Artists' Prospectus for the Nation 2012-2015

The Artists' Prospectus for the Nation* is a curated, multimedia collection of works through which artists, in collaboration with creative thinkers from other fields (community activists, teachers, planners, farmers, cooks, scientists, geographers, sanitation workers, shop owners, historians, doctors, clergy, plumbers, bankers, librarians etc.), propose innovative ways they and others might intervene in major debates on global, national and local/regional scales. Incorporating various visuals, texts, objects and participatory elements, the purpose of the Prospectus is to raise the visibility and influence of remarkable work being done through this cross-disciplinary and engaged type of practice. Further, it is to proclaim that art that’s useful can still be art.  After all, isn’t one of art’s fundamental purposes to help us see and think differently about people, things and situations so we might develop new perspectives?

​

The more than 30 artists who worked on the 18 projects in what was planned to be the first installment of the Artists’ Prospectus for the Nation dealt with a range of issues – primary were those relating to the environment, health, consumption and justice, with secondary focus on nations, learning, beliefs and shelter.  In each case, their “artful” way of knowing uncovers the personal, imaginative, ethical and passionate aspects of an issue without which we cannot fully understand it, never mind work toward a healthier, more just and sustainable approach towards it. 

​

The goal for this first installment of the Prospectus was that it be broadly accessible and widely distributed and that it become a source for investment, innovation and policy research as well as widespread public conversations. The second installment of the Prospectus was planned for 2015-2016; its main themes were to shift to the first installment’s secondary ones – the roles of nations, beliefs, learning and shelter in our societies — but at the same time was to continue to develop innovative problem-solving related to the environment, consumption, health and justice for all. [Ed. note: The second installment never came about for lack of funding.]

​

 

​

*According to Merriam-Webster online, 2009, a prospectus is 1: a preliminary printed statement that describes an enterprise (as a business or publication) and that is distributed to prospective buyers, investors, or participants 2: something (as a statement or situation) that forecasts the course or nature of something.

​

​