photo by ladies’ assistants Ladies Afternoon Art Society A city bench, like a light spongy layer of cake on a downtown sidewalk, is decorated with bags of sweet icing. Townsfolk, businessmen, police officers, all look on ponder- ously. In the elongated spaces of afternoon shadows, ants and honeybees nod in approval. In the great hall of the shopping mall, a population of confused, disheartened consumers are straining to answer the ultimate holiday question; "What should I buy for so- and-so-and-so...". Even hearty grown men are seen crying, tears flowing in the face of overwhelming odds. A flash of red, a flash of red, a flash of red. Help has arrived...just in time for Christmas. It’s springtime. The columns of parking meters and trees found alongside the city street are dressed in elegant skirts. Humdrum inanimates, all of a sudden postured with the gait of runway models, draw curious looks from passers- by. Once...no, twice they turn their heads and rub their eyes. - The desparity and sadness of a vacant building is ~ lessened, if only temporarily, with a dose of wallpapering. Over the plywood exterior of the old Woodward’s building, a beautification project is under way. Something to smile about on a cloudy day? A cherry on a crumbling slice of pie? * * * x * Susan, Susanne, and Sueanne of the Ladies’ Afternoon Art Society, have taken upon the task of promot- ing beauty and niceness around the city. Working together as a team in their red dress uniforms, they devise imaginative and humorous rites of beautification and service for the pub- lic. Curious about the group’s art practices and perfor- mance works, I was able to catch up with the Ladies’ Afternoon Art Society on September 19th, 1999, at the Brickyard. TJA_ - Do you participate in any sports? Sueanne - I do aquafitness. Susan - I don’t. TJA - Susanne? Susanne - Sueanne is going to teach us. Susan - She is? Susanne - Yes! All - (laughter). TJA_ -Where were we? Sports, aquafitness... Sueanne - ...and we’re planning to take up badminton. Susanne - We do a lot of walking. Sueanne - An awful lot of walking. Susan - Yes. : TJA_ - So is this something we might see in a future per formance, possibly? Susanne - Performance? Susan -What’s performance? TJA_ - Okay, we don’t do performance, is that right? @ ; All -No. TJA_ - Uh, what would you categorize it, would you say, would you call it ‘intervention’? Sueanne - Oh, no. Susanne - Projects. TJA ~~ -You’d call it projects. Sueanne - We do some activities around the city. TJA = -You do activities. Okay... Sueanne - We go on decorative sprees. TJA _ - Decorative sprees, but you wouldn’t categorize it as performance? Sueanne - Oh, no. TJA -Would you still consider it to be in the realm of art? Sueanne - Art? Susanne - Art? Susan - Well I do watercolours, sometimes. Sueanne - Yeah, she’s very good at watercolours. She took this watercolour course a year ago. - It was through community college, you know, like a night kind of thing. Sueanne - She has the best colour sense. Susan -Thank you. TJA — - Okay, the reason why I’m asking you is because, because the Ladies recently had an exhibition at the Access Art Gallery... Susanne - Exhibition? Susan - Oh right! An exhibition. Susanne - We were just asked to come in and, you know, look at the space and see if, maybe... Susan - ...we could make it nicer. Susanne - Yeah. Sueanne - There’s no art there. We just redecorated. TJA_ -Isee. ...umm, so you, you don’t do art, you don’t do exhibitions, you call yourself the Ladies’ Afternoon Art Society... Susanne - Yeah, ‘cause we do, we do things on Sundays, you know. Susan - In the afternoon, generally. Susanne - Yeah, watercolour painting, that sort of thing. TJA — - Okay, hang on a sec. Have all your activities, your decorative Sprees, been on Sundays? Sueanne - No, not necessarily. Susan - Sometimes a Saturday. Susanne - Yeah, that’s true. 4 TJA_ - Sometimes Saturdays, mostly on weekends though. Susan - Yes. Susanne - Yeah. Sueanne - Sunday is when we kind of meet. That’s our gen eral meeting day. - Okay. Is there, um, whose idea was this? How did the three of you come together to form the Ladies’ Afternoon Art Society? Sueanne - Well we met two years ago at a product testing convention for floorwax. We were in the same focus group and we just got along really well. Susan - Yeah. Sueanne - And we got to talking and... Susan “EVA. Access Gallery by TJ Anzai “There's no art there. We just redecorated.” -Sueanne