SPW Art | ART-ACT Art | Gallery Art | Art Contest | Web School | Aid UM-CAC
Screen Print Workshop | Events | Agency History | Chic. Art Issues | Newsletter

Exhibit Without Walls
Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival

The Evanston Art Fair 7/21/02

The “Exhibit Without Walls” happened exactly as the concept is 
designed to work.  These 28 fliers, each with a graphic image 
from an ART-ACT submission, are to be handed out in a crowded 
locale so that it is possible for people to become aware that 
the image they receive is different from the next or the previous 
person who was handed an ART-ACT art flier. This leaves open the 
possibility that people might talk about the image or give 
the image they received a moment or more thought. They might 
compare their image with another person’s image.

The Evanston Ethnic Art Fair is a natural choice as a location. 
Evanston has a tradition of diversity. Yet, it has the same 
challenges of any midwest community in terms of ethnic divisions 
and inequalities. The Ethnic Arts Festival is Evanston’s celebration 
of its diverse constituency. The Art and craft vendors must apply 
in advance with a portfolio and be judged to exhibit and sell in 
this two-day festival.

We were too late to apply to sell our t-shirts. I am very at ease 
with that. The business of selling t-shirts is hard work. I would 
have worked from sun up to sun down in 90-100 degree heat for two 
days starting early and finishing late by myself. Next year maybe 
we can be organized with volunteers so I will not have to do 
this alone. 

Artists, your art is working! I arrived at two o’clock riding my 
bike along the Lake Michigan waterfront, past a bright sandy beach 
filled with weekend bathers. I road north to the festival area. 
My bike locked to a light pole at the festival’s edge, I walked 
forward preparing my Exhibit Without Walls packets. Each packet 
held the 28 exhibit images.

I wore my “America Bless God” t-shirt which I soaked in water before 
leaving on this venture. The temperature was 95 and the humidity was 
high. My intention was not to fry. In my leather bag, I carried 20 
complete Exhibit packets. The art fliers are 4 ¼” by 5 ½” and are 
just the right size to fold into a pocket easily to be looked at 
later. At home a person might clean out the things collected during 
the day and find your art. A thought or even a conversation might 
result. Toward the milling people I walked slowly reviewing the 
layout and my first lucky unsuspecting art patron. 

“Exhibit Without Walls” I said intoning it as a question while I 
thrust the flier forward to the first person I was able to approach 
close enough to be within conversation range. The first four or 
five people shrugged refusal in their individual ways. “It is 
important to offer but not to push,” I thought. “Not everybody 
is here for art and it is enough to offer. At the same time I 
should give everybody the chance to refuse and not assume by 
their looks that they do not want the art.” This was the philosophy 
with which I proceeded to approach people. It was effective.

I hit runs of acceptance interspersed with clumps of refusals as 
I wove my way through the crowded walk between vendors on both sides. 
The vendors were most receptive partly because they were - by 
definition – a diverse group of artists and artisans and also because 
they were there to sell and thus more accommodating to a possible 
customer. Some fair goers were less accepting of this unsolicited 
literature. The vast majority took the art offered. It was by far 
more accepting a crowd than the people downtown Chicago that I 
faced when I presented the Exhibit Without Walls around Gallery 37.

“Exhibit Without Walls?…art Exhibit Without Walls?…Art Exhibit?… 
art? … Exhibit Without Walls?” I spoke from person to person 
offering the art fliers.

“What?” someone said.

“Its an art exhibit of 28 images of which you get one – if you want 
it – and you can see the entire exhibit on-line at our website.”

“Art Exhibit? Where?”

“Right here, right now, on this little flier – you get one of the 
exhibit images. You can compare it with other peoples’ images or 
surf to our website to see the rest of the images. The details 
are on the back of the flier. There is also an opportunity for 
all artists to enter our ART-ACT contest.”

“Oh,” he folded it carelessly as he wonder off and tucked it 
in a back pocket.

Around the pathways lined with vendors and hot curious gift 
seekers and art appreciators, fair goers of many stripes, 
I strolled or paused whirling from face to face, discussion 
group to family cluster, offering the ART-ACT images as 
art to all.

A young lady from the Baháís booth caught up with me – just 
after I had handed a flier to all in their booth. “I’m from 
South Africa,” she explained. I’m from the same tribe as 
Mandella. Have you heard about our truth commission in 
South Africa?” 

The truth commission offered amnesty to anyone who came 
forward to confess their crimes committed while that nation 
was under racist white rule. Those who did not come forward 
were prosecuted for their crimes. Many people came forward 
and confessed. It was a cleansing national experience and 
a valuable example to this world on how to transend from a 
cruel history of oppression into a new society able to 
work together.

I have often thought the “States” needs to discuss issues 
of race more openly. You need a truth commission here,” 
she asserted.

“Yes – we do.” I admitted.

Later a “white” man who stopped me to talk questioned me about 
the meaning of my t-shirt and suggested that if I had not 
answered his questions to his satifaction that it was his 
opinion I should be dropped from an airplane over Afghanistan. 
The old “love it or leave it” mentality that claims all “must” 
be blind of our nations faults or leave. This is not an 
intelligent choice for a democracy. “If you don’t like the 
freedom of discussion you aught to leave ya big idiot. Get a 
ticket to a dictatorship.” That is my response to any damn 
fool trying to run that tired old line. This is still a 
democracy – last time I checked.

Then again, it might not be a democracy anymore and the likes 
of him may be in control. The Exhibit Without Walls is a check of 
our democracy. By presenting it in public, I am checking on the 
health of our society to tolerate free speech by artists.

At a family Do-Art tent where kids could draw or paint their faces 
and make small clay sculptures or paint with watercolors, I met an 
artist who exhibited with our original “Art of the T-shirt” 
exhibits in the public libraries ten years earlier. She began 
brainstorming ideas for ART-ACT. I encouraged her to follow up 
on her ideas. Several days later I received her submission. 

I circled the entire Fair, handed out twelve complete exhibits or 
over 350 fliers. Hot, and just before my skin began to roast, I 
unlocked my bike and headed home, confident the ART-ACT Exhibit 
Without Walls performed successfully.

SPW Art | ART-ACT Art | Gallery Art | Art Contest | Web School | Aid UM-CAC
Screen Print Workshop | Events | Agency History | Chic. Art Issues | Newsletter