LEAVE THE COMMUNITY ALONE: CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON COMMUNITY ART

This seminar is centered around the politics and the ethics of “community art” in rural and urban contexts. By way of a journey through international fieldwork, the participants will examine the merits and pitfalls of art projects that activate a critical exchange between local communities and artists, learning to identify the problematic power dynamics of representation.​

Drawing on scholars like Hal Foster, Claire Bishop, Grant Kester and Miwon Kwon, we will question the positionality of curators and artists in relation to the communities they work for and with. What does it achieve to identify a “community” when its image is created by another? How do curators and artists, in the role of outsiders, activate dialog with the residents? How do they manage conflicts and antagonism?

Activities will include critical readings, case study analyses, and discussions on the role of outsiders in community-based art. Participants will engage in reflective exercises to explore their own biases and assumptions when working with communities. A culminating project will challenge participants to propose ethical frameworks for future community art initiatives, integrating insights gained from the seminar. This project aims to foster critical thinking, ethical awareness, and a nuanced understanding of the complexities inherent in community-based cultural spaces. By the end of the seminar, participants will be equipped to navigate the challenges of community engagement in their own artistic practices, promoting inclusive and respectful approaches to working with diverse communities.

"Leave the Community Alone" was first developed as Isabella Indolfi's thesis for the MA program in Human Rights and the Arts at Bard College in New York, and subsequently presented at the Manchester Metropolitan University of Art (UK), at Residency Unlimited, and at Storm Bookstore in Brooklyn (NY). ​
Wednesdays, 6-8 PM EST (3-5PM PST)
​Online on Zoom
120 minute sessions, 4 weeks
February 5th - 26th
$125 - $375 Tuition
Select scholarships and solidarity rate discounts available upon request.

INSTRUCTORS

Isabella Indolfi is a curator living between Brooklyn, NY and her hometown Maranola, a medieval village on the Mediterranean coast between Roma and Napoli, Italy.

She has over 10 years of international experience in curating and producing exhibitions and public programs for non-profit organizations, museums, and esteemed institutions, such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, The Hermitage State Museum Youth Educational Centre in Saint Petersburg (Russia), the MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome (Italy), the Cafesijan Museum in Yerevan (Armenia), and the PS122 Gallery in New York (USA).

Recently awarded a full MA scholarship at the Center for Human Rights and the Arts at Bard College in New York, Isabella’s curatorial research aims at fostering environmental and social justice, engaging in site-specific and community-oriented practices.
Her latest research project, Leave The Community Alone, is focused on the ethics and politics of art residencies in small communities, and it stems from her experience on founding and directing the Seminaria Sogninterra Biennale of Environmental Art, which since 2011 has welcomed over 100 international artists in residency, to realize public art projects in Maranola, Italy.

With a background in Sociology and Cultural Studies from University La Sapienza in Italy, Isabella’s research often explores the impact of technology on art and society. Leveraging this expertise, she has co-curated international festivals such as Cyfest —one of the largest nomad media art festivals— and the Media Art Festival at the MAXXI Museum in Rome, Italy.
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Isabella has shared her work through lectures at institutions such as Goldsmiths University of London and Manchester Metropolitan University School of Art. Her research papers and critical texts have been published in various magazines, catalogs and academic journals, with some available on academia.edu. 

Website: isabellaindolfi.it/
Image credit: Carlo De Meo for Seminaria Biennale 2011