Examining intersections of art-making and war efforts from the “trench art” practices of World War I to the Art and Skills Service program designed by SFMOMA and the Red Cross for World War II GIs, artist Allison Smith hosts making events that reflect on our own military conflicts and how we envision each American’s role in “the war effort.”
At the SMITHS storefront in Oakland, Allison Smith hosts a day of mending with street tailor Michael Swaine, and Jay Dion introduces a generosity project in which he’s made hundreds of porcelain “tin cans” and will exchange them for food donations to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Later that evening, Elissa Auther discusses her new book, String, Felt, Thread: The Hierarchy of Art and Craft in American Art.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Mending and Making Do: Allison Smith, Michael Swaine, and Jay Dion, artists* |
| 6:00 p.m. | Communal meal* |
| 7:00 p.m. | Talk and book launch: String, Felt, Thread: The Hierarchy of Art and Craft in American Art, by Elissa Auther, art historian and independent curator |
*Please bring items that need mending, canned goods for donation, and a dish of food to share with others at the communal meal (an RSVP to smithsgeneral@gmail.com is appreciated).