Mierle Laderman Ukeles on Maintenance Art and c.7,500
In a 2008 conversation with Alexandra Schwartz for Afterall, Mierle Laderman Ukeles reflects on her formative years and the impact of Lucy Lippard on her Maintenance Art pieces. Their first encounter took place during the 'Eccentric Abstraction' exhibition in 1966. Ukeles penned the 'Maintenance Art Manifesto' in 1969, which was later featured in Artforum in January 1971. Following her reading of the manifesto, Lippard reached out to Ukeles, inviting her to be part of the feminist artists' collective WEB. For Lippard's 'c.7,500' exhibition (1973–74), Ukeles produced 'Maintenance Art Tasks' to record household chores and executed site-specific performances, challenging institutional maintenance norms. Ukeles acknowledges Lippard's backing as pivotal for her subsequent endeavors, including 'Touch Sanitation' (1978–80).
Key facts
- Mierle Laderman Ukeles wrote the 'Maintenance Art Manifesto – Proposal for an Exhibition' in 1969.
- The manifesto was published in Artforum in January 1971.
- Lucy Lippard contacted Ukeles after reading the manifesto and they met in a playground.
- Ukeles was invited to join WEB (West-East Bag), a feminist artists' network founded by Lippard, Judy Chicago, and Miriam Schapiro.
- Ukeles created 'Maintenance Art Tasks' for Lippard's exhibition 'c.7,500' (1973–74).
- The work consisted of photographic series in a photo-scrapbook with a rag and chain.
- Ukeles performed site-specific maintenance art performances at each venue of 'c.7,500'.
- Performances included 'Mummy Transfer' and 'The Keeping of the Keys' at Wadsworth Atheneum.
- At A.I.R. Gallery, Ukeles washed the sidewalk and a building superintendent brought her rags.
- Ukeles later created 'Touch Sanitation' (1978–80), shaking hands with over 8,500 sanitation workers.
Entities
Artists
- Mierle Laderman Ukeles
- Alexandra Schwartz
- Lucy Lippard
- Louise Bourgeois
- Frank Lincoln Viner
- Alice Adams
- Eva Hesse
- Gary Kuehn
- Bruce Nauman
- Don Potts
- Keith Sonnier
- Jack Burnham
- Ana Mendieta
- Mary Beth Edelson
- Anne Healy
- Miriam Schapiro
- Judy Chicago
- Yvonne Rainer
- Deborah Hay
- Steve Paxton
- Robert Morris
- Marcel Duchamp
- Josh Siderowitz
- Jack Cowart
- Robert Richenberg
Institutions
- Afterall
- Artforum
- Fischbach Gallery
- Pratt Institute
- New York University
- School of Education and Nursing
- Wadsworth Atheneum
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Moore College of Art
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
- A.I.R. Gallery
- Vassar College
- CalArts
- Feminist Art Program
Locations
- New York City
- New York
- Hartford
- Philadelphia
- Boston
- Los Angeles
- West Coast
- East Coast
Sources
- Afterall —