Response to Susan: The Frame work of art

Susan I wanted to first response to the question: How do we as individual artists feel about making art that involves the audience in the work?

I know how I feel and at this time in my life and career I am drawn to involve the audience or community members in the work that is being created. I think it is a personal choice and with those choices are responsibility, new boundaries, and questions that create a dialogue between the community and the creative producer before the creative process begins or the grounding for the creative process to begin. In Participation, Claire Bishops states that there is an-authored tradition that seeks to provoke participants, and a de-authored lineage that aims to embrace collective creativity. (page, 11) I believe are both valid and need to be honored in their own right. I agree with Ju Pong when she says that art needs a frame in which one can see and critique. Depending on what the intent of the project is the outcome will either blur the boundaries between life and art or heighten the boundaries between life and art thus creating a reflection that lives outside of ourselves or stimulating a reflection in which we participate from the inside out. I think we need both in our culture to define, connect, disconnect and reflect in order to create change. I say both connect and disconnect because I am constantly trying to come to a place of balance with duality. I do believe the balance is in and out.

I think we can possibly do both stepping outside of our frame to create a new artistic frame work for the 21st century. Considering the crisis that our culture/society is going through with isolation due to technology, and the I instead of we consciousness, which I think is changing, it might be a great opportunity to facilitate change in community through the creative process.