'Occupy Museums,' Inspired By Occupy Wall Street, Launches In New York

New York-based artist Noah Fischer has officially launched the "Occupy Museums!" movement as an offshoot to Occupy Wall Street. The movement was approved by OWS's Arts and Culture group.

The Art Info blog published the news on Wednesday, after Fischer posted the movement's manifesto on fellow artist and writer Paddy Johnson's blog.

In the manifesto, Fischer writes of the Occupy Museums! movement's plan to take back cultural institutions from the 1 percent:

"The game is up: we see through the pyramid schemes of the temples of cultural elitism controlled by the 1%. No longer will we, the artists of the 99%, allow ourselves to be tricked into accepting a corrupt hierarchical system based on false scarcity and propaganda concerning absurd elevation of one individual genius over another human being for the monetary gain of the elitest of elite."

The first string of events is planned for Thursday, October 20. At 3pm on Thursday, the group will meet at Liberty Park, the Occupy Wall Street headquarters, for a "teach-in" about the museums they plan to occupy. They then plan to travel to the Museum of Modern Art, the Frick Collection, and the New Museum that evening.

Art theorist and author Mira Schor questioned the movement on Wednesday via her blog, A Year of Positive Thinking. She and a few friends published their six-hour Facebook discussion of the movement, where they questioned the necessity of occupying museums and other cultural institutions.

Other cultural offshoots of Occupy Wall Street have sprung up in recent weeks, including the high-profile "Occupy Writers" campaign, which has the support of Salmon Rushdie, Neil Gaiman, Jennifer Egan, Ann Patchett, and hundreds of other esteemed authors.

Their statement: "We, the undersigned writers and all who will join us, support Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world."

Another visual art-based OWS group, Occupennial, recently made a call to artists to contribute to the movement and General Assembly at large.

 

Comments

[bmwer2000]

04:53 PM on 12/02/2011

For a brief history of the origins and challenges of the now pervasive relation between arts institutions and non-profit structures and the dominant role of the 1% in that relationship, please take a look at: http://berkeley.academia.edu/BrandonWoolf/Papers/317553/Our_Fishy_Nonprofit_Sector

[kkretz4art]

06:37 AM on 10/23/2011

Through the years, you see millions of people walk through museums looking at the work of Van Gogh, some of the "art lovers" know the (not altogether accurate) backstory that he died penniless, shake their heads and say, "Isn't it a shame about Van Gogh....?"
This is the reality of most artists living in this time: http://katekretz.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-recession-transforms-vocation-into.html?showComment=1265315462381

[BigWillyG]

06:31 PM on 10/21/2011

Just when I thought occupy couldn't beat the crazy of pooping on a cop car they outdo themselves. Loving the free lulz.

[Felix Esquivel]

06:29 PM on 10/21/2011

Yes. Like a suspected, this group is a fringe group not the real OWS. We gotta be careful of idiots stealing the momentum.

[NY Guy]

12:25 PM on 10/21/2011

This is just stupid.

[avery t]

11:10 AM on 10/21/2011

I'm under 6' tall, and I'm tired of tall guys getting all the cheerleaders. So let's occupy tall guys.

The OWS movement is starting to parody itself. IT WILL RUIN THE LEFT. It would have so much promise, if IT WOULD JUST TARGET ISSUES LIKE TAXES AND OVERSIGHT. However, the nerds, hipsters, and losers are going to ruin it.

[Alice Smith Duncan]

12:27 PM on 10/21/2011

I'm with you -- the targets need to be clear and on-message, since the rightwing media will pick up and flaunt these parodies and make them into the emblems of what's 'ludicrous' (the new Fox watchword) about OWS.
I'm also in some disagreement with the premise of this group, since the museum world is one of the few areas where the trickle-down economy actually works: museums are indeed dependent on the rich, but the focus of most museums' work is primarily on education and inclusion. Artists are not the primary constituents of museums -- attendees and communities are.
And while I agree that the 'machine' manufacture of art stars is odious, the OWS movement -- while it may and must give rise to critique and examination of that process in art circles, and the manufacture of all odious cash-based 'success' in other circles -- is not the right venue for gaining publicity for every issue of every self-selecting group in our vast, multi-tentacled culture. For now, for the movement, I agree, Avery T: TAXES AND OVERSIGHT.

[avery t]

11:04 AM on 10/21/2011

Stupid. NYC is FULL of galleries for new art. There's even the Whitney! On the other hand, there are only about four museums for pre 20th century art.

