pa . tri . ot . ism

: love for or devotion to one's country

Have You Ever Committed a Patriot Act?
(selected responses from visitors as of July 30th)


"I VOTE"

"My Friends and I wrote, signed and sent a petition."

"I've participated in protests against invading Iraq."

"I weathered Desert Storm on an Army Base."

How to Commit A Patriot Act

Are you feeling particularly patriotic these days? With all the people out gathering signatures for new initiatives to the ballot, candidates vying for the media's attention and yours, and a national convention in our own backyard, there are plenty of opportunities to ponder the question. FCMOCA's latest exhibition looks at the question of patriotism through the eyes of local artists, and turns the table on the museum visitor, asking for their responses as well.

The exhibition required a lot of consideration before, during and after the selection of artworks for the show. As the curator, the goal was to provide a platform for discussion about the idea of patriotism, through the lens of the artist. The American Heritage dictionary offers a very short definition of patriotism: "love of and devotion to one's country." Random House dictionary adds an important distinction: "devoted love, support, and defense of one's country." I was hoping for a wide range of views to be represented through the artwork, which I got. And I was hoping for work that would be provocative (controversial or not) in that it would provoke people into thinking about the role and meaning of patriotism in their own lives.

In my mind patriotism implies a level of active participation. This could be relatively minor, as in voting regularly, or require a great deal of commitment, as in serving in a branch of the military. It could be personal, such as buying local, or it could be public, such as running for and serving as an elected public official. And it could be in support of or in protest against a political, humanitarian, social or environmental cause. This is why, to me, the exhibition had to be an interactive one. The work of the artists is a public act of patriotism. They have created the work out of a devotion to their country, a concern for, or in defense of its direction. The exhibit goes one step further in asking for public response to the art, to the questions it raises, and to the question of patriotism itself. How does one express his or her love of or devotion to one's country? To what extent and under what circumstances would you defend your country?

This blog is an extension of the visitor's experience in the museum. Various samples of the visitor responses will be posted to this site in the hopes that readers will post their own comments. We hope that you will be able to visit the show to see the breadth of artistic and responsive contributions. In any case, we hope you will consider the questions that arise from this exhibition in this exciting time of political activity.