BROOMS PIECE
PERFORMED IN COLLABORATION WITH AIDAN WRIGHT
AT DAVIS LAWN, SMITH COLLEGE, NORTHAMPTON MA. APRIL 24TH, 10 AM-5 PM
An experimental performance/painting inspired by Florine Stettheimer's "Henry McBride, Art Critic" (1922), Yoko Ono's "Promise Piece" (1966), and the action painters of the 1940-60s. The funding for this work was provided by the Student Project Award from the Design Thinking Initiative at Smith College, which we are very grateful to have received.
At 10 AM, Aidan and I stood on opposite ends of a 6 x 90-foot roll of canvas, each with a broom and a gallon of latex house paint. We 'swept' towards each other as we painted, met in the middle, and then passed each other, continuing to paint until we had each covered the entire length of the canvas.
After the painting was complete, at about 11 AM, the full painting was allowed to dry and kept on display for four hours. Later, at 3 PM, we cut the canvas into smaller sections, and offered to sell audience members "fine art by the square foot."
THE PERFORMANCE:
THE PAINTING:
OUR STATEMENT:
Out of a shared love for art history, abstraction, and the process of mark-making grew an artistic partnership between two friends. Originally inspired by the parallels between our friendship and that of Henry McBride and Florine Stettheimer (both influential voices in the early days of modern art), we have expanded each of our individual practices to include making work in collaboration.
Within this work, we are calling upon a postmodern and feminist art historical lineage. In particular, our performance “Brooms Piece” (2022) pays homage to the intersection between performance and other disciplines, as in the case of the action painters working in the mid-20th century. In their work, as well as our own, evidence of the process often triumphs as the most important formal quality.
Through our shared practice, we are exploring the value of art as an interpersonal discipline, and the possibilities of art making in the public sphere. By placing our emphasis on the experiential nature of this work, we are encouraging each other to grow together as artists––to both teach and be taught.