Anyhow, when you show me a contemporary painter who can render hands and faces as well as Sargent and Whistler you let me know.

Next, there'll be a movement against quality cuisine, because high cuisine is elitist.

[jackdaniel58]

08:10 AM on 10/21/2011

It's started- the self-interested off shoots- what's next? bicycle manufacturers. Be very careful with the capital that's been accrued-

[abhorson]

06:20 AM on 10/21/2011

The OWS has been reborn as an absolutely pure life force, free from vices and with the blood of angels flowing through it ... destined to save the planet from capitalism .. the polar ice caps are melting because we're doing evil things to the atmosphere, we must find the green on the planet and replant all the trees we've butchered... poets of the world unite not the Lenos and Lettermans and other media controlled brainwashing machines dulling our existence for the benefit of the large corporations bleeding us with their corporate friends in Washington...

[gilsharkey1]

12:37 AM on 10/21/2011

Is this serious? Sounds kind of like a SNL parody of the OWS movement. I truly sympathize with those who have suffered through this recession, but this is over the top.

[abhorson]

06:21 AM on 10/21/2011

I want to see Obama say he stands with them... and Romney say he "understands" them...

and them, I want to see them "explain" it ...

[Mira Schor]

09:39 PM on 10/20/2011

Thanks for mentioning the really engaged discussion that took place on my Facebook page yesterday and that I published on my blog A Year of Positive Thinking yesterday evening , nice to have the mention,though saying that my "few friends" and I "questioned the necessity..." carries the implication that we were being naysayers, instead of the thoughtful consideration of the issues that took place. If only bandwagon unquestioning enthusiasm is the order of the day, we're not going to get very far with any major systemic change

[Dominic Quagliozzi]

07:59 PM on 10/20/2011

i think this is misguided:( damn. First, museums are far less to blame than market manipulators like Gagosian and Saatchi. Should've went there first, and the Auction Houses Christies and Sothebys.

Secondly, this puts the movement at risk, unneccessarily, at this point in time, because it can weaken the end game. Going after non-essential human rights symptoms, basically, luxuries, puts OWS in a tough place. Like I was cautioning on Saltz's page this morning, OWS is so effective and brillant because the things it demands are country wide, human rights, food/water/shelther/fair play/fair taxation etc. Art is a luxury. And this brings new models into play- OccupyNFL, OccupyMLB, OccupyGucci, OccupyIphone.... don't like it. not the time.

[gilsharkey1]

12:40 AM on 10/21/2011

You are correct- honestly, at some point the OWS folks have to draw a line or they might as well occupy National Parks for catering to "elite environmentalists."

[abhorson]

06:22 AM on 10/21/2011

I want to see them offer the grizzlies free "bear hugs" ...

[Eris23]

04:51 PM on 10/20/2011

"The game is up: we see through the pyramid schemes of the temples of cultural elitism controlled by the 1%. No longer will we, the artists of the 99%, allow ourselves to be tricked into accepting a corrupt hierarchical system based on false scarcity and propaganda concerning absurd elevation of one individual genius over another human being for the monetary gain of the elitest of elite."

HAHA! I love it! :)

[abhorson]

06:29 AM on 10/21/2011

I was thinking the 2012 election season was going to be lame and dull - the old "raise taxes on the rich" vs. "government spending" routines ...

this brings a whole new DIMENSION to fun in politics...

[raker]

03:29 PM on 10/20/2011

This sounds like a teabagger project masquerading as an occupation undertaking, because it makes no sense. Nowhere are wealth and poverty been more symbiotic than in art. Art has always relied on the 1%. Without them there would be no museums, and starving artists would be dead artists. The 1% used to know their limits and their responsibilities. They've off track, but it's not hopeless.

Wealth is not the enemy. Wealthy people aren't the enemy either. We need to make it our first order of business to clearly define the enemy.

[Eris23]

04:55 PM on 10/20/2011

It doesn't appear to be about protesting the existence of museums or the wealthy. Rather, it's protesting the manipulation of museums, which often happen to be public entities, by the wealthy in order to make obscene profit off of random artists to the detriment of the rest. Yeah, the cause is a little niche and out there. But, I like it. :)

[gilsharkey1]

12:42 AM on 10/21/2011

Completely agree with you- this sounds like a parody meant to make OWS look silly.

[smo1111]

02:55 PM on 10/20/2011

Bravo, Mr. Fischer!