Franklin Street Works, a non-profit contemporary art space in Stamford, Conn., presents “Collective Action Archive: Redux,” an exhibition exploring the intersections between art and activism, featuring materials from dozens of U.S. artist/activist collectives.

The exhibition expands on the 2013 show, “Collective Action Archive,” which was curated collaboratively by Franklin Street Works with Purchase College, SUNY and then was accessioned into the college’s library archive. The updated group exhibition features materials from the Library’s archive along with new items from collectives who were not included in or had not yet formed at the time of the 2013 show. In the spirit of a living archive, new contributions will be added throughout the exhibition’s run. It is on view at Franklin Street Works February 9 through September 8, 2019 and launches with with a free, public reception on Saturday, February 9, 5-8pm.

Curated by Franklin Street Works creative director Terri C Smith, “Collective Action Archive: Redux” is rooted in  two past exhibitions curated by the Stamford art space. The first, “Working Alternatives: Breaking Bread, Art Broadcasting and Collective Action,” included a 2012 call to more than 90 artist/activist collectives. For the show, the materials were presented in archive boxes with only a portion on display. The second, the 2013 “Collective Action Archive,” at Purchase College Passage Gallery, opened the archive boxes to create a vibrant exhibition. Co-curated by Smith and her FSW colleague Sandrine Milet in collaboration with students and faculty from the Media Studies Department at Purchase College, it featured materials gathered from artist/activist collectives. When the exhibition closed, its contents were accessioned into the Purchase College Library archive, becoming a resource for students and scholars. That archive along with new, borrowed materials will form the 2019 exhibition “Collective Action Archive: Redux.”Photos, videos, artworks, pamphlets and texts by more than 3-dozen artist/activist collectives from across the United States will be on view, including contributions from longtime collectives such as ABC No Rio, the Guerrilla Girls, Paper Tiger TV, subRosa, and Temporary Services.

Programming for “Collective Action Archive: Redux” will include: talks by exhibiting collectives, informal presentations by regional activist organizations, and discussion groups about the often contradictory relationship between social activism and the arts.

Exhibiting artist/activist collectives include: ABC No Rio, Artists Against Apartheid, Big Tent, Codify Art, Conflict Kitchen, Critical Making, fierce pussy, Floating Lab Collective, Futurefarmers, Ghana ThinkTank, Guerrilla Girls, Guffey Hollow, Howling Mob Society, Illegal Art, Just Seeds, Kitchen Sink, Knifeandfork, Lucky Pierre, M12 Collective, Meme Rider Media Team, National Bitter Melon Council, Okay Mountain Collective, Paper Tiger TV, Philly Stake, Preemptive Media, Publication Studio, RAGGA, Regional Relationships, Second Front, Students of the African Diaspora, subRosa, Temporary Services, The Pinky Show, W.A.G.E., and Work Progress Collective.

Saturday, March 9, 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Knifeandfork: Brian House and Sue Huang in Conversation

Brian House and Sue Huang of the internationally exhibiting media arts collaborative Knifeandfork will discuss their practice. Sponsored by Stamford Community Arts Partnership Program (CAPP) grant.

Event Details: http://www.franklinstreetworks.org/event/media-arts-collaborative-knifeandfork-in-conversation/

Franklin Street Works is a not-for- profit contemporary art space whose mission is to manifest contemporary art in a professional and welcoming setting. Franklin Street Works aims to broaden community participation in the arts, contribute to a larger arts dialogue, and cultivate emerging artists. To date, the organization has exhibited the work of more than 350 artists, curated 30 original exhibitions, and organized approximately 150 programs, including talks, tours, and performances. Their work has received national and regional support, including two multi-year grants from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts as well as regional grants from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, Connecticut Office of the Arts, New Canaan Community Foundation, among others. Exhibitions have been recognized with positive reviews in major publications such as Artforum online, Art in America online, Art Papers, The Brooklyn Rail, Huffington Post, Hyperallergic, Art New England, Modern Painters and Two Coats of Paint.

Franklin Street Works is located at 41 Franklin Street in downtown Stamford, Connecticut. Click here for more on directions and parking: http://www.franklinstreetworks.org/visit/

Franklin Street Works has an ADA compliant ramp to our back door on the first floor and is accessible from Franklin St. Once inside there is an elevator and bathrooms are spacious but do not have grab bars.