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 launched this August in… Kingston, New York!
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A story telling experiment
The GIVE IT UP team recruited 11 interesting people from the Hudson Valley area, with an emphasis on Kingston (NY). See below.
Each participant wrote a short nonfiction narrative about why a certain object is too meaningful for them to give up… even though they might like to do so. All GIVE IT UP narratives are here.
From August 15 through September 1, each significant object, along with the object owner’s explanatory essay, was on (solo) exhibit — in a Kingston venue. Here’s a list of all solo exhibits.
Our experiment can’t succeed without your help! Visitors to each exhibit (and/or to this website) are encouraged to persuade a participant to give up his or her significant object. Please use this form to leave your persuasive response(s).
From September 3 through 10, all of the GIVE IT UP objects will be on exhibit together at Camp Kingston. Here’s info about the group exhibit.
On September 10 (from 6–9 pm), we’ll throw a party at which the most persuasive response essays will be announced… and at which the participants will (hopefully) bid a fond farewell to their objects. Here’s info about the party / readings.
Participants | Objects
Writer, Lit Hub podcaster, and bookstore manager Drew Broussard may be persuaded to give up… WOODEN SCIMITAR
Writer and artist Karlie Flood may be persuaded to give up… BROKEN BARRETTE
Author and music critic Will Hermes may be persuaded to give up… HUMILITY PLAQUE
Midtown Kingston Arts District (MKAD) Board of Directors president Maggie Inge may be persuaded to give up… EVENING BAG
Writer and editor Halimah Marcus may be persuaded to give up… NYC BICYCLE
Journalist, filmmaker, and writer Annie Nocenti may be persuaded to give up… THUMB-PUMP OILER
Writer and photographer Julian Richards may be persuaded to give up… UNDEVELOPED FILM
Camp Kingston founder Samuel Shapiro may be persuaded to give up… BIRCH BARK
Musician and author Adam Snyder may be persuaded to give up… PROTECTOGRAPH
Rondout Valley Middle School librarian and author Emma Tourtelot may be persuaded to give up… MARRIAGE DISH
Community organizer and Good Neighbor cofounder Adriana Wong may be persuaded to give up… LOVE-LOST NECKLACE
Schedule | Venues
August 15 – September 1: 10 solo object exhibits
Please check website of each venue to find out when they’re open.
Rewind Kingston vs. PROTECTOGRAPH— thank you, Joanne Flood!
Maison Après vs. MARRIAGE DISH— thank you, Kaitlyn Murray!
Red Owl vs. WOODEN SCIMITAR— thank you, Cindy Hoose!
Utility Bicycle Works vs. NYC BICYCLE — thank you, Bryan Richardson!
Tilda’s Kitchen & Market vs. THUMB-PUMP OILER — thank you, Chris Hewitt!
The DRAW Gallery at MKAD vs. EVENING BAG — thank you, Chris O’Neal!
Camp Kingston (back room) vs. LOVE-LOST NECKLACE— thank you, Samuel Shapiro and Taffy Ashcraft!
Camp Kingston (front room) vs. BIRCH BARK— thank you, Samuel Shapiro and Taffy Ashcraft!
Brunette vs. BROKEN BARRETTE — thank you, Jessie Harris and Max Botwick!
Half Moon Rondout Café vs. UNDEVELOPED FILM — thank you, Kaira Tiegen!
Salt Box vs. HUMILITY PLAQUE — thank you, Noah Blaichman!
September 3 – 10: Group object exhibit
September 10 (6–9 pm): Final event (group exhibit, readings, celebration)
Camp Kingston — click on the button below to save the date!
Team
Josh and Rob are very grateful to the Kingston-based team who made this possible!
GIVE IT UP logo, venue recruitment, publicity efforts, and more by Karlie Flood | exhibition design, object photography, and more by Bridget Badore | exhibit postcard and poster design by Tommy Sullivan | project management by Susan Roe.
Further reading
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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