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Karen
Finley Arizona State University |
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Commissioned and Organized
by
Creative Time, New York |
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1-900-ALL-KAREN
National public art/performance project by Karen Finley
LAUNCH DATE - FEBRUARY 16, 1998
Starting on President's Day, February 16, Arizona State University Art Museum is pleased to partner with Creative Time, New York City's leading public arts presenter, in launching Karen Finley's first national public performance piece, 1-900-ALL-KAREN. Every day for six months, Finley will perform a daily message that audiences across the country can access. Her phone commentary will respond to a range of topics including observations on news headlines and social injustices as well as more personal reflections on motherhood and daily life. Listeners will have a more personal experience than ever before - a virtual one-on-one look at an artist.
Inspired by America's growing fasination with the telephone as a personal, yet anonymous outlet for information and companionship, Finley has chosen to use telecommunications as a vehicle to connect to a national audience. She specifically appropriates a 900 exchange (usually associated with the charlatanism of phone sex, horoscopes, and psychics) as a venue to explore free expression. In 1990 Finley's National Endowment for the Arts grant was rescinded due to political charges of obscenity. She fought the NEA's decision and in 1992 the grant was reinstated. Since this case has just been petitioned for consideration with the Supreme Court, 1-900-ALL-KAREN will be a source of information on Karen's perspective concerning this important ruling.
1-900-ALL-KAREN was commissioned and organized by Creative Time in keeping with its continued commitment to presenting experimental public artworks that investigate the role of art and artist in our social landscape. In a step for enhanced arts partnerships, Creative Time and Arizona State University Art Museum presents 1-900 with such nationally respected institutions as the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art (Ridgefield, CT), Allen Memorial Art Museum (Oberlin, OH), Contemporary Arts Forum (Santa Barbara, CA), CSPS (Cedar Rapids, IA), Diverseworks (Houston, TX), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco, CA), MOCA (Los Angeles, CA), Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego (San Diego, CA), Nexus Contemporary Art Center (Atlanta, GA), Out North Contemporary Art House (Anchorage, AK) and Wagon Train (Lincoln, NE).
Karen Finley performs and exhibits extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally. Her most recent installation, entitled Go Figure and Fear of Offending, was part of the exhibition, Uncommon Sense at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles). Karen is also the author of several books, her latest being Living It Up: Humorous Adventures In Hyperdomesticity published by Doubleday. She is also represented by the Thomas Healy Gallery (New York).
As an entrepreneurial initiative, 1-900-ALL-KAREN is a self-supporting project. For further information, call Creative Time at 212.206.6674 or visit their website.
Calls are $1.75 for the first minute, $1.25 each minute thereafter.
ASU Art Museum participation in 1-900-ALL-KAREN was coordinated by John D. Spiak, Curatorial Museum Specialist.
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