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Students Speak: Guerrilla Art Guerrilla art is a form of art making where art pieces are anonymously displayed in public spaces, typically to incite a reaction within a community. At Grinnell College, there is no need to look farther than the walls of the Burling Library bathrooms or the windows of the South Campus loggia to see the work of anonymous graphic artists and poets. The S&B’s Abraham Teuber [teuberab] and Sarina Lincoln caught up with students in Burling to see what they think of the school’s reputation for elusive installations of guerrilla art. “I think that with guerrilla art in general, there’s a lot of hesitation with people sharing art with a lot of people, but I feel like [guerrilla art] gives them a way to do so. Even though there’s no way to credit the original person who created it, I feel like it’s a really good way to share different kinds of thoughts.” — Phinn Lloyd ‘21 “I feel like [the Burling bathroom art] is the biggest generational connection I have with other Grinnellians because I feel like the experience at Grinnell fundamentally changes … When I read some things, it makes me feel like I can have some connection with people from the past when otherwise I wouldn’t have it.” — Lily Hamilton ‘19 (Top left in photo, pictured with Ania Chamberlain, Ann Rodgers and Naomi Worob) “I think one of the harder parts of [guerrilla art] as a form of art is you can’t predict how people will react to it, because you’re not writing an excerpt by it like in an art gallery … for instance, the ‘100 percent of Grinnellians die’ thing, I thought it was kind of funny and a little whimsical, but some people were freaked out by it …” — Ryland Rich ‘22 “I’m personally a fan [of guerrilla art], I think that especially on campus, it’s hard to see art all the time when juggling a schedule … so when there’s just a bunch of posters, you can’t miss it, that’s for sure. Whether I enjoy [the art] or not, or if it’s controversial, it’s better than not having it there at all because it sparks interest.” — Elena Voisin ‘19 Charlotte Richardson-Deppe ‘19 presents “Attachments” By Elizabeth Wong [email protected] Charlotte Richardson-Deppe ‘19’s new Smith Gallery exhibit, “Attachments,” features metal and fiber structures that hang from the walls and ceiling of the Gallery. The structures are composed of red and white cloth stretched to join the metal frames by hand stitching. Nothing touches the floor. The south wall of the gallery contains text summarizing the exhibition: a representation on the nature of attachments and their implications. Richardson-Deppe explores the relationships between different kinds of attachments through a language of metal and cloth she made herself. “Everything is interconnected. Without the metal, the cloth wouldn’t have any form. Without the cloth, the metal wouldn’t have any color … They need to be attached to one another to survive and exist,” said Richardson-Deppe. The three main inspirations for Richardson-Deppe’s exhibit are Lauren Berlant’s 2011 book “Cruel Optimism” about unachievable desires, artist Sara Cwynar’s video collages and Maggie Nelson’s 2015 genre-defying memoir, “The Argonauts.” Together, these texts helped Richardson-Deppe arrive not at a concept, but at a form. “Attachments” is a formal composition that Richardson-Deppe created not through planning, but by letting the work develop naturally. “I let the material and the process guild me. I made the sculptures before I thought about the concept … these theories are what fed the concept behind [Attachments],” Richardson- Deppe said. Richardson said that, according to Berlant, all attachments are optimistic: “Whenever you attach on to something, you project your own desires and needs onto the thing you’re attaching to.” Through different material attachments represented in the gallery, Richardson-Deppe explores relationships between different kinds of attachments, the inevitability of attachments and what makes attachments good or bad. “Attachments are not necessarily bad if what you’re projecting onto them matches what they can give you,” Richardson-Deppe said. “[And] according to Maggie Nelson, no one can be independent. The thing that makes independence possible is actually reliance … [your attachments] are what make you able to have autonomy.” To create the show, Richardson-Deppe drew out the rectangular frames and planned their placement. Then, she made the rectangles out of one-eighth of an inch to one-half of an inch of steel and covered the shapes with cloth. All objects must abide by her system of attachments. “In my language, everything is as close to a right angle as it can be. Everything is only red and white. Everything is only rectangles. Everything is hung,” Richardson-Deppe said. “Attachments” is Richardson-Deppe’s first solo show at the College. As