How do you  push the boundaries and rethink the essence of art? Host/Producer Dmae Roberts talks with Harrell Fletcher and Jen Delos Reyes from Portland State University’s  Art and Social Practice MFA Program where students create socially engaging art projects.  Co-hosting is Producer Macon Reed who’s been examining several “social practice” art projects.

Harrell Fletcher, Macon Reed & Jen Delos Reyes

We hear about the upcoming Open Engagement conference at PSU which will feature dozens of artists tackling subjects like democracy, group work and crossing disciplines. The conference takes place May 13-15 and is free.

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Macon Reed brings us sounds of social practice throughout the show.  Artist  Lexa Walsh takes us to local food cart vendors and asks them to create a song with her. Walsh will present these songs at the Open Engagement Conference.

Lexa Walsh and her food cart songs project

Macon also talks with Walsh and Jillian Punksa of the Portland Art Museum about the annual Shine a Light program. One night a year, Social Practice students present interactive programming aimed at engaging visitors who wouldn’t typically go to the art museum.

Also students in the Social Practice program recording and asking their parents to define social practice.

Finally, Macon visits a Portland Stock Dinner. These dinners provide artists with a unique way to get funding. Diners pay $10 to attend and each votes for his or her favorite project among a competing group.

Listen to this engaging talk about how the very definition of art is changing with Social Practice to become more interractive, community-oriented and multidisciplinary. And find out more about a name for an artform that creates a home for a lot of genres and ways to create art.

'Shine A Light' at Portland Art Museum

Pushing Boundaries is a year-long project that explores artists and arts groups pushing physical, emotional and artistic boundaries in their work and it’s made possible with funding by the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

Macon Reed has been a production mentee with Dmae Roberts for four months. She is a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, where she studied radio documentary production. She recently came back to Oregon after traveling throughout the country with her students as a documentary instructor at the Brown Ledge Gap Year Program.

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