All the Steps in the Process

Drawings and furniture by Christine Wong Yap. Zine edited and designed by Yap.

all the steps in the process, reading desks and zine

all the steps in the process, drawings, hand-lettered specimen sheet in roman capitals

Hand-lettered drawings (Elizabeth Travelslight, It is a concerted practice to value all types of work and all steps in the process equally.) and samplers, 2015, ink or paint on paper or vellum, tape, 11 x 8.5 to 12 x 18 inches each.

Hand-lettered drawings (Collaborators are built through practice, attention, discipline, passion, commitment, and habit. —Twyla Tharp. The more a project or idea can be shared across different perspectives and experiences, the richer it will be. —Kevin B. Chen), sampler, survey, 2015, ink on paper or vellum, tape, 11 x 8.5 to 24 x 18 inches each.

all the steps in the process, drawing: we wanted an antidote to the alienation that comes from the professionalization of art and art-as-job (i.e., capital). —amanda curreri

all the steps in the process, drawings: the best and worst of people come out under stress, but the experience bonded us. —leeza meksin. as artists, it's easy to think, 'me! me! me!' being part of a collective, and giving to a larger community, can get you out of that mindset. —eleanna anagnos

it's emotionally easy to do what you want, when you want, how you want. —elizabeth travelslight. brush-stroke specimen sheet

all the steps in the process, drawings: practice walking alongside each other. accompany collaborators through the process of self-discovery and empowerment. —armando minjarez. power distributed equally, and everyone equally empowered. —elizabeth travelslight

ego meditation: to know what i want aknowledgement from others for, and to know what i can acknowledge myself for, and that's enough. gridded drawing

all the steps in the process, drawing: our allies are everywhere —jessica tully

CO-LABORATION, 2015, ‘zine edited and designed by the artist, photocopies, 28 pages, 8.5 x 7 inches, 150 copies first printing / open edition

Fifty respondents, one SURVEY / I PARTICIPATE IN ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS: on an ongoing basis, 32%; occasionally, 40%; rarely, 26%; never, 2%. // I VIEW MY MOST RECENT COLLABORATION WITH: GRATITUDE 33; ENTHUSIASM, 24; PRIDE, 24; MIXED FEELINGS
16 // Respondents were OVERWHELM- INGLY POSITIVE about recent collaborations. Over 80% overall view recent collaborations with gratitude. The same is true of the subset of ongoing collaborators, while only 53% of those who rarely collaborate do so. 46% who rarely collaborate view recent collaborations with mixed feelings. Only 25% of ongoing collaborators feel the same. // I WOULD RATE MY RECENT COLLABORATION AS: HIGHLY REWARDING, REWARDING, REWARDING & CHALLENGING, CHALLENGING, EXTREMELY CHALLENGING. Most respondents rated their recent collaborations positively: over half were rated rewarding or highly rewarding, while 41% were rated as rewarding and challenging. ARE REWARDING AND CHALLENGING ANTONYMS? FOR ME, SOMETHING THAT IS VERY CHALLENGING ALSO BECOMES THE MOST REWARDING BECAUSE OF THE WORK IT REQUIRES. I WILL APPROACH FUTURE COLLABORATIONS WITH: CURIOSITY 30; ENTHUSIASM 27; NO EXPECTATIONS 12; CAUTION 12; ABANDON 2; GREAT RESERVATIONS 2. 60% said they will approach future collaborations with curiosi- ty; over half with enthusiasm. Most ongoing collaborators will approach future col- laborations with curiosity (13 of 16), while occassional collaborators will use enthusiasm (14 of 20).

