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06-23-16

Q&A with “Home Land Security” Curator Cheryl Haines

FOR-SITE Foundation executive director and Home Land Security curator Cheryl Haines at Battery Marcus Miller, 2016. Photo: Ari Salomon.

FOR-SITE Foundation executive director and Home Land Security curator Cheryl Haines at Battery Boutelle, 2016. Photo: Ari Salomon.


Field Notes recently talked with FOR-SITE Executive Director Cheryl Haines about her latest site-responsive project in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Home Land Security.

Field Notes: Which came first: the site or the curatorial thesis?

Cheryl Haines: One of the most engaging aspects of doing site-related projects is that they don’t occur in a linear way. I don’t necessarily find the site first or come up with the thesis first — it’s more an amalgam of the two.

In this case, my past experience working on the exhibition @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz was the springboard. One of the things I found most fulfilling about curating that exhibition was using my practice to engage an artist interested in social issues.

FN: How did you select the site?

CH: I have a pretty deep understanding of the physical location of the Presidio and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area — this is our fourth temporal project there. I’ve spent many hours walking through the park, and I’m always looking for places that have not been activated. One of the great things about partnering with the National Park Service is that our visions are aligned: we’re both thinking about how to activate the cultural and natural resources of the park in new and innovative ways.

I became interested in furthering the dialogue around basic human rights and the plight of immigrants in particular after having spoken to Ai Weiwei about his work with Syrian refugees on the Greek Island of Lesbos. This led to pondering factors in place, and greater societal and personal concerns, such as what is home?, what is safety?, and what relevance does that have to notions of defense and security? As a former military base, the Presidio presents all kinds of opportunities to explore those ideas.

FN: What motivates/inspires you to undertake projects like this?

CH: One of the things I’m discovering as I continue down this path is what a great gift it is to bring together my personal and professional interests. Thirty years ago I became involved with the Tibetan community and became acutely aware of the Tibetan diaspora. That was a personal pursuit for many years. Since that time I have broadened my awareness to include the social injustices in other communities, but it wasn’t until @Large that I began to expand my professional practice to focus on human rights.

I still do have a curatorial interest in ideas and pure aesthetic, but one of the most enriching and engaging aspects of these projects for me is working with artists who might initiate a dialogue that could result in social change.

FN: What do you hope visitors will take away from the exhibition?

CH: I’m hoping they’ll be able to take a look at work from many different regions around the world and begin to understand the commonality of human experience. Though we might have diverse ideologies or backgrounds, at the end of day we want the same things. The base line concern I have that I’d love to see brought forth is how prevalent the fear of “other” is. If there’s even a small glimmer of understanding that others have the same struggles and concerns and needs that we do, that would be a very positive outcome.

FN: Do you have a favorite piece in the exhibition, or one you’re most looking forward to seeing installed at the site?

CH: Many of the selected artists I’ve been familiar with for a long time. A few of their pieces are iconic works I haven’t seen in person, or not in many years. I’m looking forward to seeing Do Ho Suh’s work in Battery Godfrey, as well as the Propeller Group’s installation. There are so many that are completely on point regarding the curatorial thesis and the site. I’m also excited about the commissions. It takes a certain amount of courage on the part of the artists to make a piece for a site they haven’t seen before.

There are always things you can’t anticipate. The physicality of a specific artwork in a site is often more powerful than you could have imagined. I’m particularly excited about this exhibition because of the opportunity to weave together such a diversity of voices — the materiality is diverse, the works are psychologically diverse, yet we see that there is a certain alignment in the positions presented here.

Home Land Security

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THIS WEEKEND: Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, A Documentary Film by our founder @cheryllhaines will be on view at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest),

Screenings: Gas Tower Stage at Shangri La
🟡Saturday / June 25 / 4pm
🔵Sunday / June 26 / 4pm

The story of the film @aiww: @yourstrulydoc begins with FOR-SITE’s remarkable exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Following @aiww detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The resulting exhibition engaged over 900,000 visitors in a conversation about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world.
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THIS WEEKEND: Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, A Documentary Film by our founder @cheryllhaines will be on view at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), Screenings: Gas Tower Stage at Shangri La 🟡Saturday / June 25 / 4pm 🔵Sunday / June 26 / 4pm The story of the film @aiww: @yourstrulydoc begins with FOR-SITE’s remarkable exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Following @aiww detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The resulting exhibition engaged over 900,000 visitors in a conversation about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world.
1 day ago
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1/9
“Ultimately, Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly is a call to action, extending the incredible reach of Ai Weiwei’s art by asking us to take the issue of global human rights to heart and act accordingly.

