Artivention's Blog

ARTivention is a community arts collaboration between the artist and the public that exists outside the traditional art economy of the gallery/museum. Working in conjunction with the audience,  ARTivention’s goal is to highlight the original purpose of art: expression and communication.   Prior and current projects orchestrated by ARTivention include Care Packages, Commune-ique, and Found Objects. For more information on either of those projects please click on the link titled More Project Info.

Found Objects took place from 2010 to 2011 and consisted of  365 hand-knit miniature sweaters was placed throughout the country as well as Australia and Canada.  Collaborating with knitters, these miniature sweaters were placed in prominent public places. A tag was attached to each sweater that asks the finders and collectors of these objects to make a monetary contribution to the National Coalition for the Homeless. Spurred by the housing crisis in the U.S. that resulted from the high risk lending that ravaged the housing sector, the issue of homelessness has taken on new meaning as many Americans are forced to find alternative living arrangements. Economic conditions have redefined homelessness. No longer the domain of street people, average wage earners now find themselves increasingly among the ranks of the displaced. Additionally, Found Objects questions standard norms of visual economies such as those found in the system of art commodification including the current practice of selling, purchasing and collecting art for art’s sake.  By placing art objects outside the normal system of the art market, Found Objects relies upon the finder to determine the value of the object rather than an elite cadre of art specialists.  The result of this action is the production of art that has cultural relevance and visual significance that reflects the society in which it was created.