Blue Buttons Spark Anti-War Discussions
at International Art Shows in New York City
New York, NY – February 27, 2003 – Thousands of symbolic plain blue buttons will be distributed by several prominent galleries and Cabinet magazine at New York City's Armory Show, the International Fair of New Art, and Scope Art Fair from March 7-10. Similar to the AIDS ribbon, also born in the New York arts community, the buttons promote a visual expression of solidarity opposing a war with Iraq. The Armory Show is one of the world's leading international art fairs and the largest devoted exclusively to contemporary art. The Scope Art Fair is a global cultural exhibition of selected exhibitors (including galleries, independent curators, and institutions each exhibiting a single artist).
Launched last October by artist Nancy Hwang, the Blue Button Project provides a symbolic medium for those who have serious questions about the war on Iraq and demand a more engaged dialogue about the war on terror. Designed in collaboration with activist James Wagner, the blue button, made bolder by its simplicity and lack of words, is meant to evoke what it represents: the need to ask questions, educate oneself, and engage in dialogue. With its emphasis on education and broader world issues, the project distances itself from any particular nation or political party.
"It is a very poignant symbol. As one of the original founders of the Visual AIDS organization that created the Red Ribbon Project, I am thrilled that a similar energy and thoughtfulness is being utilized in the current situation," explains Thomas Sokolowski, Director of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
The buttons first appeared in galleries on February 13, and thousands have already been distributed. As word of the buttons has spread, requests for either large quantities of buttons or permission to reproduce them have poured in from Sacramento, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Miami Beach, Florida; Washington, DC; Virginia; Wisconsin; Ontario, Canada; and other placebsmany from college students who either found the project's website or knew someone who discovered the buttons while visiting New York.
Galleries and museums supporting the Blue Button Project distribute the buttons and provide a donation box to help cover material costs. These organizations include:
- The Andy Warhol Museum
117 Sandusky Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
- Cheim & Read
547 West 25th Street - Luhring Augustine Gallery
531 West 24th Street - Paula Cooper Gallery
534 West 21st Street and
521 West 21st Street (2nd floor) - Florence Lynch Gallery
521-539 West 25th Street - Murray Guy
453 West 17th Street, 2nd Floor - Nikolai Fine Art
505 West 22nd Street - Parlour Projects
214 Devoe St. #1
Brooklyn, NY 11211 - Friedrich Petzel Gallery
535 West 22nd Street - Storefront for Art and Architecture
97 Kenmare Street - White Columns
320 West 13th Street
The Armory Show takes place at Piers 88 & 90, Twelfth Avenue at 48th & 50th Streets in New York City. For more information about the Armory Show, visit www.thearmoryshow.org.
The Scope Art Fair will be held at the Dylan Hotel at 52 East 41st Street (between Madison and Park), also in New York City. For more information about the Scope Art Fair, visit www.scope-art.com.
For more information on how to obtain blue buttons or support the Blue Button Project, visit the projectbwww.scope-art.coms website, provided in-kind by Barry Hoggard: http://bluebutton.info.
Nancy Hwang has exhibited in New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Washington, DC, and Hamburg, Germany. She is the recipient of an Agnes Gund Foundation Grant (2002), a Rema Hort Mann Foundation Art Grant (2001), a Public Art Fund Proposal Commission (2001), and Philip Morris Fellowships (1994-95, 1995-96). She has participated in the Bronx Museum of Art's Artist in the Marketplace Seminar Program (2001) and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Centerbwww.scope-art.coms National Studio Program (1996-97). Ms. Hwang holds a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland. She has lived and worked in New York City since 1996.