Beginning with their much-discussed 2009–10 SIGNIFICANT OBJECTS fiction experiment, for fifteen years now Josh Glenn and Rob Walker have investigated what objects mean — and how they mean what they mean — via story-telling projects.
GIVE IT UP is a place-based, interactive sequel to Josh and Rob’s 2017–2021 nonfiction endeavor PROJECT:OBJECT (which resulted in the book Lost Objects).
The goal of GIVE IT UP is to explore what (and how) objects mean, share our objects’ stories with one another… and develop tactics for letting go of our meaningful stuff.
The debut version of GIVE IT UP will launch this summer in… Kingston, New York!
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GIVE IT UP logo, venue recruitment, publicity efforts, and more by Karlie Flood.
GIVE IT UP exhibition design, object photography, and more by Bridget Badore.
Here’s the plan
In each city, town, or region, GIVE IT UP will proceed as follows:
We’ll recruit interesting people from the area. For our debut project, we've recruited 11 folks from the Hudson Valley — with an emphasis on Kingston, NY. See below.
Each participant will write a nonfiction narrative about why a certain object is too meaningful for them to give up… even though they might like to do so.
Each significant object, along with the object owner’s explanatory essay, will be placed on (solo) exhibit — in a local venue. For our debut project, we've recruited 10 Kingston, NY venues. See below.
Visitors to each exhibit will be invited to persuade a participant to give up his or her significant object. They’ll be able to leave a note, or respond via this website. Visitors to GIVE IT UP’s website will also be invited to submit responses. For our debut project, the solo exhibits will be on display from August 15 – September 1.
The objects will then be collected in a single venue for a group exhibit. For our debut project, the group exhibits will be on display September 3–10, at Camp Kingston.
We’ll throw a party at which the participants’ essays and the “winning” response essays will be read… and after which, the participants will bid farewell to their objects. The debut party / reading will take place at Camp Kingston on September 10.
Our participants
Writer, Lit Hub podcaster, and bookstore manager Drew Broussard will give up… WOODEN SCIMITAR
Writer and artist Karlie Flood will give up… BROKEN BARRETTE
Author and music critic Will Hermes will give up… “ANCORA IMPARO” PLAQUE
Midtown Kingston Arts District (MKAD) Board of Directors president Maggie Inge will give up… ANTIQUE EVENING BAG
Writer and editor Halimah Marcus will give up… NYC BICYCLE
Journalist, filmmaker, and writer Annie Nocenti will give up… OIL CAN
Writer and photographer Julian Richards will give up… UNDEVELOPED FILM
Camp Kingston founder Samuel Shapiro will give up… BIRCH BARK
Community organizer and Good Neighbor cofounder Adriana Wong will give up… LOVE-LOST NECKLACE
Musician and author Adam Snyder will give up… PROTECTOGRAPH
Rondout Valley Middle School librarian and author Emma Tourtelot will give up… MARRIAGE DISH
Schedule and list of venues
August 15 – September 1, 2025: 10 solo object exhibits
Rewind Kingston — thank you, Joanne Flood!
Maison Après — thank you, Kaitlyn Murray!
Red Owl — thank you, Cindy Hoose!
Utility Bicycle Works — thank you, Bryan Richardson!
Tilda’s Kitchen & Market — thank you, Chris Hewitt!
The DRAW Gallery at MKAD — thank you, Chris O’Neal!
Camp Kingston — thank you, Samuel Shapiro and Taffy Ashcraft!
Brunette — thank you, Jessie Harris and Max Botwick!
Half Moon Rondout Café — thank you, Kaira Tiegen!
Salt Box — thank you, Noah Blaichman!
We have not assigned objects to venues yet, with the exception of Halimah’s bicycle — which will be exhibited at Utility Bicycle Works.
September 3 – 10, 2025: Group object exhibit
Camp Kingston — thank you, Samuel Shapiro and Taffy Ashcraft!
September 10, 2025: Final event (group exhibit, readings, celebration)
Camp Kingston — thank you, Samuel Shapiro and Taffy Ashcraft!
Josh and Rob’s books (a selection)
Books chronicling Josh and Rob’s material-culture investigations include: Josh and Rob’s LOST OBJECTS (Hat & Beard Press, 2022) | Rob’s THE ART OF NOTICING (Knopf, 2019) | Josh and Rob’s SIGNIFICANT OBJECTS (Fantagraphics, 2012) | Rob’s BUYING IN (Random House, 2008) | Josh’s TAKING THINGS SERIOUSLY (Princeton Architectural Press, 2007).
More info about Josh here; and about Rob here.
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