“GENEROSITY PROJECTS: STRATEGIES FOR EXCHANGE IN CONTEMPORARY ART” CASE OF MICHAEL SWAINE

HAPPENINGText: Amy Franceschini

The CCAC Wattis Institute presents Generosity Projects: Strategies for Exchange in Contemporary Art.

Increasingly over the last ten years, artists have explored the idea of generosity as a medium. A two-day symposium explored the complex relationship between art making and generosity. Panelists considered crucial questions about how contemporary art can directly connect with audiences and respond to public interest.

Featured panelists included Carlos Basualdo, Peter Coyote, Mary Jane Jacob, Ben Kinmont, Cesare Pietroiusti, Jorgen Svensson, Michael Swaine, Temporary Services, and Jeanne van Heeswijk. Generosity is not the first thing people usually associate with contemporary art, but it’s an attribute that resonates in the current harsh climate. Which is why ‘Generosity Projects: Strategies for Exchange in Contemporary Art,’ California College of Arts and Crafts’ weekend symposium and extended project series on the artistic acts of giving and exchange, is appealing.

Peter Coyote, a cofounder of the legendary Diggers, the Situationist-style 1960s group that set up a revolutionary free store in the Haight, graciously delivered a keynote speech.


Left: Michael sewing patch on this man’s leather jacket in Tenderloin area of San Francisco.
Right: Cart completely unfolded during rainy day. Entire cart desinged and fabricated by Michael Swaine.

Generosity artist Michael Swaine, a textile designer, to pushed a cart through San Francisco streets where he will offered free tailoring services to brokers, students laborers and tourists: Reap What You Sew.


Compact and collapsable for mobility.

For one week, Michael made a daily route around the center of the city offering his services to anyone who wanted a mending. He called himself the Roving Tailor.
The construction of his mobile cart was sponsored by the CCAC Wattis Institute departed each day from CCAC on his journey- rain or shine.

Text: Amy Franceschini

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