Caroline Alexandra Stevens for the Degree of Doctor of Philoçophy at

345 Pages·2002·19.1 MB·English

Making Art Matter: Narrating the Collaborative Creative Process
Caroline Alexandra Stevens
A Thesis
in
The Department
of
Special Individuaüzed Rograms
Resented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Doctor of Philoçophy at
Concordia University
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
O Caroline Alexandra Stevens, 2001
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iii
ABSTRACT
Making Art Matte~N: arrating the Collaborative Creative Process
Caroline Alexandra Stevens
Concordia University, 201
This dissertation positions art production as a form of social activism by
investigating how participation within artistic collaborations constructs
"mattering rnaps" where individual transformation and political change are
linked by collective processes of making meaning. The three sites examined-
Oujé-Bougoumou, The Bread and Puppet Theater, and Le Centre Artisanal des
Femmeall facilitate creative production as an apparatus for political action. In
analyzing each, the dissertation highlights the affect of art making as a way of
theorking the becoming of subjectivity n e c mfo r social activists. Invoking a
locational feminism, this project contends that a situational conception of identity
subverts modemkt appeals to an essential humanistic subject, while maintainhg
the possibility of individual agency.
The aeative processes enacted at each site necessitate the construction of a
new mode1 for art history that narrates collaborative production. Therefore,
rather than describing the examples in tenns of art objects, finite events, or
hypothesizing their effects upon viewers, this dissertation aeates partidar
meaning by shaping the discourse around the production of comrnunities; the
performance of collaboration; the transformative pedagogy of "organic
intellectuals;" and the aeation of cultural democracy. In doing so the speaficity
of each of the activist interventions can be documented, while attendantly
theorizing the impact of participation within creative production as a process of
making art matter as d a 1a ctivism.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Throughout the writing of this dissertation, it has been the antiapation of
wriüng these acknowledgments that has motivated me to persevere in a process
I thought might be beyond my grasp. F i to f ail 1w ould like to thank my
supe~soDr r. Joan Adand, to whom 1 could entrust my ideas at their most
nascent stages, who had the confidence in me to agree to supervise this project,
and whose wisdom and intelligence have help shaped the final dissertation. 1
should also like to thank my conunittee members: h.C atherine MacKenzie, who
has one of the most cirtically alive minds 1h ave ever encountered; and Dr. Janice
Helland whose committed politics demonstrated to me how one's academic
work and teadiing could be activism. 1w ould also like to extend my gratitude to
my extemal readers Joyce Zemans, Annmarie Adams and Edward Little for their
thoughtfui reading, provocative questions, and encouragement. Additionally,
there are several members of the Art History and Special Individualized
Progams who have offered th& assistance and support over the past five years:
Dr. Lmen Lemer, Janice Anderson, Joanne Anselmi, Darlene Dubiel, Dr.
Rosemary Hale, and Dr. Elizabeth Sac&.
This research project would not have been possible without the help of the
dozens of people 1e ncountered at each of the research sites who facilitateci my
research, pushed my critical thinking, and offered their friendship: at Bread and
Puppet-Elka Schumann, Peter Schumann, Soozin Hirsdunugle, Kate Brehm,
Lucy Sduiider, Lydia Stein, Ariel Saniz, Ben Majchrzak, Dave Lamorow, and
Linda Elbow; at Le Centre Artisanal des F e m m d A F ,T racy Owens, Julie
Menard, Joan Pesner, Mildred Ryerson, Faranzeh Peterson, and Nicole Saltier;
and in Oujé-Bougoumou-Abel Bosum, Anna kum, Freddy Bosum, Charlie
Mianscum, Kenneth Mianscum, Oliva Couchees, Francis Shecapio, Mini
Wappaca, Douglas Cardinal, and Paul Wertman.
1 am also greatly indebted to my "organic" cornmittee who never cease to
inspire me: Cynthia Hammond whose empathetic commiseration and weekly
phone calls kept me sane during the writing process, Jeff Golf, Myriam Legault,
Norman NavrodQ, Devora Neumark, Dana Srnall, Vidor Noüvous and Ryosuke
Aoike. Additionally, my colleagues at Carleton University have been
fantasticdy supportive of my que& to complete the dissertation while teadung
full time, and in particular Laua Marks and Carol Payne have been kind and
generous mentors as 1m ake the transition from gaduate student to academic.
