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Winter 2008: AHN NEWS

This issue of AHN News is dedicated to the creative practice of GUERILLA ART. I interview the fabulous author/illustrator/guerilla artist Keri Smith about her latest book, The Guerilla Art Kit: Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Message Out Into the World. I also offer links to the Worldwide Letterboxing project and to the new documentary on Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) called What Would Jesus Buy?

One of the things that most intrigues me about guerrilla art is the way it can transform our relationship to our immediate surroundings. Often created anonymously, it functions as a surprise gift that, as Keri Smith describes, becomes “a much needed way to reclaim public space, affect other people's perception of the world, bring into play a new consciousness, incorporate the senses into everyday life, and incorporate lightheartedness to affect change.”

Guerilla art most often functions outside of the commercial art market and because few artists working this way are compensated for their efforts, there is a strong element of generosity to the work. It is this element of generosity that inspired me to feature this theme at this holiday time of year. May this issue expand your sense of the possibilities of art as a gift, and art making as a way to create wonder.

Wishing you a magical holiday season and an art-full 2008!
Mary Daniel Hobson, Director, Arts & Healing Network

AHN Interview: Keri Smith

“This, in my opinion, is the greater purpose of art - to pull us out of our unconscious behavior and make us aware of something we might have missed.  It asks us to pay attention, and, as I mention in the book, guerilla art says, ‘the human spirit is alive here.’” –Keri Smith

Author, illustrator, and guerilla artist Keri Smith embraces the creative process with all of its uncertainty and wonder – encouraging others to explore, question, trust the creative process, and pay attention to and engage with one’s environment. She writes a wonderful blog called The Wish Jar, and has published several books including Living Out Loud: Activities to Fuel a Creative Life and Wreck This Journal: An Activity Book for Creative Destruction. Her most recent publication is the Guerilla Art Kit: Everything You Need to Put Your Message Out Into the World. I was delighted to interview her this past month about this new publication and her approach to this revolutionary way of making art.

Mary Daniel Hobson: When did you first start thinking about and engaging in guerilla art? What was your first step on this journey?

Keri Smith: My first venture into this work happened in a class I took in art school.  One of our assignments was to do some form of collective graffiti, whatever we wanted. I had never done anything like it before and was pretty intimidated by the process of potentially "getting caught." But something about it really stuck with me. I went back to it many years later, after I had had some life experience and found a reason to do it for myself (read: something to say). It started slowly with chalking quotes around town and eventually grew into other things. My favorite methods now are extremely subtle, leaving notes in public, arrows pointing to various things, found objects left in interesting places.

Mary Daniel: Tell me more about guerrilla art and what inspired you to create your book, The Guerilla Art Kit?

Keri: In 2005 I had been practicing guerilla art techniques on a small scale, while living in a small town. The impetus was threefold. I needed to have a creative outlet that had nothing to do with making a living or attachment to the outcome. I wanted to do something to shake the town up a little bit and give it some much needed life. And lastly, I wanted to take some ownership of the public space that I inhabit. Guerilla art techniques accomplish all of these things, and I was only just beginning to recognize the impact it was starting to have on how I perceived the world and the place that I lived. At some point it occurred to me that I had never seen a book that documented the techniques used in guerilla art, and that maybe it would be time to explore the genre and place it into a slightly different context than it had been in the past. Traditionally, guerilla art had been employed by political revolutionaries whose goal was to exercise their voice when they had felt helpless working against the system. This is a wonderful and necessary use for the medium, but I wanted to explore its use for other purposes (both political and not). 

I started experimenting and learning about new techniques and then began researching the history of “putting work out into the world in an anonymous way,” which led to a study of various revolutionary movements and forms of art - the Situationists in France, the Fluxus group, John Cage, contemporary public art, etc. Over the course of my research my own perception of guerilla art became much broader and moved away from the stereotype, which often involved "graffiti," illegal defacement of public property, people rebelling against the system. In the new perception I began to see it as a much needed way to reclaim public space (in a world where we have lost our ownership of our cities), affect other people's perception of the world, bring into play a new consciousness, incorporate the senses into everyday life (we have become disconnected through looking at screens all day), and incorporate lightheartedness to affect change.

