No seriously, what is GALL?

What is GALL?

GALL stands for Guerilla Art Liberation Lives. Our goal is to rescue the arts from the glass case in which modern society has imprisoned it. We believe that the separation of art from its audience is detrimental to the pursuit of art itself. As a reaction to society, art should also elicit an immediate reaction from society. Our aim is not to create art that will go down in history, but rather art that those who encounter it will not soon forget.

Wait a minute; backtrack. “Guerilla art”? Did Che Guevara learn to paint?

Another part of this club is that nothing is too organized or planned. We engage in impromptu poetry performances, street theatre, pseudo-vandalism, public art projects, social experiments, as well as a slew of other endeavors that we haven’t yet thought of. Our aim is to make art a part of life, rather than just a reflection upon it. We encourage the audience to get involved in the performances (even if unwittingly) by pushing the boundaries of the social norms. Our performances may be as complex as a three minute play, or as simple as a planned dialogue in Seacobeck.

How will anyone know a GALL performance from a random weird conversation?

We require that all members of GALL carry a black marker on them at all times. Performers are required to mark themselves with the word “GALL” clearly on some part of their body. We usually suggest that performers mark their non-dominant hand; however, the mark could be anywhere, and it is up to the audience to figure out what is going on.

So basically you’re a group of pretentious artists who are trying to get a rise out of people?

Not exactly. While most of us do revel in glances of confusion, we also like to work in tandem with other clubs in order to help them spread their message in new and creative ways. We are a non-partisan group, so as long as there are interested members, we encourage other clubs to work with us to build their club’s numbers. In addition to questioning our values and definitions of art, we also aspire to get UMW students more involved with the clubs and events on campus. Through public displays of art, we hope to bring the UMW community closer together.

Before, you mentioned “pseudo-vandalism”. What does that mean?

Pseudo-vandalism involves modifying public areas and structures without damaging them in any way. For instance, putting a toupee on a statue or wedging false limbs in doors. The distinction between vandalism and pseudo-vandalism is that no damage (either long term or short term) is done and minimal clean-up is required. Most pseudo-vandalism is done for the purpose of confusing its audience, though some might be politically or socially relevant.

Does GALL ever warn students of events in advance?

For the most part, no. However, we plan poetry slams and are always looking for interested spoken word poets to perform. As well, we hold workshops about performance art and performance poetry. We encourage all interested students, faculty, staff, and members of the Fredericksburg community to participate in these events. Our goal is not to create an artistic elite, but to encourage every person to find their own means of expression, whether it be through writing, music, dance, photography, painting, sculpture, drama, or any other artistic craft yet unrecognized by the high-walled, dusty bookshelves of academia.

I’m intrigued, but I’m not very artistic. Is there a way that I can get involved?

Absolutely. There is much more that goes into our projects than just the art itself. We are constantly looking for people with fresh ideas, as well as extra hands. The theatrical projects require people with organizational skills as well as actors and directors. Putting together a public art project requires planning with administrators, direction, and a general vision. Even if you don’t have any idea of what you would offer, come out to one of our meetings anyway.