The South End Art Hop is the major graphic arts event in Burlington each year. Hundreds of artists display all sorts of work in many venues -- stores, industrial buildings, warehouses -- along a mile-long street. This year, Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel, a group of which I am a member, sponsored Peter Schumann’s exhibition of paintings he did inspired by a recent trip to Palestine, along with an accompanying lecture on the occupation by the activist scholar Joel Kovel. Peter’s introductory talk, and Joel’s lecture were vociferously interrupted by a zionist group protesting the events, and demanding that the Art Hop shut it down because it was politics, not art, and did not belong at the art hop.

I wrote the following open letter to the Art Hop board of directors, for them to consider when they decide on their inclusion policies for next year.

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CONCERNING THE HUBBUB AT THE SCHUMANN EXHIBIT, AND WHY THE SPONSORSHIP AND SPEAKER WERE APPROPRIATE.

The Art Hop is about art, and art is about life. Art teaches us to see, think, and feel life outside its strictly “artistic” borders. Art does not end at the picture frame, the last page, or the falling of the curtain.

This is especially true of political art, and more especially so of the art of Peter Schumann. His paintings routinely leap off their canvases onto stages, streets and fields around the world. His production produces puppeteers, here and abroad, and these puppeteers charge into the issues surrounding them. During the summer, the Bread & Puppet farm is visited by other theater groups, and evenings are devoted to activist speakers, poets and musicians. Peter’s work does not end at the “Thank you” and bow closing most of the shows.

That Joel Kovel, an old puppeteer, a long-time friend of the theater’s, a scholar and political activist, should be invited to extend the content of Peter’s Palestine show beyond the walls of 696 Pine St. is a completely logical and consistent emanation from Peter’s work.

“This is politics,” a loud contingent of the audience complained about Joel’s talk. “It doesn’t belong here.” Which, of course, didn’t stop that contingent from leafleting the audience, posting flyers on its door, and generally trying to disrupt Kovel’s talk with aggressive muttering, badgering, shouting and flag-waving throughout, and starting a political campaign to get individuals and businesses to withdraw sponsorship from the Art Hop. 

But political art is political by definition, that is, it addresses the polis about urgent issues affecting the life of people, and Israel/Palestine is an urgent issue. The back room of 696 is devoted for the month to a show of political art. That it should be accompanied by related speakers, films and community discussion – and even controversy -- sharing its universe of discourse is a legitimate dimension to such work. 

I hope the Art Hop will not be cowed in the future by the low-grade violence, economic and other threats of this particular group into disallowing the multi-dimensional existence of political art. 

The Art Hop is about art, and art is about life.