What is Post Social Practice?
My “post social practice” life has been about repositioning my social art practice as applied design. I now work in a field that exists outside of the field of art. I work in law as an artist that is interested in collaborating with lawyers and other community advocates addressing issues related to legal empowerment. This current opportunity has allowed me to work deeper and in a more concrete way in tandem with others to create a long scale change within the legal system. This is something that I have always wanted as an artist.
I feel a great sense of freedom and relief because I moved my art practice away from the concerns of the art world. My creative work is deeper and more fulfilling. The way I am working creatively is not different, the context is different, the timeline is different and the shape of the product is different.
However, I feel like the possibilities for me as an artist and designer are greater because, I am not concerned with producing an art object or trying to position what I am doing as an artwork. I am just interested in using my skills and applying them to a particular problem of service delivery. Just focusing on the problem set of re-designing service delivery within the context of law has been empowering. I don’t feel distracted by having to contextualize what I am doing as a social art practice or a community art practice.
Perhaps a “post social practice” world means that as artists and designers we choose to give the art world less power in relationship to how our creative work is expressed or shaped by the various art world institutions that impact the way and where we practice.
Personally, I have always been more interested in using my creativity to create social change or impact. The mandate to translate this type of work into a set of aesthetics that would offer me a successful pathway in an exhibition practice has been deeply problematic and not sustainable.
The field of social engaged art has offered us models of other ways of working creatively within/in society. Perhaps the “post social practice” environment will allow more of us to reposition ourselves within a broader field outside of the frame created for us by art schools and cultural institutions.
The opportunity that I am currently living has allowed me to revalue my practice as well as the role of the artist in relationship to other fields. While it has pulled me away from “art,” I actually feel more successful as an artist operating in a field that is not art.
In my hopes, the “post-social practice” dialogue would include the following topics:
– What does it mean to embed and value art, design and creativity in every aspect of society?
– Can we take time away from production to address chronic problems within our infrastructures?
– Can we acknowledge the hurtful debate that exists between community arts and socially engaged art? Can we revalue the people working in both positions?
About the contributor: Jules Rochielle is a consultant that specializes in community and civic engagement, participatory media community arts, community organizing and other non-profit sector issues. She co-creates innovative public and social practices and cross sector community collaborations. julesrochielle.com