Established in 2022, The Box Party is a non-hierarchical collective of multidisciplinary artists. Our work is imbued with the substance of our questions, our rebellions, our resistance, our anxieties – it’s always by our own rules. We consider inequalities through collaboration, trust, and respect.
The Box Party is: Sara Alonge, Alicia Barton, Juliana Haliti, Star Herrera, Jeanna Mead and Dani Ruf.
For our Panty Riot installation, we wanted to highlight the history of the Storefront Gallery and its business roots in laundry. The word laundry itself, is such a loaded word, with its own, rather gendered, history and connotations. We chose to focus on the most intimate form of laundry as a way of confronting shameful stereotypes associated with the garments we choose to put on our bodies. The name of both show and installation comes from the antiquated fad of “panty raids” in which men trespassed upon females to steal their underthings, clearly a pseudo sexual conquest. In this work, however, we riot for those who have been raided. We fly our panties, painted with our Box Party sigil, as a way of expressing pride in who we are, celebrating all gender identities and sexualities, and also to signal that this is a safe space; you are welcome, no matter what lies beneath the exterior you choose to show to the world.
The Storefront Gallery, Troy, NY
Cleanse//Cleanse was a temporary, site specific, immersive installation which was held at the Wallace Gallery at The Arts Center of the Capital Region from 10/26/2023-10/28/2023.
Considering the pressures and consumerism of 'self care', our exaggerations of DIY and punk style posters plastered the space, floor to ceiling, while our witch bullets and binding string encapsulated the viewer from opposing walls.
Witch bullet, my bullet, made of hair,
please let my soul beware.
Self-care is now a burden to uphold,
“Do I have all the tools to stop growing old?”
These brands — they wish to compare our unease,
So, we wish for new faces — they hold the key.
Detox, Cleanse, Pluck, Shave, Wax,
To confidence they take an axe.
“Go ahead, compare yourself, you hag —
This model is a size zero, look at her tag!”
Dark circles: my products circle the drain,
“She’s let herself go, she’s insane.”
Our bullets aren’t meant to cause any harm,
Unless you’re a corporate entity — sound the alarm.
The gap in my teeth gives my smile appeal,
And I like the way my bare skin feels,
As I “take off my face” at the end of the day,
To reveal what we’ve been conditioned to hate.
I will NOT let their marketing leave me upset.
So, with this black string, I bind my intent.
Witch bullet, my bullet, keep me whole —
Cleanse this Cleansing from my soul.
The Box Party Project is a series of public artworks exhibited around the Capital District. Our installations are interactive machines which engage the audience through miniature sculptures, digital illustrations, paintings, poetry, prose, and various other objects. These art vending machines are designed to support small local businesses and artists, while bringing art to the community and donating the profits to worthy charities.
If you are interested in hosting one of our machines, please email theboxpartycollective@gmail.com
The Sticker Machine is the first of a series of art vending machines installed through the Capital District. It features sticker designs created by the collective members that consider gender inequalities in the medical field.
All profits will go to Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood.
The Sticker Machine launched in Summer 2023 at Upstate Art Weekend in Kingston, NY at the FLOCKart by Collar Works mobile gallery. It then moved to No Fun in Troy, NY where it lived for one month following the machine's official launch party in August. From there, the machine moved to Opalka Gallery in Albany, NY for the month of September for their annual Beer Garden. The machine continues to travel around the Capital Region.
The Box-O-Art Vending Machine is a collaborative public art project featuring the work of 11 commissioned artists of the Capital District, and 5 members of The Box Party. The machine features over 200 artworks in a variety of media, such as sculpture, jewelry, digital illustrations, prints, photography, pins, stickers, and more. The refurbished cigarette machine is arranged blind box style – meaning, you do not know what you are going to receive (or which artist’s wares) until you open your box. Each cigarette-style box has been hand-made by the collective, paying homage to the original function of the machine.
The Box-O-Art Vending Machine launched on Monday, 9/25/23 at the Women's Institute at Russell Sage College, followed by a stop at Collar Works in Troy, and will continue its journey around the Capital District.
The Box Party thanks the following artists for their collaboration and contributions to this machine that made this possible: Alison Bachorik, Lily Wai Brennan, Aurora Crawford, Olivia Deep, Gigi Grace, Adrianna Oropello, Grace Rawden, Julia Sheber, Rich Soto, Camryn Walsh, and Jackie Zysk.
Our Pill Machine questions the societal trend of having a pill for everything. We poke fun at the efficacy of the daily affirmation, offering our own witty, whacky, audacious alternatives. With a punky, tongue-in-cheek aesthetic, we suggest that some prescriptions are not all they seem. And at 25 cents a handful, Big Pharma ain't got nothin' on us.
