My niece and nephew (or my niblings, as is the gender neutral term for my sibling’s children) visited last week, and I was charged with the task of getting them away from their screens and entertaining them for a few days. Have you ever tried getting a teenager and tweenager away from the screens without the threat of punishment? Not fun.
I planned a lot of activities, but the one I was most excited to take them to was the Cincinnati Art Museum to see the exhibition No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man. My niblings are creative when they want to be, and I thought the history and culture of Burning Man would be interesting and thought-provoking enough to make them stop thinking about playing video games and start thinking about what makes video games work. But mostly, I wanted to see it so they were coming with me!
In preparation for our visit, the kids and I read and talked about the Ten Principles of Burning Man. The principles are:
- Radical Inclusion
- Gifting
- De-commodification
- Radical Self-reliance
- Radical Self-expression
- Communal Effort
- Civic Responsibility
- Leaving No Trace
- Participation
- Immediacy
The museum provided a booklet and card with the principles and some of the terminology as a reference during the visit. The artwork is spread throughout the museum, and is clearly marked on the map. As we moved from room to room, taking in the sculptures, installations, costumes, and photos, I periodically asked the niblings if any of the art reminded them of something they had seen before, what principles they thought the art exemplified, or how the exhibit as a whole demonstrated the principles of Burning Man. The museum itself embodied the principles of Gifting and Decommodification by making this a free exhibit (and museum entry is always free, but some exhibits require an extra ticket), allowing and encouraging anyone who is interested to view the artwork.
I had heard of Burning Man before we visited, and had a general idea of what it was. The second season of Netflix’s Queer Eye even had a Burner as a hero. I had not heard of the Principles, however, and I was amazed by how much they resonated with me. I expected creativity and self-expression and inclusivity to be at the core of Burning Man, but I was surprised by the emphasis on social responsibility. And yet, I shouldn’t be surprised because when I think of world history, and of periods of transformative art and innovation, they often happened in tandem with or as a result of social and political change.
I loved the exhibit, and probably could’ve spent hours upon hours reading the cards, examining each artifact, and reflecting on the principles, but I promised the niblings we could see the new Spiderman movie so we only spent a couple of hours there. The kids liked parts of it, but also resisted my attempts at summer teaching and learning. Still, they asked questions after we left, and I took that as a good sign that their brains had absorbed something!
Muffin tins and cookie cutters are used to create… 
…Tin Pan Dragon
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man closes on September 2, 2019, and is definitely worth a visit. While you are at the museum, be sure to visit the permanent collection of the Cincinnati Art Museum as well! To see more photos and read my take on individual pieces, visit my Instagram.