In partnership with @amnesty International, festival-goers watching the Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly documentary at Glastonbury (@glastofest) will be given a blank postcard and invited by AI WeiWei to write their own message of hope to prisoners of conscience around the world. At the end of the festival, postcards will be sent by Amnesty to prisoners in Bahrain, China, Iran, and Vietnam. Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly is a call to action, extending the incredible reach of Ai Weiwei’s art by asking us to take the issue of global human rights to heart and act accordingly.” - @markhayeswestall for FAD Magazine (@worldoffad )

This exclusive UK screening of Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly will take place in the Shangri-La Field @shangrilaglasto at the Gas Tower at 4pm on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th June at Glastonbury Festival.
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“Ultimately, Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly is a call to action, extending the incredible reach of Ai Weiwei’s art by asking us to take the issue of global human rights to heart and act accordingly. In partnership with @amnesty International, festival-goers watching the Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly documentary at Glastonbury (@glastofest) will be given a blank postcard and invited by AI WeiWei to write their own message of hope to prisoners of conscience around the world. At the end of the festival, postcards will be sent by Amnesty to prisoners in Bahrain, China, Iran, and Vietnam. Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly is a call to action, extending the incredible reach of Ai Weiwei’s art by asking us to take the issue of global human rights to heart and act accordingly.” - @markhayeswestall for FAD Magazine (@worldoffad ) This exclusive UK screening of Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly will take place in the Shangri-La Field @shangrilaglasto at the Gas Tower at 4pm on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th June at Glastonbury Festival.
2 days ago
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2/9
The film Ai Weiwei: @yourstrulydoc  follows these postcards around the globe—from Alcatraz Island to Beijing, Washington, D.C., and Cairo—as director @cheryllhaines meets with former prisoners of conscience and their families to discuss their impossible choices and the comfort they found in messages sent by people they would never meet.
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The film Ai Weiwei: @yourstrulydoc  follows these postcards around the globe—from Alcatraz Island to Beijing, Washington, D.C., and Cairo—as director @cheryllhaines meets with former prisoners of conscience and their families to discuss their impossible choices and the comfort they found in messages sent by people they would never meet.
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, a documentary film based on the eponymous art installation that was part of @for_site’s 2014-15 exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Like the artwork, the film aims to inspire viewers to take action in the struggle for human rights at home and abroad.

@yourstrulydoc is part of the incredible line up at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), June 22-26!
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Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, a documentary film based on the eponymous art installation that was part of @for_site’s 2014-15 exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Like the artwork, the film aims to inspire viewers to take action in the struggle for human rights at home and abroad. @yourstrulydoc is part of the incredible line up at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), June 22-26!
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
We are thrilled to announce that Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, A Documentary Film by our founder @cheryllhaines will be on view at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), June 22-26!

The story of the film Ai Weiwei: @yourstrulydoc begins with FOR-SITE’s remarkable exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Following @aiww detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The resulting exhibition engaged over 900,000 visitors in a conversation about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world.

Stay up to date about the festival and showtimes by subscribing to our newsletter at the link in bio.
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Follow
We are thrilled to announce that Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, A Documentary Film by our founder @cheryllhaines will be on view at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), June 22-26! The story of the film Ai Weiwei: @yourstrulydoc begins with FOR-SITE’s remarkable exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Following @aiww detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The resulting exhibition engaged over 900,000 visitors in a conversation about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world. Stay up to date about the festival and showtimes by subscribing to our newsletter at the link in bio.
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
Opening this Weekend: For-Site founder @cheryllhaines- @hainesgallery 
proudly presents Ai Weiwei: Everyday Monuments, a solo exhibition by the Chinese artist-activist opening June 2022.

Designed specifically for Haines’ new @fortmasoncenter gallery, Everyday Monuments comprises 18 works in materials such as LEGO, marble, and wood, each a synthesis of complex historical, cultural, and political references.

The exhibition marks the San Francisco debut of @aiww Zodiac (2018), a series of twelve panels depicting the mythical animals of the traditional Chinese Zodiac, created from thousands of brightly hued LEGO bricks. With their rich, contrasting colors and square shape, these works evoke Warhol’s celebrity portraits, while simultaneously referring to Ai’s first use of LEGO bricks for Trace, the enormous installation depicting political prisoners that was integral to the FOR-SITE Foundation’s 2014 exhibition @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Previously recreated by Ai in bronze, the Zodiac heads remain a potent trigger for conversations about nationalist sentiment, provenance, authenticity, and cultural exchange.
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Opening this Weekend: For-Site founder @cheryllhaines- @hainesgallery proudly presents Ai Weiwei: Everyday Monuments, a solo exhibition by the Chinese artist-activist opening June 2022. Designed specifically for Haines’ new @fortmasoncenter gallery, Everyday Monuments comprises 18 works in materials such as LEGO, marble, and wood, each a synthesis of complex historical, cultural, and political references. The exhibition marks the San Francisco debut of @aiww Zodiac (2018), a series of twelve panels depicting the mythical animals of the traditional Chinese Zodiac, created from thousands of brightly hued LEGO bricks. With their rich, contrasting colors and square shape, these works evoke Warhol’s celebrity portraits, while simultaneously referring to Ai’s first use of LEGO bricks for Trace, the enormous installation depicting political prisoners that was integral to the FOR-SITE Foundation’s 2014 exhibition @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Previously recreated by Ai in bronze, the Zodiac heads remain a potent trigger for conversations about nationalist sentiment, provenance, authenticity, and cultural exchange.
3 weeks ago
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6/9
The intimate, personal nature of the objects in @michelepred’s Encirclement highlight the ways we sacrifice privacy in exchange for illusions of safety.

