What ARE the consequences of an exquisite corpse?

Consequences of the Exquisite Corpse: An Invitational Art Game, curated by local artist and photographer Bronwyn Minton, is her own twist on an old parlour game by the same name.  The game also has something in common with Mad Libs.   Pieces of an unknown story are put together by more than one person, and only one person knows the story theme.  When random words are inserted into the story, crazy shenanigans and laughter ensue.

It’s a great game for long car rides.

“Consequences” is very Surrealist, in that an element of surprise is present…a little philosophy, too.  I’m going to throw in “macabre,” and “Day of the Dead” as connotations.  This stuff is a little creepy! Fun creepy.  It’s also totemic.   A story with symbols.

Minton has assembled a collection of images created by artists and other members of Jackson’s community.  Each complete work is numbered;  each work has a top, central, and bottom image.   Minton assigned each contributor an image; each knew they had to create a head, a torso, or a bottom half.  All did this individually, not knowing how their image would fit together with others.   That was up to Minton, and this exhibition is the result.  The result is a surprise to everyone, including the artists.

Minton’s work is always mysterious, always very innovative. Imp!  For this annual Art Association invitational she invites community participation, and the collective rules of “Consequence” become an actual artistic process.   She needs to put her projects in book form, don’t you think?  Book, book!

Consequences of the Exquisite Corpse is on exhibit until May 1, at ArtSpace. A very nice show, “Photography to an Exhibit,” is upstairs in the Loft Gallery.  www.artassociation.org