Friday, May 11, 2018
To kick off Open Engagement––SUSTAINABILITY, the 10th Annual socially engaged art conference, Thacker organized “Open House” –– a day long pre-conference initiative highlighting unique work being done by 23 New York City based organizations, collectives, and institutions across all five boroughs of the city. Programming took place from 9am to 6pm including tours, exhibitions, panel conversations, interventions, and open hours. Open House breaks from a traditional conference model, considering sites and contexts of the city as both material and classroom. All Open House programming was free, and included accessibility and public transportation information.
The 10th Annual (and last in it’s current form) Open Engagement conference took place May 11–13, 2018 at the Queens Museum. Open Engagement is an artist-led initiative committed to expanding the dialogue around and serving as a site of care for the field of socially engaged art. We highlight the work of transdisciplinary artists, activists, students, scholars, community members, and organizations working within the complex social issues and struggles of our time. Since 2007, OE has presented ten conferences in two countries and six cities, hosting over 1,800 presenters and over 7,000 attendees. In addition, OE managed a publishing arm, and assembled a national consortium of institutions, colleges, and funders all dedicated to supporting artists engaged in this necessary and critical work.
Read the curatorial statement here.
Download the catalogue here.