Beginning with the Seventies: Activism, Art and Archives

The second in an ongoing series of events, Reactivating: Art and Archives gathers a community of interest around the issues of art, activism and archives. Talks by Christine D’Onofrio, Amy Nugent and Becki Ross will be followed by group discussions. This event is open to the public and free of charge.

Beginning with the Seventies: Activism, Art and Archives is part of the Belkin’s ongoing project investigating the 1970s, an era in which social movements of all kinds – feminism, environmentalism, LGBTQ and Indigenous rights, access to health services and housing – began to coalesce into models of self-organization. Many non-profit organizations formed in Vancouver to provide direct assistance, engender and distribute new knowledge, and resist forms of oppression, thereby creating a network that overlapped with the production of art and culture. The history of these organizations and their founders is preserved across archives, collections and networks; these resources vary in terms of public accessibility and are not well known to younger producers. We speculate: what if these archival materials are examined through an interdisciplinary lens that includes art and cultural practices?

At the same time, we see a current resurgence of art practice involved with social activism (which is often itself a form of social activism), with the 1970s becoming increasingly interesting to artists and other cultural producers. How might the acts of exploring grassroots archives and forging direct connections with activist networks shift the very way in which art and culture are defined and imagined? Could study and exchange between and among generations contribute to developing new models of presenting and valuing art?

Beginning with the Seventies will continue to collaborate with networks of artists, archivists, curators and activists on events, publications, exhibitions and discussions over the next three years. The project is made possible with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Vancouver Foundation and our Belkin Curator’s Forum Members. We gratefully acknowledge event sponsor VIVO Media Arts Centre for their support of Reactivating: Art and Archives.

Image: From the Women In Focus fonds at VIVO’s Crista Dahl Media Library & Archive