Onome at Self-Help Swap: Florence Scovel Shinn

Self-Help Swap was an event that invited participants to swap self-help items with one another or take items at no cost. The gathering, organized by 2009-10 A.I.R. Gallery Fellowship Artist, damali abrams, was be held on June 10th, 2010.

Self-Help Swap was an opportunity for the public to trade in self-help items they no longer needed and take new ones. The public was invited to bring books, magazines, tapes, DVDs or CDs related to finances, health, relationships, abuse, or any form of general self-improvement material. At its core, Self-Help Swap is a performative effort to highlight how self-awareness can enhance
community-building efforts. This communal interaction was based upon historical precedents such as the Black Panthers' free breakfast programs for children and Feminist Consciousness-
raising groups. The event is also a reminder that even in challenging economic times, money is not always needed in
order to acquire new (self) knowledge.

Self-Help Swap took place during abrams' solo exhibition at A.I.R. Gallery, Autobiography of a Year. This four-channel video installation consists of daily video diary entries and video documentation from each day of 2009.

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• A.I.R. Gallery
• Self-Help Swap
• self-help
• books
• bartering
• damali abrams
• Onome Oma
• Florence Scovel Shinn