Mary Daniel: After all this great exploration and research, how do you now define guerilla art? Is it always anonymous? Is it always free?

Keri: In the book I define guerilla art as "any anonymous work installed, performed, or attached in public spaces, with the distinct purpose of affecting the world in a creative or thought-provoking way."  Does it have to be free?  Well, it might be hard to charge for something that is posted anonymously. To me it is an important quality of guerilla art that it is done without attachment to outcome (monetary or otherwise). There is a new generation of guerilla artists who are profiting from their work by branding themselves and then selling their work online. In my own work, this is not what I aspire to do. It's a personal choice I suppose. As with any form of creation we have to ask ourselves, "What do we want to put out into the world?" and take responsibility for that.

Mary Daniel: In your book, you also talk about the ethics of guerilla art. Can you share some of that here.

Keri: What I discuss in the book are my own personal ethics, not necessarily the ethics of guerilla art. There are two issues at play here - the legality issue, (why is guerilla art considered illegal?) and what kind of footprint I want to leave when installing my work. On a personal level I question why it is okay for corporations to install their advertising blatantly in public places (while as a public we have no say in what or how they do this) and yet guerilla art (which is a form of personal expression) is deemed illegal and subject to intense fines. I understand completely that there is an issue with defacement of property, but I want to point out the contradiction here. In my own practices, I make a point to tread lightly, installing things that are impermanent, using nonpermanent materials (chalk, environmentally friendly adhesives, etc.) as well as choosing places that are deemed “public space” as opposed to private (though this can be tricky sometimes). This is what feels right to me. My intent is not to damage or impact people negatively by leaving my work, but instead to add to the environment in a positive way.

Mary Daniel: Could you talk a bit about how this kind of art reawakens a sense of connection to one's world, both for the guerilla artist and for those who encounter the artwork.

Keri: I think there are many answers to this, and they probably differ for everyone.  Most interesting for me are the elements of surprise and mystery. Coming across something that is unexpected helps to pull us out of our habitual ways of thinking and reacting to the world. This goes for the creation side of things too - we must tune in to the environment in order to allow it to speak to us and to notice the little things. This, in my opinion, is the greater purpose of art - to pull us out of our unconscious behavior and make us aware of something we might have missed.  It asks us to pay attention, and, as I mention in the book, guerilla art says, "the human spirit is alive here."

Here is a quote that expresses what I am talking about:

"The idea is to turn even familiar actions into everyday celebrations, to make vivid the common, to separate every moment from the next, as experimental films do, so that spontaneity is allowed to break the dead hand of habit." ~Samuel A. Eisenstein

Mary Daniel: Could you share a story of a guerrilla art action you did and what the impact was?

Keri: It's difficult to measure impact in regards to guerilla art, as it is the nature of the medium that you often don't get to witness how it is received by the public - though there are some exceptions to this. When I was living in a small town I was able to hear the townspeople gossiping about the strange things that were starting to crop up unexpectedly in their world. Some of the people were really excited about it. Most of them wanted to know who was doing it, and I got to hear all the various theories. The best part was that many people were so intrigued by some of the quotes I was chalking that they wanted to research where they came from. I heard that one man was so moved by a quote he went up to the house it was in front of in an attempt to get more information about it. 

But the most beautiful thing that came out of the chalking around town was that it inspired a series of "copycat" artists who started leaving their own writings and conversation pieces. More quotes appeared, and later someone painted daisies in various places on the sidewalk. One small thing grew into something bigger.

Mary Daniel: Could you share an exercise from your book – something one could use to get started in the practice of guerilla art?

Keri: In terms of getting started I often suggest something simple and not too scary (something you'll actually follow through on). You want to enjoy the process, but not be terrified and stop yourself before you have had a chance to see what it is like. A good one to start with might be: 

"Guerilla Mail"
materials: cardstock, art supplies, postage stamp

1.  Start an anonymous mail postcard chain with friends, with a note on the back explaining the concept:

Dear friend,
You are invited to take this postcard and alter/add to it in some way. Use whatever method you would like; it is up to you. Do not worry about covering up the existing artwork. Do not obscure this note. When you are finished, mail the postcard to someone else.

