The Artist-Run Space of the Future
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1ST EDITION THE ARTIST-RUN SPACE OF THE FUTURE MYCELLIAL NETWORK The Artist-Run Space of the Future is a compendium of THE ARTIST-RUN resources and ephemera on artist-run culture, gathered by the Institute for Applied Aesthetics. Inside is a SPACE OF THE collection of resources, essays and ideas concerning the FUTURE future of artist-run spaces and their evolving models of operation and connectivity. Institute for Applied Aesthetics www.applied-aesthetics.org 1ST EDITION THE ARTIST-RUN SPACE OF THE FUTURE Institute for Applied Aesthetics Contents ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS FIELD RESEARCH CASE STUDY EPHEMERA REFERENCES FUNDING MODELS THE ARTIST-RUN SPACE OF THE FUTURE Artist-Run Space (n.) Artist-run spaces fit all kinds of models. They are testing grounds and springboards to the commercial art world, intimate gatherings in apartments, and places for reading groups and shared meals. They are little pockets of activity that serve particular audiences at particular times, filling gaps and holes for all that the art-world fails to provide. Sometimes they are meant to be temporary, and other times they can grow to become professionalized institutions that a later generation of artists define themselves against. InCUBATE. “Making-do: a pragmatist approach,” Artist-run Chicago Digest, Copyright threewalls/Green Lantern press, Chicago, IL: forthcoming October 2009 The Artist-Run Space of the Future The artist-run space of the alternative modes of cultural he artist-run space of T future is many things: a production. A movement the future is a mushroom, space for people, a space that is best characterized as delicate yet deadly, and able for production, a space for patternless, while at the same to eat oil spills. At its core work and a space for living. It time supporting the idea that is a formidable network, provides for communities, both the artist-run space is part of a sometimes unseen and other artistic and situated, plausible larger culture of collectivity and times visible. A network, much alternatives to housing, collaboration – a way of making like the rhizomatic structure of cultural production and fiscal art that is built upon the idea of fungi, encompassing neither sustainability; a working working together. [1] a beginning nor an end, but model of ideation, an affront always a middle from which it to the challenges that paralyze grows and overspills. the notion of a lifelong and community-centered practice. The artist-run space of the future will be found below Yet, the struggle of the our feet, in soil and nutrient artist-run space is a well- deposits, inhabiting cracks known story. Historically and places that otherwise marginalized and oftentimes prove inhabitable; vacant lots, ephemeral, the artist-run abandoned buildings and space is dependent on unlikely storefronts. At these discernibly difficult to measure junctures a fruiting body pierces and fluctuating variables the surface and spreads such as time, commitment spores across the landscape. and collective participation. These spores begin the vital As such, the commonplace break down of the surrounding depiction is often one of organic matter, the starting disorder and fringe culture, point of a vast cycle that serves yet the roots of the artist run as the catalyst for whole cultural space are noble: a response ecosystems. to the absence of space for THE ARTIST-RUN SPACE OF THE FUTURE [1] Bloom, Brett of Temporary [2] Gilles Deleuze, Félix [2] Gilles Deleuze, Félix Services. Groups and Spaces, 2005. Guattari. A Thousand Plateaus. Guattari. A Thousand Plateaus. www.groupsandspaces.net Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Translated and Foreword by Translated and Foreword by Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, University of Minnesota Press, 1987. 1987. THE ARTIST-RUN SPACE OF THE FUTURE And so our story about the define themselves against.” future of such spaces begins The artist-run space of the with a mushroom, the oldest In the future, these models future is also a school, a and largest organism on our and experiments will evolve classroom and a vehicle for planet, an ancient archetype and morph, recognizing a new learning; a space for kids, for for longevity and health and sense of continuity and time, seniors, for dogs and cats. perhaps the mascot of a responding in interesting ways A landscape saturated with new paradigm of networked to the current tendency toward diverse age discrepancies creative infrastructure. For the temporary and ephemeral. united under one roof. the artist run space of the In the future, the sign to look The space is a home, a future will embody many of the for will not be “Artist Space” comfortable home, legal with characteristics of a mushroom, hanging over a door, but the good