Founded in 2005, what began as a by-appointment-only art project to convene on-demand in cafes in Vancouver and on tour, The Black Dot Museum of Political Art whittled its exhibition space down to letter size envelop of colored dots representing political content in art, strategies of inspiration and inclusion, and the art, music, publishing and writing within the framework of Mecca Normal's near-
thirty history. The dots can be dumped out on a table at a Vietnamese Restaurant down the street from Mecca Normal's rehearsal space in East Vancouver, during a radio interview or anywhere else the museum chooses to take a place. The first month-long exhibit was at Northern in Olympia, Washington in May of 2010. Political Artists from Vancouver opened with a performance by Mecca Normal. To collect and exhibit art that represents alternative voices of self-directed citizens, culture-based communities and political activists.
2. To make accessible to the public, academics, students, educators, librarians and artists, a collection that intends to create progressive social change through the increased awareness of societal injustices past, present and future.
3. To illuminate the actions and perspectives of historical figures whose efforts intended to repeal injustices as they were perceived.
4. To broaden the commonly-understood meaning of political art through the inclusion of artwork that challenges the term. Museum Methods:
- The Museum is seeks to maintain bricks-and-mortar locations in Vancouver, BC and/or Bellingham, Washington.
- The Museum currently focuses on touring exhibits, online content, classroom lectures, and the educational components of the online content.
- By taking art on tour, the Museum employs a populist approach to making its collections and outreach programs accessible beyond museum walls.
- The Museum utilizes evolving technology to bring content to where audiences can engage with it online.
- The Museum's approach to collection accessibility demonstrates good environmental practice and it reflects the D-I-Y methods art and music communities utilize at the underground level.
- The Museum's method of operation is itself political, in that it encourages altruism and reciprocity, with an overriding objective of making things happen regardless of financial limitations. External Inclusion:
The Museum intends to secure academic, museum and library representation by generating web-based material to be featured on the websites of these institutions. Museum-generated exhibitions, lectures, videos, artist portfolios and educational content will be included in the syllabi, archives and data-bases of these institutions. Touring Exhibits:
The Museum applies methods based on the independent music scene of the 1990s, when, prior to the advent of Internet-based communication, a local band would be invited to open for a touring band with the understanding that the local band was in a better position to secure a venue and promote the event. Additionally, the local band brought out their audience to the event. The reciprocal nature of the touring system created an opportunity for the opening (local) band to travel to the town of the touring band (now in the position of the local band) and receive the same organizational benefits. This created community that is still regarded as remarkable. The Museum intends to re-establish this working method as it applies to political art exhibitions, to encourage reciprocal culture-based communities. The Museum's touring exhibits will include the work of a local artist who will serve as a gallery liaison responsible for implementing regionally-specific promotional opportunities -- in much the same way a local opening band would provide services in the 1990s music scene model. Documentation:
The Museum will document (in video, photography and written material) the fundamental realization of the invention of an alternative museum as it occurs. This material will be included in the Museum's collection to serve as a prototypical example, a model, for the creation of other community-based collections of art.
