Manifesto research

Africobra manifesto 1970

Africobra (African commune of bad relevant artists) manifesto was written by African-American visual artist Jeff Donaldson. Donaldson is the founder of the Africobra, a group of Chicago based artist came together to define a uniquely black aesthetic within the visual arts. The manifesto from which the group took their inspiration talks about producing work for the black community. They wanted to create work that spoke directly to the need, aspirations and experiences of black America. Donaldson wanted to create an identity for black artists within the art world and shed light on their achievements.

I found this manifesto very interesting because at that point in history the black community was struggling with its status in America due to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr 2 years prior. It was during this decade that black power and distinguishing blackness came about. The movement of black pride affected all aspects of the black community e.g.  Music, art and politics. I feel that its manifesto had a positive affect within the black community and particularly amongst black artists whom came together to create an identity for themselves within the arts.

 

 

 

 

Cheap art manifesto, 1984

This manifesto was created by the Bread and Puppet Theatre, a theatre group founded by Peter Schumann. The press for this theatre published the manifesto “Why cheap art?” directed by Schumann’s wife Elka. The manifesto expresses the availability of Art. The Bread and Puppet theatre believed that art had become a privilege for the rich, they used this manifesto to state that art should be like green trees: seen everywhere by everyone.

I loved the simplicity of this manifesto and its presentation, the different fonts, sizes and use of upper and lower case lettering made it more appealing to read. I completely agree with the views of the theatre group in the sense that art should universal and priceless so that everyone can enjoy it.

 

 

 

Maintenance art manifesto, 1969

Maintenance art- proposal for an exhibition is a manifesto by Mierle Laderman Ukeles a New York City based performance artist and feminist. Her manifesto documents daily routines that consist of mundane chores such as cleaning, paying the bills and clearing the table. Through performance art set in a gallery she portrays these mundane ‘maintenance’ tasks and turns them into works of art.

I found this manifesto to be really relatable because we all have certain chose that have to be done and that often society expects us to do. That fact that she takes these chores and performs them as acts of art in a way raises the ordinary into something else that can be viewed in a different light. I feel that she is saying that all aspects of life hold importance even the boring routine tasks.

 

 

 

S.C.U.M Manifesto, 1967 (society cutting up men)

This Manifesto was written by Valerie Solanas an American radical feminist writer. The message she is trying to communicate through this manifesto is that men have destroyed the world and women should overthrow the government, reject the financial system that has been put in place and eliminate the male sex. She presents a questionable theory that men are incomplete women who are genetically deficient due to the Y chromosome.  As a result of this men are emotionally stunted, egocentric and incapable of genuine interaction. Solanas discusses this theory in sections that refer to topics within society such as war and money. For example she believes that men struggle to retain relations women and therefore they invest time in manipulating money. Everything is controlled my money including people, through this they are able to gain control of how society is structured and run.

I found her manifesto and her theories/beliefs rather interesting but also incredibly controversial and radical. I wouldn’t consider myself to be a hardcore feminist but I do agree with some of her points that refer to how in our society men seem to have the majority of control which puts women in a difficult position and forces them to work that much harder for complete equality.  

 

 

Versatilist manifesto, 2007

The Versatilist manifesto was written by Denis mandarino a Brazilian composer, artist and writer. Through this manifesto Mandarino wanted to free artists from expert analysis as he believes that an art critic has a limited point of view on a piece of work because their own knowledge is limited. He wanted to promote art as a form of self knowledge and spiritual enhancement that can’t be judged by critics of art contests.

I agree and disagree with Mandarino’s manifesto. I agree in the sense that art should be a form of self expression with a sense of freedom however, as an aspiring designer I think being critiqued on your work is crucial part of growth as an artist. Taking onboard other people’s opinion and using it to enrich your work is part of being an artist/designer.