June 2010 – ongoing
Exhibition invitation and document.
Art Ambulance calls attention to the unacknowledged energy and activities of those that enable the making and celebrating of art. People are nominated; their badge is made and sent to them by post. With it they receive a nomination form in case they’d like to nominate someone else. Anyone can nominate someone for an Art Ambulance badge. There are currently over 100 people in the Europe and the USA with badges.
I was struck during my job writing biographies for a Dictionary of Art years ago how most artists are inspired and enabled by somebody when they are young: a quirky uncle or neighbor, a teacher or their Mum. This partly inspired this project. People tell me their badges lead them to have unusual conversations. The project is self-perpetuating.