the muster.

“what are you fighting for?”

allison smith asked her fellow new york artists, “what are you fighting for?” and on May 14, year they gathered together on governors island to show how they answered the call of the muster. “Some 50 participants did so, and—with homemade banners proudly unfurled—set about trying to define themselves, and the very nature of protest, for the next 24 hours.” (http://radio.villagevoice.com/books/0714,beghtol,76228,10.html)

according to the new york foundation for the arts, “the muster is a polyphonic marshaling of voices – a gathering of the troops in her artistic, intellectual, activist and queer communities, generated by the fundamental question: ‘what are you fighting for?’ loosely mimicking the form of a civil war re-enactment.”

in other words, smith challenged artists to think about what is worth fighting for to each of them, then to imagine what that would look like against the backdrop of a civil war battle reenactment. weird mix, huh? but sometimes you just need somewhere to start…a platform to stand on.

civil war as platform . . .

we kinda like this description of the aesthetic of the show from frieze magazine (Issue 93):

“Taking her cue from the quizzical populist subculture of Civil War re-enactment, the impassioned rhetoric of abolitionists and suffragettes and the lost arts of public speechifying, volunteerism and ceremonious assembly, Smith invited artists to pitch a tent for the weekend and proclaim what, if anything, they were fighting for.”

. . . for current issues.

smith used civil war imagery to create a setting in which to talk about current issues, “ a backdrop to draw attention to a variety of social causes.” smith set up camp using a still life she created previously as her officers quarters, a large tent to meet and talk about issues. smith said, “I’m using the civil war as a metaphor to talk about how there is a very divided ethos, not only in America, but also in the art world.”

but in a way the muster helps to mend that division, at least in that smith managed to bring people together and create a collective and a place to express freely.

artists set up their own tents to show what they were fighting for as well. . . which turned out to be everything from “free reading” to “inspiring a closer relationship with the Sea” to “inner peace in a warring nation”, to the “the power of pink” and “sequined religious figures”.

in an interview with the daily news smith stated, “a lot of the artists have come up with activities to engage the public in their causes. and they’re all based around the central question of the project, ‘what are you fighting for.’”

a big part of the muster was going beyond just protesting – not just saying what was wrong with things how they are now…but making a suggestion for how things could be better…

. . . making something positive out of something negative.

“I’m trying to use this (civil war) history as a way of getting a sense of what positive things can be done with the feelings of division and defeat that are so prevalent,” said smith in an interview with the daily news.

it was important for smith to act more as a guide for the event – not a director. according to the bellweather gallery, “the days structure was organized by smith, but it was the participants themselves who determined the shape of the actual events”

when smith gave her talk at IUPUI, she spoke about why the muster drew upon concepts initiated by re-enactors. she said something similar in an article in the journal of aesthetics and protest, issue 4 (http://www.joaap.org/4/wolf_smith.html).

“Living History is a cultural practice founded on the belief that historical events gain relevance and meaning when performed live in an open-air, interactive setting. Civil War re-enactors, also called living historians, create large-scale spectacles that are also arsenals of painstakingly crafted props. Found within the elaborate re-enactor’s kit are a plethora of objects representing accomplished forms of craft, such as stitchery and needlepoint, leathercraft, metalwork, and woodcarving. With the aid of these often-beautiful objects, re-enactors perform elaborate displays of whiteness, masculinity, and nationalism. Is there something to glean from these literal ‘theaters of war?’”

key points of muster…

•civil war as a back drop to attract attention to causes

•talk about current social issues in reference to past ones. what can we learn about today form yesterday and vice versa

•creating an atmosphere where people could express themselves freely and draw attention to their own causes (not just those allison smith wanted to talk about)

•giving voice to and encouraging a collective of artists

quotable quotes:

according to the bellweather gallery…

•“participants in the muster engaged in the articulations of identities through performance.”

•“the days structure was organized by smith, but it was the participants themselves who determined the shape of the actual events” “

•she uses the civil war as a starting point from which to imagine and create new narratives for the 21^st century”

•“the muster expands on the reenactor’s belief that events lost to history can gain meaning and contemporary relevance when performed live in an open, participatory manner.”

“In the act of secession from the Union, Confederate forces formed their own unruly union. What if today’s queers, intellectuals, artists and activists adaptively engage in a Confederate fantasy, despite traumatic associations with the horrific institution of slavery? War role-players can productively remodel the history of the Secessionists versus the Union into an analogous battle between mainstream society and a multitude of countercultural perspectives. Throughout recent history, queer outsiders have united—militia like—to tussle collectively in the face of menacing culture wars. Most recently, artist Allison Smith called to arms her community of queer and artistic peers. Drawing from the practice of civil war re-enactment, Smith invited her community to collectively form their own unique historical event.” -the journal of aesthetics and protest, issue four, http://www.joaap.org/4/wolf_smith.html (this article gives a “ pre-history of the muster, aka a history of art happenings that champion gay rights…maybe the only cite that deals so directly with smith’s queer identity.)