SLAC ABROAD

Just as this thread was going off I had a weird Sydney Ladies experience - but as the other's are SLAC members I can't claim it as a SLAC event.


I went to the Femininst future Symposium at MOMA which was like a MEGA SLAC - it was BIG - and full of famous old feminists and famous young ones and lots of artists.....

It was awe instpiring - even the nutty bits. Even the really lame 'vagina dialogues' imporomtu performance reading of bad irigarayan style dated angst by two chelsea curators wearing pink fluffy boas and pink tulle shawls. that was so lame it was AWESOME. and very nutty. Orlan was there, but she left at that point....

and at the cocktail soiree afterwards I met Tania Chaly - who was at artspace smae time as new day project and Eugenia Raskopoulos -and we had a very Sydney artie feminist moment.

so I reckon SLAC lives - it's in that spirit of female artists coming together to gossip, network and make crazy plans and there's lots of us doing that - and when people get over the summer slackness there'll be more postings and events...

and I'd REALLY Like to get a big fat female/feminist sydney art herstory shebang happening sometime when i'm stressing a little less about my thesis.....

VENT (what's wrong with the Sydney Ladies Artists Club?)

Theres nothing wrong with SLAC, look at what its name potentially implies, we do nothing.

This is great. History is full of woman doing everything. Tilling the fields, childbirth, etc...

I like the idea that we have formed this massive network of woman, who might do something and don't. I like the tension of that. We don't have to do anything, don't have to prove anything. SLAC is a monument to that. If we feel like it, we will reassemble for an activity, if we don't, we dont.

There you go. My thoughts on the politics of slackness.

Best, Bronia

VENT (what's wrong with the Sydney Ladies Artists Club?)

My disillusionment with the Sydney Ladies Artists Club began when I realised there would never be a secret club handshake. I mean, all the great clubs of the world have something yet we don’t have a thing! No badge, t-shirt, membership card. All we have is the virtual ‘newsletter’ blog that I’m sure most of us now trash when we see it in bold in the inbox.

Yes, I agree that maybe we had different expectations. Some loved the concept of an elite group, others opened the doors to many new members. Some ladies preferred arty activities, others jelly wrestling. It became the ladies choice as it should well be. However, I believe the clubs failings began from the start. We need things like a handshake to build upon.

Ladies, I encourage you to remember those most fantastic nibblies, fine alcohol and girlstrous laughter we experienced. The scintillating conversation, adorable fashion and proud attitude we all contributed to our early meetings.

Voice your concerns, be pro-active! It’s not slack, it’s SLAC!

Anon

VENT (what's wrong with the Sydney Ladies Artists Club?)

THE SYDNEY LADIES ARTISTS CLUB MADE ME THINK I MIGHT BE A WINNER,
BUT SOON AFTER JOINING I REALISED I WAS NOTHING BUT A MEMBER.

A.G.S.
Member S.L.A.C. April 2006 - January 2007

VENT (what's wrong with the Sydney Ladies Artists Club?)

Nothing happens/nobody posts anything/the rules aren’t followed/I don’t like feeling obliged to attend events/I haven’t met the new members/there are too many members/nobody’s in charge/it barely exists/the Artspace exhibition opportunity went badly/what’s the club for?/I hate it being called ‘Slac’/no-one knows anyone else/it’s just an idea/more people should know about it/it’s too exclusive/it’s too inclusive/it’s too tightly controlled /it’s nothing like I originally thought it would be

SLAC Q & A (IV)

WHY ISN'T ANYTHING HAPPENING IN THE CLUB/ON THE BLOG?

I don't know - without asking each member of the club I couldn't really tell you, but I could speculate.

Perhaps it's the fallout from the abandoned Artspace exhibition opportunity?

Perhaps nobody feels inspired to continue with club activities? It can be tiresome to feel obliged to attend events, when one is busy with one's own life/career/projects/whatever else.

As for the blog, perhaps blogs aren't so good when set up to represent a group - like, maybe they suit a single voice better? Although other groups seem to manage to make equal and democratic contributions to a single blog.

Ultimately, I'm wondering if the slow-down/complete cessation of activity may be due a lack of focus for the club - what is the Sydney Ladies Artists Club?

REPORT: Artspace Exhibition planning meeting

waiting for the meeting to start

Held: 16^th July 2006, at Loose Projects (thank you to Loose for hosting the event)

Present: M Mayhew, J Brown, L Kelly, S Goffman, P Aitken, Wild Boys (T Fry, T Hilton, R Gurney), S Coombs, J Polkinghorne, A Kay, J Cavallaro, N Saad, P Veitch, S Diamond, L Andrew, E Pulie, B Ivancek

Meeting commenced at 3:30pm

Minutes:

• Introduction to and outline of project delivered by L Kelly; discussed ‘brief’ of exhibition/dates/what is involved
• Discussed nature of club, in regards to the way in which the exhibition is being run/curated
• Question was raised as to how all members can be involved in show
• It was determined that L Kelly is co-ordinator of exhibition
• S Goffman’s outlined her project
• A Kay & J Cavallaro outlined their project, plus discussed extra ideas they’ve had
• Talked about setting up a discussion board online for the exhibition in order to aid communication about the show’s planning/progress
• We should put the Wild Boys on Yahoo Group in order that they may be kept up to date about show
• Existing club blog will be used during show for reports/announcements/documenting events, etc
• Desired ‘collaborative’ nature of show was emphasised; questions raised as to how this will eventuate in actuality
• P Aitken raised ‘social club’ nature of SLAC, and the importance of making this apparent via the exhibition
• Wild Boys outlined their project and ideas
• L Kelly talked about the Artspace catalogue and the idea of producing a separate publication for exhibition as well
• The idea of ‘interventions’ was raised, a la The Guerrilla Girls
• The idea of staging of an ‘Annual General Meeting’ for the exhibition was raised
• Many further ideas were raised and discussed
• The ‘exclusive’ nature of the club was raised, versus its inclusiveness – these notions to be discussed further in the future
• P Vietch talked about her ideas for the show; also addressed the idea of the show being ‘anything goes’ in nature, versus issues of control
• The issue of funding was raised, in relation to the way it determines a ‘free-flowing’ versus a more ‘controlled’ manner of organising the show

Meeting dissipated slowly into many separate conversations at 5pm approximately