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October 13, 2006
Creative Commitment
by artsRambler Who: Josh Greene

What: Defies Categories

URLS: http://web.mac.com/serviceworks/iWeb/Site/Service-Works.html; www.josh-greene.com/

Working artists, next time you feel a bit down about needing to keep your day job, we suggest you visualize Josh Greene.

While diving through the internet in search of art opportunities to post for you, we came across a most unique granting situation, Service-Works, administered by our hero (and we mean this), Josh Greene. In his words:

My name is Josh Greene. I am a 35 - year old artist and waiter. Service-Works is my own foundation that is designed to bridge the gap between my art career and my service industry career. Each month I dedicate one night’s worth of my tips to fund a project. For the past twelve years I have been doing art projects while making a living waiting tables. I currently work as a waiter in a fine-dining restaurant in San Francisco.

If you’re an artist and you need $250 for a worthy project, you'd better apply.

He consented to an email interview which follows. Examples of his work as an artist follow that.
INTERVIEW

Ok Josh, (and thank you again for giving us your time) Could you tell us any pertinent details about you personally, such as gender, age, location, livingsituation, partner or not, pet or not, personal history, occupation and vocation?

JG I am a 35 year old guy living in San Francisco. I am engaged, but have no house pets. I work as a waiter in a fine-dining restaurant. I also teach an undergraduate art class.

rambler When did the idea for this grant occur to you?

JG The idea to start my own foundation occurred to me after I got rejected from
three different grants that I applied for.

rambler Yes, but there had to be another element to motivate you. Most young artists look at their day
jobs as a way of supporting their "habit." In your case you are giving up a good bit of that support for
the use of others. What can motivate a guy to do
this?

JG As I mentioned, I had been rejected from a couple of grants
and I was kind of spinning my wheels in terms of what to do. The projects
were cost prohibitive to do on my own. After a couple of idle months,
the idea for Service-Works came about. It occurred to me that I could be
the funder instead of the one seeking funding. I was making a pretty
good living waiting tables and I could afford to part with a night's
worth of tips once a month. I really was thrilled to come up with an idea that didn't require any institutional backing, acceptance or funding.

rambler Do you have any stories about family and friends' reaction, negative or positive, to this altruism? I
ask this because many times people in our lives think we're "crazy" or trying to prove something when we
actually put our good intentions into real use and
make a sacrifice.

JG I had a conversation with my dad where he asked me in his voice of fatherly concern whether I could afford to give these grants. I
mentioned that I counted the grants as art expenses on my taxes and thatthey would be helpful to offset the untaxed income I derive from lectures
and honorariums.
On the whole though, my family is pretty supportive. They
have had about ten years of exposure to me working in this way, so they are pretty well versed now.

[See below for a selection os Josh Greene’s projects he has created in the past 10 years.]

rambler Do you consider this process of service-works a
piece of art in itself–a very complex narrative of
what it's like to make art in this world

JG To tell you the truth, I don't think of my projects like
that. I tend to come up with the ideas in a fairly spontaneous fashion
using a cocktail ofmy experiences as fodder. I think of Service-Works as a
project, whether it's art or not is kind of irrelevant so long as it's
interesting. Once Igot going with this project, I did realize that it was
important to make it function in a way that is different than most grants. So transparency and a one-to-one connection are very essential.

artsrambler So what kinds of projects have you funded?

JG I think I am up to eight funded projects so there is quite
a range. The first project involved a speech contest for a George Bush
change of heart and mind speech. The only applicants were a handful of
gradeschool children.
It ended up working out great. One woman did a project
involving the cremation of her father another artist offered scream
therapy sessions in Manhattan.

rambler Have you a favorite or two?

JG I really enjoy the scream therapy project. I am also quite
fond of the
reenactments that Kara Hearn did. But obviously, I like all
of the projects
and that's why I chose to select them for grants.
Josh Greene's Art
Sophie's Bed

I sent this letter to Sophie Calle shortly after my girlfriend broke up with me. Approximately one month later I received a full size bed. mattress, frame, linens, pillows, and comforter sent to me by Sophie Calle. I slept in Sophie’s bed for the next six months and corresponded with her via e.mail regarding my emotions and experiences in her bed.

Correspondence

For several years I volunteered at Creativity Explored, an art center for developmentally disabled adults in San Francisco. One of the artists and I began a correspondence. We exchanged letters sporadically for about three years. Our correspondence was included in an exhibition at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts called "Ten by Twenty." Our letters were enlarged and adhered to the gallery wall.

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2 Responses to “Creative Commitment”

1. conpappa Says:
October 13th, 2006 at 8:11 pm e

This is fascinating! When will you run the interview? I can hardly wait!
Josh Green can teach us a fine lesson about blending our artistic life with our material/work life. Riding two horses is exausting and yet that is what many of us must do as we divide our lives into two parts. How can our spirits prosper, how can we stay inspired at the end of our work day if we are stradeling this schism? We end up hating our jobs and resenting it because it separates us from doing what we truly love and feel is our life’s work. Such negativity cannot be good for the artist and will eventually eat away at our souls and hearts.
I am sure that Mr. Green serves his customers with joy and heart for he has made a vital connection between his two worlds. He is living a “whole” life.
Am I inspired or what?
Hurry with the follow-up!

Cheers,
Constance Pappalardo
2. conpappa Says:
October 14th, 2006 at 5:08 am e

Silly Me! The interview was here all along! Wonderful!Makes me respect the fellow even more!
Interesting about the bed in Paris….
I would not mind healing my heart in Paris. Could a bed in New Jersey have been as theraputic?
I wonder….;~)

Con