Armando Minjarez
Wichita-based Armando Minjarez is a Mexican visual artist and social justice activist who has focused on immigrant rights. His many community- based, collaborative activities include co-founding and serving as resident artist at The Seed House/La Casa de la Semilla, a space for developing community leaders, where he coordinates ICT ARMY of Artists. Editor’s note: “ICT” is the code for Wichita’s airport, and shorthand for Wichita itself.
CWY: Can you tell me more about ICT ARMY of Artists? Who is it, and why did you form it?
Armando Minjarez: The ICT ARMY of Artists
is a collective of artists, creatives, and provo- cateurs primarily living in Wichita, KS, with satellite members throughout the state. The idea was born out of frustration at the divisive, xenophobic rhetoric from Kansas politicians and people in power.
We wanted to have an outlet for underrepre- sented communities to have a loud voice to talk about the injustices we live with everyday. Kansas has a long history of progressive, radical thinkers who have had global impact...so I wanted to honor and continue that tradition.
CWY: As community-based, social justice organizations/collectives, how does collaboration manifest in ICT’s activities?
AM: Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do, and initially, it is one of the biggest challenges to the artists who join our ranks. We usually hit the streets to get a sense of the locals and build trust. Then we invite residents to brain- storm for a mural or project and engage them in the design process. Everyone has a chance to participate and have meaningful input. We have to trust that, if given the space to reflect and express freely, you will have the answers.
CWY: How do your collaborations inform your individual art practice, and/or vice versa?
AM: It has greatly impacted my work. I have a background in ceramics—which is collective, because of the infrastructure—and painting— which can be reclusive.
Last year I started an experiment...I challenged my friends, who were always hanging out in my studio, to make something with me. If they wanted to hang out they had to make some- thing. Months later, I had an entire art show, Un Recuerdito, done in collaboration with over 30 friends and family. It was the most beautiful exhibition I have presented so far!
CWY: I’m interested in how to honor the labor of making a collective group of artists work. There’s visible, external labor towards goals, and the invisible administration or collectivity. Can you speak to this as a longtime activist?
AM: As a community organizer, I received training on working collectively and organizing people towards a common goal, developing leadership and challenging people to push themselves. That has given me a unique set of tools that I bring to the ICT AofA.
Sometimes I just have to step back and let people move at their own pace, even if I feel that they have the skills and potential to do amazing things. I have to accompany them through the process of self-discovery and empowerment; meet them where they are at, physically, emotionally and in their practice. Creating a group culture of caring for one another, no matter what, has been key to our success so far.
CWY: I think a state of constant negotiation is challenging. But activists seem to have a higher tolerance for flux. Would you agree?
AM: It’s all about the collective benefit. We
all have opinions, and desires, and personal demons. But we also have to identify something bigger than ourselves, that we all can benefit from, enjoy and celebrate. So we have to remain honest and humble. I’m interested in the idea of ‘walking alongside” someone, to “accompany” someone in their struggle. It’s not my struggle but I can relate to their emotions and go along with them through their healing process. I want this to be an integral part of ICT ARMY of Artists members, because that is essentially what we are doing in our neighborhood projects.
CWY: To what would you attribute the success of your most successful collaborations?
AM: I would say with no hesitation that when we offer ourselves in a honest and genuine way and acknowledge the dignity of all those involved in any given project, things tend to work out well. Acknowledging the dignity of people is key to a successful collaboration and building a powerful movement for social justice. No room for self-righteousness. ARMANDOMINJAREZ.COM THESEEDHOUSE.ORG

CO-LABORATION, 2015, ‘zine edited and designed by the artist, photocopies, 28 pages, 8.5 x 7 inches, 150 copies first printing / open edition; overview of all 28 pages.

All the Steps in the Process: a research project on collaboration is a series of hand-lettered drawings, wood furniture, and a ’zine examining working creatively with other people.

I conducted six interviews with eight artists from Wichita, the San Francisco Bay Area, and New York. With the help of Harvester Arts and Calie Shivers, I initiated a survey completed by 50 people near and far. This research is reflected in hand-lettered drawings exhibited alongside process sketches in an exhibition design inspired by publication layout. The survey data is visualized and longer excerpts of the interviews are compiled in CO-LABORATION, a 28-page ’zine I edited and designed.

Download the ’zine, CO-LABORATION (PDF, 1.1 MB). Hardcopies available ($5).

I built a pair of reading desks and stools for reading the ‘zine, and a bench for viewing examples of collaborative works submitted by local artists, writers, and media-makers. Participating artist-collaboratives are Amanda Pfister & Manda Remmen; Jennifer Koe & Nathan Filbert; Ann Resnick with Bethel Kidrun retirement community residents; Kevin Mullins in response to the work of Anne Schaefer; and Jessica Wasson, Patrick Calvillo, Alex Thomas, Ian Blume, Gray Brand, Bernardo Trevizo, Drew Davis, Jordan Kirtley, Peter James, and Tim Maggard. A list of their works can be found here (PDF, 35 kb).

All the Steps in the Process was on view from April 24 to May 17, 2015 at Harvester Arts, 215 North Washington Avenue, Wichita, KS.

It was developed with the support of a Harvester Arts residency from April 8 to 24. Special thanks to Harvester Arts; co-founders Kristin Beal, Kate Van Steenhuyse, and Ryan W. Gates; supporters including Sean Anderson, Mark Van Steenhuyse, Calie Shivers, and Bernardo Trevizo; sponsors and funders; and everyone who attended the events. Thanks to Kevin B. Chen, Amanda Curreri, Leeza Meksin and Eleana Anagnos, Armando Minjarez, Elizabeth Travelslight, and Linnebur & Miller, and survey respondents for sharing your wisdom. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Caption: Christine Wong Yap, All the Steps in the Process: a research project on collaboration, 2015, drawings, furniture, and ’zine, dimensions variable. Various artist-collaborators’ submissions screening as video.