“…‘we’ is no longer a dirty word.”—Allyson Mitchell
North Bay felt noticeably cooler on Friday, not because
we’ve been in a deep freeze (which is true), but because Allyson Mitchell and Deirdre Logue
paid a visit to Nipissing University to talk about Toronto’s acclaimed Feminist
Art Gallery.
“Now we get to say FAG, FAG, FAG all the time,” says Logue, referring to their acronym.
Reflecting a queer sensibility, their stance—as Mitchell puts it—is, “Why
would we want to be a winner in this hierarchy?” Logue elaborates on the need
for an alternative to an art system favouring straight white men: “As a
generation of women in our very late forties…enough is enough.” Simply put in
their crocheted banners exhibited last May at the Tate Modern, “We can’t
compete,” “We won’t compete,” We can’t keep up,” “We won’t keep down.” Much
like graffiti artists, Logue says, “We’re healing through agitation.”
As much as the gallery emerged “out of this place of anger”
(Mitchell), its co-founders have a cheerfulness about them. An example that comes
to mind is Logue interjecting with, “Snip, snip” as Mitchell spoke about film
censorship. It’s a winning combination that seems to have permeated their
entire approach to the gallery. Logue notes that even the heart-shaped cookie
with the FAG acronym on their Facebook profile photo has a tending element. The same
goes for the pairing of crocheted granny squares and agitated statements at the
Tate. Mitchell notes, “By using the model of ‘tending towards,’ people don’t
try to run away as fast.” If anything, people are running towards.
400 people attended the first opening in the 450 square foot
exhibition space within their garage. “We didn’t know if we had enough toilet
paper or cheesies!” Logue recalled. Leading up to that big night, they adopted
a radical business model. They chose to forgo a business plan, because as
Mitchell says, “That perfect moment may never happen.” Instead, they got
together with about 100 people and asked what they would like to see in a
feminist gallery. Following the shift that other feminist centres like La
Centrale Galerie Powerhouse (Montreal) are experiencing, they decided against
having a women-only space, feeling that it would be restrictive. Mitchell
points out that ‘we’ is no longer a dirty word. It can reference, say, the 99%.
Drawing a connection to the Occupy movement, Logue later clarified, “We are not
for capitalism.” Rather than relying on public funding, FAG accepts donations
from the public. Through this ‘matronage program’, they pay artist fees and
travel stipends.To cultivate a sense of belonging, they kick off openings by
serving home-cooked meals and their house is a billeting hot spot.
Initially, they planned to have about 10 per cent of the
programming they currently coordinate. Suffice it to say, the project
snowballed and administration now accounts for at least four hours of each
day. Their “feral curating” or “fairal curating” is guided by intuition.
Although there are elements of artist-run centres to be found (which is not
surprising given their professional backgrounds), they don’t have a programming
committee and they don’t accept submissions. With one ear to the ground, FAG
shows artists recommended by the couple’s friends and colleagues. They
basically give the artist or curator carte blanche and support. “We don’t
choose feminist work,” says Logue. “We try to create a feminist approach to
what curation is.”
In a time when intellectual property is guarded, it is
refreshing to hear them endorse the appropriation of their model. The audience
cheered when they suggested North Bay establish a feminist gallery. Major
institutions like the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery and the Tate Modern
have taken note of their generosity of spirit. Mitchell says that they are
still doing the math about whether these partnerships are worthwhile, but
either way, she’s alright with being co-opted because she feels that FAG can
co-opt the bigger institutions even better. For instance, at the Tate, they
brought along eight other artists to deliver their workshop. Logue compared the
strategy to putting a brick in the back door. With content like cruising and
misandry in the mix at the workshop, Mitchell says, “If they don’t know what’s
coming, they can’t really keep you out.”
Image: Banner (“We can’t compete”). Reproduced in 2019 via fair use/dealing. Source: https://ago.ca/artist-in-residence/fag-feminist-art-gallery
