Does Art Have Users?
September 28–30, 2017
Phyllis Wattis Theater, Koret Education Center at SFMOMA
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
San Francisco, US
Immigrant Movement International, (2010-Ongoing); Asociación de Arte Útil event, in association with the Queens Museum and Creative Time, 2011; image: courtesy Estudio Bruguera
Does Art Have Users? is a symposium exploring art in terms of its use value — that is, whether and how art can be used as a tool — focusing on the roles that individuals and constituencies play in socially engaged artistic practices. From the platforms needed to support community-created artwork to the role of documentation and archives, participants will discuss the varied ways in which artists work with individuals and organizations at the intersection of art and activism to imagine new contributions to social, civic, and political life.
Bringing together the leading voices of the Arte Útil (Useful Art) movement, along with participants from related fields, the event incorporates the second international Arte Útil Summit. Focusing on specific needs and urgent questions animating Bay Area neighborhoods, the symposium includes panel discussions, presentations, and workshops that explore art and its potential usership from a wide variety of viewpoints. Topics include immigration, youth development policy, and civic knowledge sharing.
Program
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Mission District Field Trip: Walking Tour with the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project
Meeting place: Bernal Heights Park Parking Lot, 3450 Folsom Street
4–5:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Panel: Can We Teach Artists to Be Useful?
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
10:30 a.m.–noon
Panel: What Can We Learn about Art’s Social Uses?
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
12:30–2 p.m.
Panel: What Happens at the Intersection of Art and Data?
SFMOMA, Phyllis Wattis Theater
4–5:30 p.m.
Panel: What Does a Useful Museum Look Like?
SFMOMA, Phyllis Wattis Theater
6–7:30 p.m.
Opening: Public Knowledge Library
SFMOMA, Koret Education Center
7:30–9 p.m.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Panel: How Do Artists Create More Inclusive Systems of Power?
SFMOMA, Phyllis Wattis Theater
10:30 a.m.–noon
Panel: What Can Public Knowledge Be?
SFMOMA, Phyllis Wattis Theater
1–2:30 p.m.
Panel: How Can Libraries Incubate Contemporary Art?
SFMOMA, Phyllis Wattis Theater
3–4:30 p.m.
Panel + Performance: What Is the Sound of Your San Francisco?
San Francisco Public Library, Main Library, Koret Auditorium
7–8:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Workshop: In Print/Imprint: Designing Political Print Pieces with Users in Mind
SFMOMA, Koret Education Center, Studio 2
11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Workshop: Seeing Social Practice
SFMOMA, Koret Education Center, Studio 1
11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Roundtable: Can Art Be a Tool for Thinking in New Ways about Civic Life?
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
2–6 p.m.
Part of SFMOMA’s Phyllis Wattis Distinguished Lecture Series, as well as SFMOMA’s Public Knowledge initiative, Does Art Have Users? is presented in partnership with the Asociación de Arte Útil and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and its exhibition Tania Bruguera: Talking to Power / Hablándole al Poder.
This event series is free; museum admission is not required. Seating for each event is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
