Lecture: Mierle Laderman Ukeles

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5
Lecture: Mierle Laderman Ukeles
6:15pm
RISD Auditorium
"THE POWER OF ART AND THE POWER OF THE ARTIST IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN OR IS IT THE POWER OF THE ARTIST AND THE POWER OF ART IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN?"
Ukeles is known for her keen interest in developing new uses for recycled materials. Ukeles' art is about the everyday routines of life. Through her work with the New York City Department of Sanitation, she builds and orchestrates major public projects that explore the social and ecological issues of waste management. Her work asks the community to rethink its common disregard of waste and its disrespect for those who work with it. The artist uses her education as a powerful tool to engage community members in active learning processes. Community involvement and affirmation are at the heart of Ukeles' art work. Ukeles received a BA degree in History & International Relations from Barnard and studied Visual Arts at Pratt Institute. She joined the Department of Sanitation in the late 70s as artist in residence, a position that enabled her to incorporate dialogue, community participation around life-centered issues, and ecological sustainability into her work. Since she wrote the "Manifesto for Maintenance Art," in 1969, virtually all of her work has been public.