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October 16 December 5, 2008 Georgia College Museum Shannon Morris, Curator In association with Art of Democracy Coalition Organizers: Stephen A. Fredericks, New York Art Hazelwood, San Francisco Lou Netter, New York Linda Lee Boyd, Berkeley DeWitt Cheng, San Francisco Bunny Burson, St. Louis Francisco Dominguez, Davis, CA Scott Anderson, Muncie, IN ***************************************************************************************** "...That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted...from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it...it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government...such is now the necessity..." Declaration of Independence, 1776 "...(R)epresentation is inevitably implicated in power and domination yet struggles to reconfigure representation as an act of resistance. In order to do so, it introduces new strategies of reading and interpretation while recognizing the limitations of this endeavor." Margaret Kohn, 2006 As one presidential candidate warned us last night, the American Dream is at risk. For many who lack the appropriate pedigree, it has never existed, or as only an American Pipe Dream. Those who hold the power necessary to deliver on the promise have always withheld those resources for consolidation and maintenance of this power, for themselves and others deemed as "important," for the benefit of those who need these resources the least. The subjects of the portraits on display were culled from several published sources of contemporary important players on the world stage. Some are known for their good works and commitment to righting injustice and speaking truth to power. Others are mouth pieces and tools of the status quo. Some are unproven but a source of hope. You are asked tonight, if only through a symbolic act, to exercise your rights to affect change to the faces of power, to comment through physical action on your own hopes and frustrations for the future at hand. Over the last 24 hours , these portraits were brought to the point we see now, and are ready for your minds and hands. You are encouraged to directly confront the work on view, interacting through manipulation of the plastic media supplied, directly on the existing drawings. Executive Branch Suite also expands upon the historical role of the museum as an institutional warehouse of static "fine art," the traditional definitions, functions and interaction of art, artist and audience, the acceptable behavioral patterns, rights and privileges of museum visitors, active citizenship, artistic authorship and individual ownership of ideas. Please sign the drawing if you choose to. ***************************************************************************************** Using the materials supplied in the gallery or brought from home, please add your marks and erasures to the work done by those who have come before you. You are encouraged to consider your decisions, reflect upon your choices, and invite others to participate during the run of the exhibition. Executive Branch Suite: Phase I No Hate Page Planet of Love Semper Fi Yard Sign Project Fisher's Imagery Academic Experience Professional Activity Exhibitions
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