Dear Annie Oakley,
What would it take to book SWAS in Spokane?
I look forward to learning about the possibilities, your work is truly transformative and profound in scope.
Sincerely,
The Spovangelist
A few days back we started inquiring into what it would take to get the Sex Workers Art Show to visit Spokane. We had the privilege of witnessing this work during their 2004 and 2005 tours, and it made a huge impression.
This is typically the case, as you can gather from the broad degree of media coverage the project has enjoyed:
- Washington Post, ‘A Baring of Souls’
- USA Today, ‘Raises Southern Ruckus’
- Mother Jones, ‘Making Sex Arty’
- The Guilfordian, ‘Creatively Exposes the Sex Industry’
If ever there were a city that could benefit from the insight and visibility afforded by the SWAS, Spokane would be it. We have a funny reputation as a prudish by day, “dirty” by night kind of town. This notion goes far beyond the obvious example of former mayor Jim West. It comes out of the seamless coexistence of two strong local contingencies: our rough-and-tumble working folk and the faithful church-going middle class. This cultural combination often forces Spokanites to practice bizarre forms of cognitive dissonance in mixed company.
Would a series of “sex positive” entertainment and education events be effective in calling ourselves out on our collective bluff? What do you think the response in Spokane would be like?
Tags: Breaking Boundaries · Pretty Things · Shock Value · Social Observations7 Comments
7 responses so far ↓
Learning what cognitive dissonance is was great! Thanks!
Spokane survived the Puppetry of the Penis and The Vagina Monologues (well mostly). So this one is possible.
A show like this would be good for us. Assuming people would come out to see it, of course.
I think that this would be an amazing opportunity, and a safe way (for some) to test boundaries. I hope we get it here.
Oh the Sex Workers Art Show!
I went to see it two different years when i was still living in Olympia.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I look forward to seeing people i know turn beat red when naked women crawl over them in Clinton and Nixon masks as part of performance.
Did that sound dirty? Oh I’m sorry.
If it did, then Spokane is not ready for SWAS.. but i certainly hope we are!
I would love to bring the show to Spokane, I’ve been there before and really enjoy it, and it sounds like there’s actually a lot going on in the way of community activism and performance. Unfortunately, the SWAS is taking a year off from doing the full tour, and we’re doing only a brief east coast tour this year. I will definitely keep your information, and we can stay in touch and work something out for next year.
Thanks for your kind words about the show, it’s really good to know that it has positive impact and that people feel inspired to try to bring it to their towns. I really relate about trying to do something sex-positive in a small-minded town. The show started 12 years ago in Olympia Washington, which is relatively liberal but still had a very negative view of sex workers.
And we travel to places like Alabama, Oklahoma, and Virginia, where there is constant pressure from the media to justify one’s right to exist as a sex worker. You have to be a constant ambassador for an entire industry, and it’s exhausting. Lots of respect to you guys for doing what you’re doing in a conservative place, it’s where that kind of work is needed most.
Stay in touch, and let’s put together a show next year.
Best,
Annie
Good idea! I would love to bring the show to Spokane