PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 28, No. 7, Oct. 2, 2008

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Fireswallow Project endorses ‘Art’

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer

If you’ve spied a silent, mime-like guy walking around town in a suit lit up with red LEDs, looked down to discover a sidewalk chalk drawing of a bass player or passed by a mass planting of red-white-and-blue political-style yard signs with the message “Vote for Art,” you’ve experienced one of several recent communitywide “art attacks.” The attacks have been launched since early August by a mysterious – and previously anonymous – collective of arts supporters.

A manifesto and Web site created by the unknown members of the Fireswallow Project proclaimed the group’s intent in red letters: “We are for art.”

The manifesto elaborated on that message, stating that members were for art “in backyards, on sidewalks and stages made of orange crates” as well as “cheap art, loud art, pure art and art that doesn’t even know it’s art” – among other things.

So who’s been stirring up all that art soup?

The big secret was revealed at the opening night celebration at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 18. Co-conspirators turned out to be Krannert Center; 40 North/88 West, the Champaign County Arts, Culture and Entertainment Council; and SpinLight Studios.

Besides just creating a buzz throughout town, what was the point of Fireswallow? According to Krannert Center director Mike Ross, “We wanted to develop an ‘alternative’ campaign to express our (Krannert Center’s and 40 North’s) core values throughout the micro-urban Champaign-Urbana community and the region – especially in the increasingly cosmopolitan downtown Champaign scene – that would culminate at our Opening Night Party as a celebration of all of our community’s artists and arts/culture/entertainment energies.

“Keeping the fireswallow campaign ‘under wraps’ was just part of the fun and experimentation. This is a place that revels in creativity, and it was great fun for us to work with the fabulously creative Spinlight team,” he said.

More information about the project, including photos and videos of art attacks, is online.

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