Seattle: Arbitrary Art Grant, Performance Art - June 5th

DADA ECONOMICS - Lesson Plan II

Stress Testing Your Contemporary Art Center

Contemporary art centers age just like automobiles or people. They acquire squeaks and arthritis, and will naturally change over the course of time. The once powerful and sharp witted can slow down, take less chances, and often not perform like they did in their younger years. It is important to the cultural vitality of a community to give these centers physicals -- tests that examine their elasticity, durability and adherence to their mission statements. These tests may appear predatory or unkind, but stress testing cultural institutions is no less important that crash testing a car or routine as checking your blood pressure on a yearly medical check up.

In the fields of aeronautics, one might stress test a airplane but subjecting it to harsh conditions in climate, speed and cargo weight. By taking it beyond it's standard operational use, maybe even highly unlikely scenarios like barrel rolling a 747 in a snowstorm, provide critical data on the performance and outside limits of the craft. These tests ensure the safety of the passengers and crew alike, and are an integral process of the design and creation of better, stronger, more efficient models.

On the cultural landscape, stress testing contemporary art centers is a little more abstract than placing a fuselage in a wind tunnel, or smashing a car into a wall with crash test dummies inside. But much like a crash test, stress tests in art examine both the vehicle and the effects of the passengers. A test that examines only part of the equation only addresses part of the equation, as in who wants to buy a car that doesn't dent but kills everyone on impact. Many will object to the parallels drawn between car crashes and an unhealthy art climate, but it could be argued that a weak and intolerant cultural atmosphere is a danger to us all. These tests are not designed and implemented to cause grievance or injury, but to craft a heartier, and more robust art community.

Please join us this Friday, June 5th, 2009, as we protest performance art in front of On The Boards Contemporary Art Center. Not only is On The Boards one of the regions most robust contemporary art centers, it is opening its Northwest New Works Festival this Friday at 8:00 pm, certain to bring out the areas most versed arts patrons. From 7:00 to 8:00 pm, we will be picketing all aspects of performance art, experimental theatre and modern dance. And as part of the Dada Economics exhibit happening this year at Bumbershoot, one sign-holding performer/protester will be awarded $500.00 cash, in five dollar bills, right there on the corner of W. Roy and 1st Avenue W.

We hope to see you protest outside On The Boards before the NW New Works showcase on Friday,and then see you inside OTB to enjoy what is certain to be a fantastic showcase of regional and diverse talent. Dada Economics staff will gladly relieve you of your protest signs before the 8:00 show.




Vital 5 Productions
PO Box 23385
Seattle, WA 98102

www.vital5productions.com