a junior, she created a joint show, “Shelf Life,” with Anne Rogers ‘19. Before college, she didn’t make any visual art and thought she would study English or GWSS in college and, even as a studio art major, Richard-Deppe said she is still discovering new dimensions to her artistic practice. Metalworking was introduced to her through an art class in her third year. After interning at a weaving studio and holding residency at a museum in New York city last summer, Richardson-Deppe hopes to go back east and apply for residencies, internships and jobs in the art world. She is also considering applying for a ninth semester in the art department at the College or getting a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture. But even though the future might be uncertain, a constant is that art will feature prominently. “Attachments” at the Smith Gallery deals with themes of connection and desire. Photos by Sofia Mendez. Writers @Grinnell panel talks fiction at Harris By Jackson Schulte [email protected] On Feb. 28, three novelists, Lan Samantha Chang, Christopher Castellani and Margot Livesey, gave roundtable discussions and lectures at the College on the topic of the craft of fiction. At the roundtable, the writers spoke in depth about their writing process and recent work. The roundtable took a unique format in which Dean Bakopoulos, English, hosted a recorded live panel that will be turned into a podcast in the coming weeks. The writers discussed the most frequent advice they give their creative writing students. Castellani discussed the merit he has found in writing without hesitating or going back to revise, at least at first. Livesy related an anecdote involving a Ph.D. student in rhetoric who studied her fiction writing process. Тhis student noticed that she had been fixing small mistakes rather than developing the narrative. The discussion also evaluated the use of historical research in fiction, which Castellani had to do extensively in order to write his new novel, “Leading Men.” Castellani’s novel is a fictionalized account of Tennessee Williams and his partner of fifteen years, Frank Merlot. Castellani’s initial interest was due to his identification with Merlot, as both men come from working class Italian-American families on the East Coast. “Writers are notoriously scavengers. We’ll take inspiration from whatever we can and apply it to our purposes,” Castellani said. “Part of it is recognizing what you’re inspired by and taking it for your own work.” Chang described how historical fiction, for her, serves as an escape. She wrote a book called “Inheritance,” about the secret lives of her Chinese immigrant parents. Livesy said “writing what she knows,” didn’t seem as exciting. “I didn’t know that much,” she said, “and I loved doing research.” When the discussion opened up to audience members, the first questioner asked the authors how they know when their work is bad. “Sometimes I look at [my work] and think, ‘This is pretentious drivel,’” said Chang. Castellani said he feels that his work is bad “every single day.” Regardless of this feeling, however, he keeps going: “The thing that keeps pulling me back is the one that should be written.” “I’m always looking at that place in between my private interests and what could be publicly interesting,” Livesy said. Castellani also offered his own insight on the nature of authorship in writing historical fiction. “In the phrase ‘historical fiction,’ the noun always trumps the adjective,” Castellani said. “The fiction is always the most important part. It’s ultimately an interpretation. You should be judged on the coherence, the originality, the uniqueness, the vividness of that portrayal.” Christopher Castellani spoke about his new book, “Leading Men” on Thursday. Photo by Minh Tran. Center for the Humanities brings “Kafka’s Ape” to Grinnell By Julia Anderson [email protected] Tony Miyambo’s one-man performance of “Kafka’s Ape,” an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s short story “A Report to an Academy,” will be performed tonight in Flanagan Theater. The performance is a part of the Center for the Humanities programming for the academic year: Dis/Unity and Difference. “Any dimension of distinction, perhaps disagreement, perhaps moving beyond difference and finding reconciliation are themes that we’re interested in,” said Vance Byrd, interim director of the center for the humanities and professor of German. The play, adapted and directed by Phala O. Phala, follows a formerly captive ape named Red Peter, who escapes his cage and becomes “humanized” by imitating humans in order to survive. Phala speaks to an audience at a scientific convention to explain how he has developed to seemingly become more human than ape. The play delves into themes of difference, identity, humanity and otherness.

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