Finally 1 would like to thank my f d yw ho have accepted my absence and
preoccupation, especidy my mother, Susan Beattie Stevens, who always
believed in my intelligence and stwd up to the teachers who told her otherwise,
and who copy edited the dissertation in a Montreal apartment without air
conditioning during the hottest week in July. 1a m deeply grateful to Dana
Rempel whose support has been unconditional, whose willingness to discusses
my ideas and diffidties is unwavering, and who has had to live with me
through the process of writing the dissertation.
vii
To Dana,
for your support, patience
and collaboration.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figuses
Pref ace
Between Rhetoric and Ractice-The Significance of Process
Introduction
Narrating the Creative Rocess
Oujé-Bougoumou
Le Centre Artisanal des Femmes
The Bread and Puppet Theater
Chapter 1
Constructing Community-Spatial Forms as Soaal Structures
Oujé-Bougoumou
The Bread and Puppet Theater
LE Centre Artisanal des Femmes
Chapter II
The Processes and Performance of Collective Creative Praxis
Roducing Collaboration
Performing Collaboration
The Bread and Puppet Theater
Ouj&Bougoumou
Le Centre Artisanal des Femmes
Questions of Collaboration
Chapter IXI 214
The Organic Intelledual and CrîticaI Pedagogy in Transfomtive Ractice
Chapter IV
Creating Cultural Demoaacy
Conclusion
Making Art Matter
Bibliography
LIST OF FIGURES
Page
Figure 1: Le Centre Artisanal des Femmes, 1999
photo by Caroline Stevens 6
Figure 2: Aria1 view Oujé-Bougournou, 1995
photo by Harry Bosum f ., courtesy of Oujé-Bougoumou Tourism 7
Figure 3: Bread and Puppet's Our Domestic Resurrection Circus, 1997
photo by Cheryl Singleton, courtesy of Bread and Puppet Theater 8
Figure 4: Map of community sites of Ouj&Bougoumou during the
20th century courtesy of Oujé-Baugoumou Tourism 128
Figure 5: Dwelling, Oujé-Bougoumou camp, 1988
courtesy of OujeBougoumou Tourism 129
Figure 6: Çaptuan, Oujé-Bougownou, 2000
photo by Caroline Stevens 129
Figure 7: Astiiugamikw, Ouj&Bougoumou, 1995
photo by Harry Bosum Jr., courtesy of Oujé-Bougoumou Tourism. 129
Figure 8: Astiiugamikw interior "looking up," Oujé-Bougoumou, 2000
photo by Caroline Stevens 129
Figure 9 Village Map, Oujé-Bougoumou, 1998
courtesy Ouje-Bougoumou Tourism 129
Figure 10: Headquarters, Oujé-Bougoumou, 2000
photo by Caroline Stevens 130
Figure 11: Jishernunda Mijwap (Church), Oujé-Bougoumou, 2000
photo by Caroline Stevens 130
Figure 12: Elder's Residence, Oujé-Bougoumou, 1993
photo by Harry Bosum Jr., courtesy of Oujé-Bougoumou Tourism 130
Figure 13: Waapihtiiwewan Çdiool, Oujé-Bougoumou, 1993
photo by Harry Bosum Jr., courtesy of Oujé-Bougoumou Tourism 130
Figure 14: Cultural Village Map, Oujé-Bougoumou
courtesy of Oujé-Bougoumou Tourism
Figure 15: Cultural ViUage, Oujé-Bougoumou
courtesy of Oujé-Bougoumou Tourism
Figure 16: Cuihual Village, Oujé-Bougoumou
courtesy of Oujé-Bougoumou Tuurism
Figure 17: Cultural Village, Ouj é-Bougoumou
cowtesy of Oujé-Bougoumou Tourism
Figure 18: Tourism Brochure, Oujé-Bougoumou
courtesy of Oujé-Bougoumou Tourism
Figure 19: Housing, Oujé-Bougournou, 1997
photo by Caroline Stwens
Figure 20: Bread and Puppet Property, 2001
drawing by Dana Rempel
Figure 21: Museum, Bread and Rippet, 1999
photo by Caroline Stevens
Figure 22: Vertep, Bread and Puppet, 1999
photo by Caroline Stevens
Figure 23: Mr. Miller Stories, Bread and Puppet, 1999
photo by Caroline Stevens
Figure 24: Fire Bread and Puppet, 1999
photo by Caroline Stevens
Figure 25: Bird Catcher in Hell, Bread and Puppet, 1999
photo by Caroline Stevens
Figure 26: Museum Installation Shot, Bread and Rippet, 1999
photo by Caroline Stevens
Figure 27: God Face Puppet, Bread and Puppet, 1999
photo by Caroline Stevens
Figure 28: Fami, Bread and Puppet, 1999
photo by Caroline Stevens