2.  Here are some ideas for your postcard design: quotes or poetry, drawings or photos, a section for the recipient to fill in, random thoughts, and collage.

Mary Daniel: This is a great example. One of the things I love about your book is how practical and hands-one the exercises and instructions are. I also love the book design with its sense of whimsy and tactility. Can you talk about the role of playfulness in both guerrilla art and your book’s design?

Keri: I suppose this is the theme that runs through everything for me. It is almost hard for me to stand back and look at it objectively. What is interesting about the book is that when I submitted it to the publisher (I should say publishers, as it was rejected many times), I created a mock-up, which I do for all my books. They tend to be quite tactile and handmade looking. For this one I used found cardboard (the backside of an old FedEx box I had in my studio) bound together with duct tape. I was surprised when the publisher wanted to keep the same look for the final piece as usually they want to change it and work at many versions to find the right one. The final book is actually very close to what I submitted. It is a bit haphazard (using many fonts), but fun, which suits the medium perfectly, since guerilla art has no rules, often uses found or free materials, is eclectic looking, and pushes social norms.

Mary Daniel: What excites you most about your work right now?

Keri: I am currently working on a new book, which in some ways is writing itself. The subject could be very loosely defined as “methods for documenting your world/life.” What excites me about it is seeing how everything is connected, all of my research, the things I love, nature, my favorite writers, the things I collect, etc.  During this process of compiling pieces for the book I feel charged with electricity as if this thing is just meant to exist and I really have no say in it.  When I discover a new source for information that reiterates my concept or adds to it in a new way, I feel as though I am just along for the ride - that I am friends with all of these great thinkers and they are helping me along. That is the creative process for me. I love that feeling.

Mary Daniel: What books and web sites are currently inspiring you in your creative work?

Keri: This list is much too long right now to quote in its entirety. Most recently, the books are:
The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
The Species of Spaces and Other Pieces by George Perec
Picturing & Poeting by Alan Fletcher
The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman
Learning by Heart by Corita Kent
And the writings of Walt Whitman, Carl Jung, Thich Nhat Hanh, Buckminster Fuller, and hundreds more.

The websites are:
www.zeekomkommer.nl
www.curiosityshoppeonline.com
www.goodmagazine.com
www.annekejakobs.nl/   

Mary Daniel: Lastly, how do you believe art can be a catalyst for healing, transformation, or positive change?

Keri: …By pulling us out of our habitual way of thinking and reacting, by shaking us up, by leading by example - as Carl Jung says to "wake us up from the mass of unconsciousness where the bulk of man dwells."

My personal belief is that we cannot control how others respond or react to our work (I know I might be contradicting myself somewhat here), but I often feel that work created with the intent to affect positive change or shape someone's thinking misses the mark slightly (read: too obvious, or a little preachy). More importantly we need to make work that is interesting to us, that we respond to, and THAT is what others will respond to. It is that energy that is contagious. I prefer a more Buddhist approach akin to  “heal yourself and you heal the world.”

FEATURED LINK:

Worldwide Letterboxing by Alec Finlay

http://www.alecfinlay.com/letterbox.html

When I first read about Alec Finlay’s Worldwide Letterboxing project in the journal, PRACTICE, I was struck by how simple and yet wonder-filled this project is. Over the next few years, Alec is placing 100 wooden boxes, each containing a rubber stamp of a “circle poem” in various locations around the world. Each box has a keeper, who plants the box in nature, records its location, creates clues/map, and maintains the box. On his web site, you can find details of how to find each of these boxes and journey to them yourself, collecting the circle poems. Although not anonymous, this artistic act shares with guerilla art both the transformation of one’s relationship to the public environment and the sense of art as a surprise, free gift.