of the Ladies Afternoon Art Society influx ‘Magazine October 1999 : 23 Ladies’ Afternoon Art Society tty as ast A city bench, like a light spongy layer of cake on a downtown sidewalk, is decorated with bags of sweet icin. ‘Townsfolk, businessmen, police officers, all look on ponder- ‘ously. In the elongated spaces of afternoon shadows, ants and honeybees nod in approval In the great hall ofthe shopping mall, a population of confused, disheartened consumers are straining to answer the ultimate holiday question; "What should I buy for so- and-so-and-so..” Even hearty grown men are seen crying, tears flowing in the face of overwhelming odds. A fash of red, a flash of red, a flash of red. Help has arrived..just in time for Christmas, Te’ springtime. The columns of parking meters and ‘trees found alongside the city street are dressed in elegant skirts. Humdrum inanimate, all of a sudden postured with the gait of runway models, draw curious looks fom passers- by. Once...no, twice they turn their heads and rub their eyes. + “The desparity and sadness of a vacant building is lessened, if only temporarily, with a dose of wallpapering. ‘Over the plywood exterior of the old Woodward's building, a ‘beautification projects under way. Something to smile about ‘on a cloudy day? A cherry on a crumbling slice of pic? ‘Susan, Susanne, and Sueanne of the Ladies’ Afternoon Art Society, have taken upon the task of promot- ing beauty and niceness around the ity. Working together as a team in their red dress uniforms, they devise imaginative and humorous rites of beautification and service for the pub- ie. (Curious about the group's art practices and perfor- mance works, I was able to catch up with the Ladies’ ‘Afternoon Art Society on September 19th, 1999, at the Brickyard. ‘TIA. Do you participate in any sports? ‘Sueanne =I do aguafitness. ‘Susan =I don’t ‘TIA Susanne? ‘Susanne ~ Sucanne is going to teach us ‘Susan = She is? ‘Susanne -Yes! All. ~ Gaughter) ‘TIA. -Where were we? Sports, aquafitness.. ‘Sueanne- ..and we're planning to take up badminton, Susanne -We do a lot of walking. ‘Sueanne - An avful lot of walking, Susan -Yes. TIA ~ Sois this something we might seein a future per formance, possibly? Susanne - Performance? Susan -Whats performance? TIA ~ Olay, we don’t do performance, is that right? redecorated.” = All = No, ‘TIA. ~ Un, what would you categorize it, would you say, ‘would you calli ‘intervention’? Sueanne - Ob, no, Susanne - Projects. You'd call it projects TIA. -You do activities. Okay ‘Sueanne - We go on decorative sprees. TIA. ~ Decorative sprees, but you wouldn't categorize it as performance? ‘Sueanne - Oh, no, ‘TIA. -Would you still consider it tobe in the realm of art? Sueanne - Art? Susanne - Are ‘Susan -Well I do watercolours, sometimes, ‘Sueanne -Yeah, she’s very good at watercolours. She took this watercolour course a year ago. Susan It was through community college, you know; like ‘night kind of thing Sueanne - She has the best colour sense, Susan - Thank you. TIA - Okay, the reason why I'm asking you is because, because the Ladies recently had_an exhibition at the Access Art Gallery. Susanne - Exhibition? Susan Oh right! An exhibition. Susanne -We were just asked to come in and, you know; look atthe space and see if, maybe. Susan = we could make it nicer. Susanne - Yeah Sueanne ~There’s no art there. We just redecorated. ‘TIA. - Ise. ..umm, s0 you, you don’t do art, you don't do exhibitions, you call yourself the Ladies’ ‘Afternoon Art Society Susanne - Yeah, ‘cause we do, we do things on Sundays, you know. Susan _~ In the afternoon, generally Susanne ~Yeah, watercolour painting, that sort of thing. TIA. Okay, hang on a sec. Have all your activities, your decorative Sprees, been on Sundays? ‘Sueanne - No, not necessarily ‘Susan ~ Sometimes a Saturday ‘Susanne -Yeah, that’s true TIA ~ Sometimes Saturdays, mostly on weekends though. Susan -Yes, Susanne -Yeeh. ‘Sueanne - Sunday is when we kind of meet. That's our gen. ral meeting day. ~ Okay. Is there, um, whose idea was this? How did the three of you come together to form the Ladies Afternoon Art Society? ‘Sueanne -Well we met two years ago at a product testing convention for floorwax. We were in the same focus group and we just got along really well. Susan -Yeah Sueanne - And we got to talking and. TA inflox? Magazine @ Access Gallery byTJ Anzai -Sueanne of the Ladies Afternoon Art Society October 1999 “There's no art there. We just 23