Wendy Ewald

Twenty Questions is a new series created by the Social Practice Journal that asks artists to create a list of questions that they ask themselves about their practice. Like the game “20 Questions”, the format offers readers a chance to get to know what a given artist’s practice might be. Through inquiry, we are offered a look at how other artists interrogate their own actions in relationship to the work they are making.

Wendy Ewald

Twenty questions to approach a socially engaged project.

Part One—Preparation

What questions does a project ask about society?

Why is this work important now?

Does it come out of an issue that I’m thinking about already?

How does it engage me as an artist?

Can I approach it in a way that is new for me?

Who are my partners/collaborators?

What is the design of the collaboration?

How does it include the vision of the collaborators?

Part Two—In the Middle

Am I able to be open to what’s happening?

Can I be flexible enough to change my vision?

Can I bring the collaborators into my vision so we can agree on how to make the most powerful work?

What do we think is the best way to reach our audience?

What do we want to say?

Part Three—Looking at what we have

How has the process of making the work changed how I see the outcome?

How will it affect the final product?

Who is the audience? (I ask this question all the way through.)

Is it important that the process be included in the piece to reach them?

What form should it take?

What further work do we need to do to engage the audience?

Is the work respectful to the audience, collaborators and my initial idea?

You can find more information about Wendy’s work here.