Rita McBride's Arena (1997) is a sculpture that is not fully realized until it's activated by other artists, with a program of events created in collaboration between McBride and Arena's host institution. In fact, she refers to it as a platform, not a sculpture.
At Dia Beacon, I lead a conversation and workshop. While participants and I rested on Arena (physical), we chatted about and activated its similarities to Are.na (virtual).
What can Arena learn from Are.na?
What can Are.na learn from Arena?
The audience assembles as a mass of supportive colleagues, friends, contemporaries, and strangers. They might pay an admission fee, which could be absorbed by the venue or forwarded to the artist and crew. They receive the piece; they applaud its attempt. They interpret it, and then, in conversation, images, or critical writing, they circulate their interpretation. The performance is not only for them; its ideas cannot exist without them, and, in this way, they co-produce the work. It is a simple notion that stays with me, not least because I often feel that, although I am an art worker and educator, my greatest cultural contribution is made when I attend lectures, readings, screenings, and performances. — Bryce Wilner
