Ellen Mueller

Leisure as Resistance

This discussion-based event took place September 11, 2019 as part of Open Water Project, which asks, “What can you do in one hour on a tour boat that seats 6 people on the Mississippi River?” Open Water is a series of experimental buoyant happenings aboard the Minneapolis Water Taxi curated by artist and cruise director, Alyssa Baguss. Each small one-hour river journey is hosted by a different Minneapolis culture maker who will creatively engage passengers through the floating arts.

We met at the Boom Island Boat dock and boarded the Minneapolis Water Taxi, commandeered by Captain Cory Parkos. Our group made use of the beautiful Mississippi River setting to learn a little about the idea of leisure as resistance. This concept has been studied for decades – check out this article for an overview of the subject. This topic runs parallel to others such as pleasure activism or tech shabbats.

All participants received a short zine on the subject to promote discussion. We discussed the topic, and tried to use the boat ride to practice. Light refreshments were provided.

PRESS:

“Working Small & Staying Open on the Mighty Mississippi” by Bridget Kranz, Oct 2, 2019