The Crazy, Complicated, No-Good World of Art

Social Practice is a form of contemporary art intent on engaging communities and tackling complex social issues by utilizing the unique skills of the artist. In her film The Crazy, Complicated, No-Good World of Art, director Pat Becker examines the career of Edgar Arceneaux, one of the leading figures in Social Practice Art. 

 

The film follows Arceneaux’s journey as co-founder of the Watts House Project, an artist-driven, community redesign project, where criticism and acclaim marked his 15-year stay in the politically volatile neighborhood outside Los Angeles. 

 

After resigning amid controversy, Arceneaux is tapped by the US State Dept. to travel to the African nation of São Tomé as our country’s first Social Practice cultural representative. Will the experience in São Tomé bolster Arceneaux’s reputation or prove his undoing?