May 27–31, 2015
Portland, Oregon
www.psusocialpractice.org/assembly
www.psusocialpractice.org/reference-points
Assembly: a co-authored social practice conference
Assembly is a five-day set of presentations, discussions, interventions, performances, and activities addressing and exploring topics related to art and social practice. The wide variety of public events is organized and curated by Portland State University Art and Social Practice MFA faculty, students, alumni, and partners. Venues include various locations on the PSU campus and surrounding institutions. A major focus of the conference is on the connection between photography and social engagement featuring Magnum Postcards from American photographers, who have created the inaugural exhibition at King School Museum of Contemporary Art—a museum in a functioning public K-8 school. An Assembly publication and website will create a formalized framework that the semi-autonomous activities exist within. All events are free and open to the public.
Presenters include Julie Ault, Erin Charpentier, Roz Crews, Phoebe Davies, Amanda Leigh Evans, Helene Fischman, Emily Fitzgerald, Harrell Fletcher, Zach Gough, Derek Hamm, Ariana Jacob, Avalon Kalin, Tamara Lynne, Christopher Michlig, Mark Menjivar, Adam Moser, Travis Neel, Carmen Papalia, Gemma-Rose Turnbull, Michael Rohd, Renee Sills, Alysha Shaw, Strike Debt PDX, Cassie Thornton, Patricia Vazquez Gomez, Arianna Warner, Christine Wong Yap, Emily Carr Students and faculty, and Magnum Photographers Alec Soth, Jim Goldberg, Zoe Strauss, Peter van Agtmael, Bieke Depoorter, and Donovan Wylie.
Sponsored in part by Portland State University, Dave and Erika Cianculli, The Platt Family, c3: initiative, Emily Carr University of Art, Portland Art Museum, Magnum Photos, The British Council, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, New Space, The Precipice Fund, Publication Studio, Museum of Contemporary Craft, Blue Sky, composition, Likewise, PataPDX, PSU Campus Rec, King School, PSU Speaker’s Board, Multnomah County Library, and Project Grow.
Reference Points books
The Art and Social Practice Reference Points book series, which will be featured at Assembly, illuminates discussions taking place within the radical environment of the Portland State University Art and Social Practice MFA program. Each book in the ongoing series is conceived and created by an Art and Social Practice MFA student or alumni, and explores the work of an artist or topic within the field of socially engaged art. Artist and writer Julie Ault and the program director, artist Harrell Fletcher, oversee the development of each volume. Currently ten titles are available, including John Malpede, the Center for Urban Pedagogy, Temporary Services, Wendy Ewald, The Art and Social Practice Workbook, Talk to the Gun a collaboration with Pedro Reyes, Ben Kinmont, and Art and Pedagogy with Luis Camnitzer and Pablo Helguera. The series is designed by Molly Sherman and published by Publication Studio.
