2017 ARWAE Beijing

This workshop is modeled after the artist Oliver Herring's TASK Parties. My first experience with a Task Party was at Harvard's Arts and Passion Driven Learning program. For my second experience, at the Art21 Creative Chemistries Weekend 2 years ago, Herring himself ran a task party for the event.

A TASK Party has few rules, a box with "TASKs" in it, and a lot of materials for the participants to manipulate in response to a random task taken blindly from a box. Each task is replaced by the participants upon completion of a TASK. Materials include glue, string, foil, paper, random recycled objects - basically some items for binding (tape, glue) and others just for making. Tasks can range from building a castle, to standing on top of a chair singing your national anthem. The point of all of this is to look at process and to be free when creating.

Because rules are limited, it is open-ended and the interaction between the participants is amazing, whether they know each other or not. I think one of my favorite things about the TASK party is that it is constantly active and freeing to those who are involved. The workshop would consist of approximately 45 min of experiencing the TASK, then having a discussion about the experience. Participants of this workshop will only be told how to get and replace TASKs, and the only rule is not to take away from another's creation, but you can add to it.

Here is a link to Herring's blog https://oliverherringtask.wordpress.com/

Every time I have participated and facilitated a TASK Party, I have gotten something new from it. This is something that can be done with all ages and in multiple spaces, including a dinner party at your house.