Susan Ritter. Art as catalyst for social change. 1997 Arrrt.

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All images ©1997-2007 Susan J. Ritter

2005-06 Window Installations

I have been invited to occupy a ground floor window in SOHO. Terribly exciting for me is the prospect of continued dialogue with the general public of this neighborhood.

I have now installed this window for the fifth time, and I think I am finally putting it together. At first, the installations were more of a literal application of the idea of art occupying the public eye. If there was even the momentary glance, a minute
of awakening, or just a pleasurable stop, a witnessing of something that had not been there before - then I felt successful. In an attempt to pull people in, I started to use the vehicle of text and image as the communicator, as opposed to singular images. This is an interesting shift, because I truly do believe that the artist-created image can speak as loud as words, but apparently I feel the need, in this situation to use both.

Things have moved past the initial approach. I now feel that the vehicle of this location, this barred window with these imprisoned crowds, the front of this gallery that holds the genius of prints produced by second generation German Expressionists, this ongoing development of the ideas are factors that are starting to bounce throughout the installations. I feel an increased pressure to pursue and illuminate the aggressive nature of our money-grabbing society, to determine my participation; to reflect on the personal control we have in a world where we feel we cannot contribute, where we feel we cannot impact, where we feel paralyzed and immobile. But where our participation is a giant part of the puzzle, where we impact everybody with every action we take, with every decision we make. We. All of us. All that live and breathe in this global environment.

Where do we go from here? Where have we been till now?

Jude Ahern, a generous and supportive individual, is the host of this space. The address is 32 Thompson St. in SOHO NY.