indoor air quality. The and with this a new landscape space itself may be disguised building produces food and will emerge. A rhizomatic as a hybrid non-profit/for- sometimes talks to you. landscape that Deleuze and profit venture, a cooperative The artist-run space of the Guattari would be happy to or storefront, perhaps a three future is a community think enumerate on. [2] story home or warehouse, tank. It’s like a detective perhaps housed in a public agency where kids, adults, So what will the artist-run school, a community center, males and females merge. space of the future look adult-living center or maybe Microscopes, maps and like? Currently, “artist-run even a treehouse setback in measuring tapes are handed spaces fit all kinds of models. a public park. It may have no out. Issues are discussed and They are testing grounds official designation, perhaps solutions proposed; a place and springboards to the it encompasses aspects where things can be built, commercial art world, intimate of a community-based tested and implemented. gatherings in apartments, and organization, 501(c)3 non- places for reading groups profit, charitable organization, And what is unique about the and shared meals. They are non-governmental artist-run space of the future little pockets of activity that organization, limited liability is that actions and events will serve particular audiences corporation, company or take place in collaboration at particular times, filling venture. Perhaps nothing like with the situated community. gaps and holes for all that this at all. Not just discussed, with slick the art-world fails to provide. renderings displayed on walls Sometimes they are meant to The door to the space is and talked about at meetings, be temporary, and other times almost always open during the but rather in real time and in they can grow to become day. Maybe in fact there is no real space, the artist-run space professionalized institutions door but instead a series of of the future becomes the new that a later generation of artists windows with plants; maybe model for a creative consulting a skylight with a ladder or a agency that will consider and treehouse swing. No matter attend to the challenges down what form the door may take, the street and maybe some of it will open up into a space that the problems that will emerge will support the artists who live in the 22nd century. And from and work there, both fiscally this, the formation of ideas, and culturally, operating with of new policy and cultural a new model reminiscent of structures will extend beyond a workers cooperative or a the threshold of the front slightly altered notion of the door and into the surrounding L3C (low-profit limited liability neighborhood like the roots of company) or B-Corporation of a tree. yesteryear. THE ARTIST-RUN SPACE OF THE FUTURE middle from which many services or perhaps shared things disperse, the artist-run bank accounts and rotating space of the future follows a payment. similar model – a path through Despite the inevitable which many lines intersect and complications of money and extend from. the valuation of property, space and time - the real And it is precisely this, a objective of the artist-run medium through which things space of the future will be emerge rather than begin to create place where art, or end, that represents the production, life and the pursuit true value of the artist-run of currency meld together space of the future. For it is into one endeavor. Your life here that we can witness, endeavor, your community we can taste and touch a endeavor. Not the community tangible interface through you associate with by which art and life merge, not proxy, not the community of In in a neat little packet, not in a acquaintances you interact In a similar way to the renovated condominium, but in with on the daily, but YOUR rhizomatic roots of a a way that is messy and real, community – the people you mushroom growth, the reactive to its environment and trust, the people you care for, space soaks up surrounding dependent on the people and the people you love. resources like nutrients, water situations in relationship to this and sun, growing to support interface. the emergent undergrowth and the newly formed soil What do you need for the spreads from the mycorrhizal artist run space of the future? structures expanding beneath Sometimes you may need a your feet. In this sense, the storefront, sometimes just a artist-run space of the future shelf or a wall and sometimes becomes the anchor for a a desk and chair is sufficient. new kind of ecosystem, a Of course it’s always a cultural ecosystem, where question of capital, but what practice and theory merge isn’t? Currency shouldn’t be and become one. Not the kind something that stops you of “community anchor” that – in fact it should be your beckons the creative-class- motivating factor.