Culture in Action: Exhibition as Social Intervention
In the essay titled 'Introduction: Exhibition as Social Intervention', authored by David Morris and Paul O'Neill and released on April 20, 2014, in Afterall's Exhibition Histories series, the focus is on the 'Culture in Action' exhibition held in Chicago from May to September 1993. This event featured eight projects, several of which began a year prior, with at least one still in progress. The initiative aimed to dissolve the distinctions between creator and audience, investigating the nature of art and public engagement. Curator Mary Jane Jacob spent eighteen months persuading the board, despite facing objections from Joe Scanlan about government regulations. The essay also addresses concepts such as 'dialogical aesthetics' and 'participatory art', highlighting works by Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle and Street-Level Video at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Key facts
- Culture in Action took place in Chicago from May to September 1993.
- The exhibition was curated by Mary Jane Jacob for Sculpture Chicago.
- It involved eight projects, many starting a year earlier and one continuing over twenty years later.
- The essay is part of Afterall's Exhibition Histories series, published April 20, 2014.
- Authors are David Morris and Paul O'Neill.
- The exhibition aimed to expand art's limits in urban social contexts.
- Critics like Joe Scanlan questioned its proximity to government guidelines for useful art.
- Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle and Street-Level Video created installations at MCA Chicago and a block party in West Town.
Entities
Artists
- David Morris
- Paul O'Neill
- Mark Dion
- Joshua Decter
- Helmut Draxler
- Mary Jane Jacob
- Joe Scanlan
- Simon Grennan
- Christopher Sperandio
- Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle
- Daniel J. Martinez
- Michael Brenson
- Hafþór Yngvason
- Homi K. Bhabha
- Grant Kester
- Suzanne Lacy
- Claire Doherty
- Suzi Gablik
- Claire Bishop
- Tom Finkelpearl
- Mick Wilson
- Bruno Latour
- Michael Warner
- Theodor W. Adorno
- Jethro Head
- Charles E. Brashears
- Haha
Institutions
- Afterall
- Sculpture Chicago
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- Street-Level Video
- Duke University Press
- The MIT Press
- University of California Press
- Verso
- Black Dog
- Revolver Archiv für aktuelle Kunst
- de Appel
- Open Editions
- Wesleyan University Press
- Valiz
Locations
- Chicago
- United States
- West Town
- West Side
- Amsterdam
- London
- Durham
- Berkeley
- Middletown
- Frankfurt a.M.
- Cologne