Barter Boat (2016-Ongoing)
Desireé Moore, Anna Abhau Elliott, & Robin Schwartzman
Barter Boat is an interactive public art program that travels from city to city engaging communities in oral storytelling and visual art through the act of bartering and emerges as a multifaceted and innovative exploration of the human condition. The project uses lightness and humor to introduce and unpack complicated questions about commodification, consumer culture, social interaction and exchange, sustainability and legacy. From a huge 22 foot carnival-inspired trading post (shaped like a boat), the artist beckons passersby to step forward and share a small piece of their lived experience. Pockets, purses, wallets, and notebooks yield an array of seemingly mundane artifacts that turn out to harbor surprising narratives. The artist guides participants to trade objects endowed with philosophical, emotional, or historical backstories rather than monetary value.
PERFORMANCES
Art in the Park, Columbia, MO (2023), Momentary’s Festival Field, The Momentary,Crystal Bridges, AR (2019), Spring Fling, Spartanburg, SC (2019), Blink Art Light Festival, Cincinnati, OH (2019), Street Arts: Patriotica! Breckenridge, CO (2018), Second Saturday ArtWalk, Barter Bike, St. Petersburg, FL (2018), Artscape, Anchor Project, Baltimore, MA (2017), Atlanta Belt Line, Atlanta, GA (2017), INLIGHTIN, Northern Lights Project & Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN (2016)
