Manifesto for Maintenance art 1969!, Proposal for an Exhibition ‘CARE’

Maintenance is the realm of
human activities that keep
life going, such as cooking,
cleaning, and care. Written
more than forty years ago, the
Manifesto for Maintenance
art 1969! proposes a radical
disturbance of the border
separating maintenance work
and making art. Reflecting on
her own labour as a woman,
mother, wife and artist, Mierle
Laderman Ukeles combined
these roles and proposed to to
put on display in the museum.
Her proposition doesn’t merely
aim to have maintenance—the
work done by many undervalued
care, support and service
workers— become visible in
the museum, but the Manifesto
became a prompt for decades
of artistic actions by Ukeles
with and for other maintenance
workers since.

Organization: City of Women; In
collaboration with: Squat Exercise Collective, Revolting Women Social Workers,
Azil Bookshop.
Supported by: EU Culture.