Lee Tusman

In late September I attended the Creative Time Summit and Living As Form exhibition (curated by Nato Thompson) in New York City. Creative Time presents groundbreaking adventurous public art projects. The Living As Form exhibition brings together a 25+ year history of socially-engaged art practices and pulls in urban planning, installation, nonprofit organizations, independent presses, street performances, a time bank, many curators and artists and great thinkers. They are not afraid to push the boundaries of “what is art,” nor do they shy away from presenting challenging projects of art and social change. The exhibit contains documentation of about 100 artists or groups, commissions 9 new pieces, and includes dozens of events. There is also an included Market space curated by Half Letter Press / Temporary Services. 

Temporary Services has invited organizations and businesses from the Lower East Side to operate stalls in a section of the Essex Street Market building, returning the space to its original function as a marketplace, but one that is free to use, non-competitive, and particularly diverse in its offerings.

In short, I was blown away and inspired by the exhibit. With so many examples of socially-engaged art practice presented in one place it helped me think about effectiveness, inspiration, audiences, tactics, and the many possible pathways forward in this field. The exhibit is presented every Thursday through Sunday at the Old Essex Street Market through October 16. Go!
Philly-ists Megawords presented a space for hanging out, reading zines, listening to or making music, and meeting people. It’s rare to find space for relaxing, particularly a space without advertising. It felt very comfortable.Marc Fischer with books and zines from Temporary Services / Half Letter Press at their booth in the Market section they curated within the Living As Form exhibit.From the Time Bank (Would anyone with more experience in Time Banking like to write a little report on this?)Banned Books Library