Time for a Gift

“Times for a Gift” was completed as collaboration between Robert Bean and David Craig in an attempt by the artists to pursue common experiences and interests that have been influential to their lives and work during the past seven years. The project originated from experiences that Bean and Craig encountered through respective trips to the Middle East in 1978 and 1979. Although these trips occurred on separate occasions both artists found they had encountered similar questions and understandings while traveling. The installation was comprised of seven related wall works that examine the uses of photography, media, and other systems of communication such as tourism and museums in relation to issues of cultural sovereignty. The role of the Museum from colonialism to imperialism and the recent developments concerning UNESCO’s proposed New World Information Order have provided some of the source material for this project.