Many artists incorporate the intimate stories and artifacts of other people in their work that is later exhibited in
a public arena like a gallery or museum.
Janine Antoni collects deeply personal materials from friends and family and weaves them together into a unifying lifeline entitled “Moor.”
Collier Schorr crafts intimate photographic portraits of adolescent men and women that examine the way nationality, gender, and sexuality
influence an individual’s identity.
Pepón Osorio’s installations evolve from interactions with specific people, places, and incidents. In “Tina’s House”
he recounts the story of the night a family’s home was consumed by fire.
While other people’s stories
provide rich source material for these artists and others, what are the ethical questions involved when these stories are
placed before the public eye? This lesson considers the boundaries between private and public in the visual and verbal documentation
of personal stories.
