Abstract
The Sites of Passage projects are global interchanges for the migration of ideas across political/cultural borders. Like the name alludes to, Sites of Passage (SOP), asks each artist to take a rite of passage. Exchanges take place between the Unites States and another country of conflict. The idea is to take the conversation, the conflict away from the media and the politicians, who often have a very different agenda than the people. SOP gives the conversation to the artists to ruminate on. This is the foundation for all SOP projects. In conjunction with The Mattress Factory Museum (MF), previous exchanges have taken place between Egypt and the US (revolving around the Egyptian Revolution and the Occupy Movement), Israel, Palestine, and the US (revolving around the ideas of Borders, Walls, and Citizenship) and South Africa and the US (revolving around Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs). Currently running at the MF is Pop-Aganda, opening in a time of war, it is an exchange between Russia and US (revolving around the ideas of Propaganda & Pop Art. Each project takes about 3 years to research and execute. The 5th SOP project, currently being researched, is an exchange between the U.S. and Indigenous Artists living behind the made-up perimeters of the United States. This is the first SOP to happen inside the U.S. borders, due to open for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. These cultural and collaborative dialogues include voices from a variety of artistic practices.
Presenters
Tavia La FolletteCurator, Director, Artist and Associate Professor, Graduate (MFA) and Undergraduate (Theatre Studies Interdisciplinary Focus), Towson University, Maryland, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Museums, Knowledge, Culture, Research, Discovery, Internet