In Alec’s own words,

“Letterboxing is “hobby-walking, collecting, with a bit of printing thrown in. The letterboxes are like bird boxes and they protect a rubber stamp and ink pad…To me letterboxing is about shared consciousness as it invites people to be writers and readers…the journey is an exchange between the art of poetry and the act of walking, without either one of these being given priority. My poems are ‘rosebuds’: they may be beautiful or playful, but they are also simply an invitation to a journey. The guides are topographical descriptions, but, whether they are informative or chatty, they contain the texture of different people’s voices and the grain of their memories. The project may disrupt some people’s expectations of what a work of art should be, but any walk guided by a friend can have something magical about it... I want to put the poems into a state of use; to give them a home, but also place them within the rules of a game, a hiding-and-seeking, to enrich and deepen the arc of time.”

The quotes above are by Alec Finaly from an interview with Elizabeth James.

FEATURED LINK:

Reverend Billy’s new film, What Would Jesus Buy!

http://wwjbmovie.com/

Reverend Billy (aka Bill Talen) lives his own form of guerilla art – creating remarkable public performances in which he adopts the persona of a preacher from the “Church of Stop Shopping.” Together with his Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, they have performed across the country in public spaces inviting people to question the mass consumerism of our culture.

A documentary about his work called What Would Jesus Buy? was just released and can be found at many local theatres. As the web site explains: “From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) was a lost idealist who hitchhiked to New York City only to find that Times Square was becoming a mall. Spurred on by the loss of his neighborhood and inspired by the sidewalk preachers around him, Bill bought a collar to match his white caterer's jacket, bleached his hair and became the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Since 1999, Reverend Billy has gone from being a lone preacher with a portable pulpit preaching on subways, to the leader of a congregation and a movement whose numbers are well into the thousands.

Through retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching, Reverend Billy reminds us that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? is a  journey into the heart of America – from exorcising the demons at the Wal-Mart headquarters to taking over the center stage at the Mall of America and then ultimately heading to the Promised Land … Disneyland. Will we be led like Sheeple to the Christmas slaughter, or will we find a new way to give a gift this Christmas? What Would Jesus Buy? may just be the divine intervention we’ve all been searching for.”

To learn more about this film, please visit wwjbmovie.com
To learn more about Reverend Billy, please visit www.revbilly.com.

CONNECTION CENTER

In each issue of AHN News, we publish a recent post from the Arts & Healing Connection Center - a place on the AHN web site where visitors can read and post comments - sharing their stories, resources, questions and ideas.

This month, we feature this post by “theartoflight”, a counselor/artist/teacher from Washington State, who writes:

“The holiday seasons bring A LOT of opportunity for those that center their thoughts and keep focus on the metaphorical value of the season. The fall and winter seasons promote an ending of sorts. These seasons support the opportunity to re-examine our lives and to take the opportunity to go within and make necessary adjustments. At the beginning of the winter season we have a worldwide holiday that generates the energies of re-birth and the gift of life. Use these energies to redefine what you want your life to be. Re-define who you really are and begin living an authentic life. Make sure you spend as much time looking forward as you may be spending looking at the past. Don't get stuck in what was, but what you want life to be.

A great way to honor this and take charge of your new life is to engage in a simple art project - "simple" being the key. Grab three pieces of big newsprint and crayons and use one sheet for the past, one sheet for the present and one sheet for the future. Fill these sheets with rich symbolism that reflects the feelings that come to you as you engage in the thoughts each concept brings. Have fun with it. Allow it to take as much time as it needs to take. Record the good AND the bad!! Next, examine what you want to keep or are still working on. Circle those symbols. Take those symbols and put them together on a fourth sheet, destroying the other three as a ritualistic message that you feel complete with those issues and are ready to move on. Create this fourth piece as a final piece of art. You may want to include a journal entry with this piece so you know what you are focusing on for the future. Add symbols of love, health, strength and courage, laughter, assistance, security, peace and prosperity.

Place this final product somewhere visible to you. Spend time with it. Let it "talk" to you. Keep your journal with you so you can write down ideas that come you. This is a powerful tool and experience. It is a journey into your heart and your future. It is magic if you let it be.

Wishing everyone a blessed season and a magnificent new you!!”

If you have an idea or practice for staying grounded in meaning this holiday season, please post it on the Connection Center.

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