Art for Activism

CLOCK PHOTO / JENNIFER TEPPER

When people ask artist, Beverly Naidus, what her medium is, she does not know what to tell them. Curtains? Burlap? Old x-rays? These would all be valid answers, but what truly drives Naidus’ work, currently on display at the Karl Drerup Art Gallery, is activism. 

A museum which had an exhibit featuring artists who used games, “asked me if I could build a piece that would fit in four suitcases,” said Naidus.

The display is a combination of two exhibits. On the outskirts of the room is the debut of a collaborative piece called Curtain Call: Portable Altars for Grief and Gratitude. Twelve altars hang on the walls honoring aspects of our earth such as “fresh, clean water,” “old growth,” and “honey bees.” Visitors are encouraged to share their own grief and gratitude by writing thoughts on tracing paper and leaving them below the altars, weighed down with stones. “Art gives us an opportunity to process things that we can’t really discuss with our family, friends, or coworkers,” said Naidus. Visitors are welcome to read what other people have written as well.

The other exhibit, And Now Behind Curtain #2, fills up the center of the room in a giant spiral of fabric. The fabric is a mesh of clothing and curtains, including sports t-shirts, a pink baby dress, flowers and stripes, SpongeBob, and Winnie the Pooh. “I wanted every class, every age, every gender to be represented,” said Naidus. The outside of the spiral features portraits of CEOs and other company executives, their mouths and eyes covered with cloths marked with company logos such as Citigroup, Monsanto, and Time Warner. “These voices were telling us to stop speaking out and to go shopping,” said Naidus. Originally when the exhibit was displayed for German audiences, some of these cloths were American flags. Naidus knew people in the United States would be upset, so she repainted them to all feature corporations instead. Visitors can walk into the spiral and view portraits of Naidus’ friends, family, and former students. Each portrait has a sentence or two which tells a portion of his or her story. In the center there is a board game which visitors can play.

The game consists of “encouragement cards” and “discouragement cards.” Encouragements are positive steps that move players forward, actions like petitions and protests, as well as smaller steps such as creating peace within the family. Discouragements include rumors and bribes, alcohol abuse, and lack of cooperation. The game encourages discussion throughout. A card about GMO boycotts led to a discussion about the recent protests at Market Basket. At the end of the game, “[Players] get to share a story about [their] own experience with activism, or [their] lack of experience with activism,” said Naidus. They can also write down their story and add to the collection of cards.

Naidus believes that everyone can be an activist, even in a small way, having said, “… every [person] has a teaspoon to bring to the bucket.” Her exhibit will be on display until Oct. 30 in the Karl Derup Art Gallery.