Outsider Art Fairgoers to Recite Obama’s Speeches Inauguration Weekend
Manhattan’s Outsider Art Fair is launching a three-day event in celebration of Barack Obama’s term as president of the United States. For “The Barack Obama Readings,” attendees are invited to read one of his speeches or recite one of his quotes during inauguration weekend, Jillian Steinhauer of Hyperallergic reports.
While many arts institutions are planning to participate in the “J20 Art Strike” on January 20, which calls for artists’ organizations to close in protest of “the normalization of Trumpism,” fair owner Andrew Edlin said, “We thought better to show up than shut down.” People can e-mail the fair to sign up to read one of the fifty-six passages that Edlin compiled or request to recite a passage of their own choosing between 3 and 5 PM each day of the fair. Participants will not have to pay the fair’s $20 admission fee.
Edlin said, “Doing something performative is in keeping with the fair’s spirit and is also a nod to other trailblazers who have reacted to controversial political times. ‘The Barack Obama Readings’ will give people an outlet to express themselves, sort of like in an old-style, public square kind of way.”