NW New Works Festival.
Photo, Dino Martini. Four in front, left to right: Emily Pothast (God Hates Performance Art); Steven Miller (This Goes In Your Mouth Not Up Your Butt!); Jed Dunkerley (Performance Art Is Unsustainable) and John Sutton of SuttonBeresCuller (unreadable from here).
I love Pothast’s parody of her own interests. Ditto Miller, rabidly against what he cares about most (freedom). Dunkerley’s business consultant is a victim of his excessive self-esteem. If I were picking from the sample, Pothast would be picking up a check. Scoring aesthetically in this psudeo-protest, however, was of no value to the outcome, which is why so many artists turned out.
Thanks Regina. I think Sutton’s sign said “ORANGE,” (in orange text) with a strikethrough. Ben Beres’s sign was great, too: a huge white board covered with a long-winded rant so tiny as to be virtually illegible.
At the end of the protest, they collected our signs for the exhibition at Bumbershoot, so you can see them all there.