The Cambridge Chronicles

The art show opens today. It's a little after 2pm and only 4 people have stopped by so far. Two of them were people visiting Duane at the gallery. I had the fantasy of lots of people being here. A big crowd. They would watch me write about the show. Dana and a viewer are watching me. They are talking about the dream groups. My intention was to write about the idea for this show, a short history, something about all the little things that happened, how it developed. I had this idea about ten days ago. The idea to sit here and write during the show. I thought it would be easier. At the moment I'm feeling a bit stiff. Its not coming out like I wanted. I told Simone about the idea. Richard! she says, I don't want you writing about sex. Ok, I says, but if anyone has sex there then I'm going to write about it. Otherwise, it will just be about the show. History and what's happening, what I think is interesting. I had the basic idea about two months ago. I told Simone how it would be nice to do something with the art we would do with other people. We were both a bit tired of the party scene. It was getting boring. What could we do to make things more interesting? And how could we do something about he lack of initiative, spontaneity, doing things, that always pervades a party. The lights are turned down, the music up, the people turned on with alcohol and drugs. Then they try to communicate. It doesn't work. Everyone is passive, an observer. Sometimes you meet an interesting person, but the form never changes, or gets better. One never gets anywhere with a relationship with the people there. Maybe you go home and sleep with someone, but that doesn't satisfy the need for feeling close to people. For feeling the way Simone and I feel about doing things together. At this moment Roberta is sitting here telling me how she likes everything so much. She feels connected to the art since she knows most of the people who did things. A different feeling from being in other galleries. Its because she knows the people. Next time do it in Cambridge she says. She didn't wear a dress because I'm wearing farm jeans, or so Simone thinks. Someone over to my right and behind me is doing pushups. He did 38. I will show them about the leaping pushups I do. That will impress them. Not very many people here today, or at least not right now. We made some mistakes in publicity. It didn't get into most of the papers. I called some to see if they got the announcement in time. Some said yes, but they didn't make it. The press release should have been sent out earlier. Another mistake was having it this weekend. We are competing with a lot of other events. Its Memorial Day weekend, the Cambridge River Festival is today, there's a big parade in town, etc. We made a mistake on our postcard. Several things were left out. The gallery being open by appointment, for one. Two well-dressed people have just come in. It looks like a mother and son. Some young boys are here talking with Duane about body building, or some kind of body training.

It is almost 4pm. Not many people, many 20 or so. A bit disappointing. Simone wonders if we will get back the $700 we have invested. I am not too worried. It will not make me feel so good if nobody comes to the art work tonight. A friend of Simone's has just come here from Connecticut. She and Simone went to high school together. Edwin is giving me headlines for writing. I tell him its a report and I have to meet a deadline. Two more people have come in. A man and a woman. The man talks to Duane and the woman looks at the exhibit. Jonathan has finished taking slide photos of the exhibit. He gives the film to me for developing. Ho hum. Gina comes back with the baby, Aurora. She gets lots of attention. People are more enthusiastic about the baby coming in than anything here. I just had the fantasy that hardly anyone will come tonight. It sort of reminded me of arranging lectures for Otmar and Brooke. I would work my tail off and nobody would show up.

Originally the title of the show was going to be Art is life/Life is art. That title got into one newspaper. Carol Wit came up with the idea of Social Artworks. I modified it to Social Art Works. Simone says a bunch of us were sitting around trying to think of a better name. They didn't like mine. So we thought about it and that's the one we decided on.

It is after 9pm. Only one person here for the participatory part. We started to put down a large paper circle. The inside diameter is about 15 feet. The outside diameter is 20 feet. Barbara, who came to the opening, and knows Lotti, helped me tape down about half the circle. I told her to stop. It doesn't look like anyone is coming. It occurs to me that people have stayed away because of the participatory aspect of the exhibit. Sometimes people stay away from our house because they feel threatened. Maybe they imagine they will be forced to do something. I used to get this same feeling on FH.

Simone and Carol are walking around and putting prices on the Social Art Works. $25 is the maximum they will allow. People come and go in a casual manner, but not really doing anything. Idle chatter. Simone likes another one of my titles. Roberta said she found all my work very interesting and didn't expect so much of me. She found them to have a lot of expression and diverse. Olga, Simone's friend from New Haven, visited for a few minutes. She hurt her hand. It happened at a Cowboy bar. It seems she was thrown from the bull. Its not broken, just badly sprained. It is starting to turn various green and gray colors. Her ass is also turning colors from the same event, being thrown. She took Simone into the bathroom and showed her the whole thing. Simone continues to hear lots of new gossip about each person who visits us. Simone wants me to write about her stepfather's neurotic dog, but somehow it does not fit into my trying to write about the art show. Her mother called here a little earlier. Daniel was on the phone when I picked it up. He talked to me because Simone told him to. Oh well, she is trying to train him to be civilized. So far it is a complete failure.

SOCIAL ART WORKS

This is an exhibition of art works created in social situations. These "social art works" were created by some 20 Boston artists, musicians, and writers in group situations, as contrasted with the usual situation, where an artist works in isolation. The visual projects include paintings, sculpture, collage, photography, and drawings. The exhibit will also feature group created poetry, music, and drawing. Some exhibits will involve participation by attenders.

There are two kinds of "art" here. On the right side of the gallery is art done in a more conventional way, that is, the artist working in isolation. Those on the left side of the gallery were done in groups of 3 or more people. An obvious difference is in the amount of time taken to make some of the things here. The works done in groups were all done in 1 to 3 hours. That's the usual amount of time we would spend doing art. The evenings also included dinner, sometimes just talking, watching television. Not everyone in the group would participate. We would try to have a relaxed atmosphere. Each "artist" would have a chance to decide what they wanted to do and with what kinds of materials.