 Image: Michele Pred, Encirclement; Home Land Security; FOR-SITE 2016; photo: @robertdiversherrick
The intimate, personal nature of the objects in @michelepred’s Encirclement highlight the ways we sacrifice privacy in exchange for illusions of safety.

 Image: Michele Pred, Encirclement; Home Land Security; FOR-SITE 2016; photo: @robertdiversherrick
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The intimate, personal nature of the objects in @michelepred’s Encirclement highlight the ways we sacrifice privacy in exchange for illusions of safety. Image: Michele Pred, Encirclement; Home Land Security; FOR-SITE 2016; photo: @robertdiversherrick
4 weeks ago
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7/9
Living between New York and his native Seoul in a permanent state of migration, Do Ho Suh moves among cultures that have different views of individual and collective identity, fueling his interests in themes of identification, suspended illusion, and the fabric of memory. In his sculpture Some/One, thousands of dog tags representing individual soldiers combine to create a larger-than-life suit of armor, an arresting totem that suggests power composed of the many. But closer inspection reveals the dog tags to be fictional, each “name” a nonsensical string of characters. The mirrored surface inside the sculpture reflects the ambiguity of the individual’s relationship to the piece: When we see ourselves enrobed in the garment, are we secure in its embrace, or are we complicit in the illusion of security?

FOR-SITE’s 2016 exhibition “Home Land Security” extended focus on provocative art about place, inviting viewers into decommissioned batteries, an administrative building, and a chapel — some open to the public for the first time — that served for decades as key sites in the US Army’s Coastal Defense System. #ArtAboutPlace

Photo by @robertdiversherrick
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Living between New York and his native Seoul in a permanent state of migration, Do Ho Suh moves among cultures that have different views of individual and collective identity, fueling his interests in themes of identification, suspended illusion, and the fabric of memory. In his sculpture Some/One, thousands of dog tags representing individual soldiers combine to create a larger-than-life suit of armor, an arresting totem that suggests power composed of the many. But closer inspection reveals the dog tags to be fictional, each “name” a nonsensical string of characters. The mirrored surface inside the sculpture reflects the ambiguity of the individual’s relationship to the piece: When we see ourselves enrobed in the garment, are we secure in its embrace, or are we complicit in the illusion of security? FOR-SITE’s 2016 exhibition “Home Land Security” extended focus on provocative art about place, inviting viewers into decommissioned batteries, an administrative building, and a chapel — some open to the public for the first time — that served for decades as key sites in the US Army’s Coastal Defense System. #ArtAboutPlace Photo by @robertdiversherrick
1 month ago
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8/9
@alexiawebster sets up temporary mobile portrait studios in the streets of refugee camps around the world, where she offers families uprooted by violence the chance to reclaim their heritage, dignity, and sense of belonging through professional photographs: “Whether in war or security, poverty or wealth, a family photograph is a precious object. It affirms our identity and worth, and our place in humanity,” Webster explains. 

 FOR-SITE’s 2016 exhibition “Home Land Security” extended focus on provocative art about place, inviting viewers into decommissioned batteries, an administrative building, and a chapel — some open to the public for the first time — that served for decades as key sites in the US Army’s Coastal Defense System. #ArtAboutPlace

Image:  Alexia Webster, Bulengo Studios, from the Refugee Street Studio Project, Home Land Security 2016, Photo by @robertdiversherrick
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@alexiawebster sets up temporary mobile portrait studios in the streets of refugee camps around the world, where she offers families uprooted by violence the chance to reclaim their heritage, dignity, and sense of belonging through professional photographs: “Whether in war or security, poverty or wealth, a family photograph is a precious object. It affirms our identity and worth, and our place in humanity,” Webster explains. FOR-SITE’s 2016 exhibition “Home Land Security” extended focus on provocative art about place, inviting viewers into decommissioned batteries, an administrative building, and a chapel — some open to the public for the first time — that served for decades as key sites in the US Army’s Coastal Defense System. #ArtAboutPlace Image:  Alexia Webster, Bulengo Studios, from the Refugee Street Studio Project, Home Land Security 2016, Photo by @robertdiversherrick
1 month ago
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9/9

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