Join Temporary Services at the Experimental Station for a book release party for "Group Work" and an afternoon of discussion about groups on Saturday, July 28 and Sunday, July 29.

On Saturday, July 28, from 7-10pm: Book release party for Group Work, edited by Temporary Services and published by Printed Matter.

Group Work is a collection of interviews conducted by Temporary Services, along with original writing and supplementary materials around the subject of people working together. Temporary Services talked with AA Bronson from the Canadian group General Idea, the Chicago group Haha, the dutch band The Ex, the Vienna-based group WochenKlausur, Croatian curatorial collective What, How & for Whom (WHW), artist and Funkadelic album designer Pedro Bell, and members of Political Art Documentation/Distribution (PAD/D). These interviews are published alongside essays on The Abortion Counseling Service of the Chicago Women's Liberation Union (better known as Jane) and the anarchist guerrilla street theater group known as the Diggers. A massive collection of quotes about collaboration, a list of words used to describe group practices and a working list of hundreds of artist groups from the last four decades rounds out the publication.

Temporary Services will talk briefly about their work as a group and the process of creating Group Work. Refreshments will be available. The event is free and open to the public. Feel free to bring food or drink to share. Copies of Group Work will be for sale. Local interviewees from the book will attend. Group Work is also available directly through Printed Matter, the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of publications made by artists. You can order it for retail or wholesale through www.printedmatter.org or ask your favorite bookstore to carry it.

On Sunday, July 29, 12:00 - 3:30 pm: "Group Therapy"
A day of talk sessions designed for those who are active in group work, as well as former group members. We will discuss working in groups! Moderated/ facilitated by members of Temporary Services and the Experimental Station. Participants can come for one or both sessions. Please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the slated session start time.

Session 1 (12:00 - 1:30 pm): Working in Groups

A discussion where participants can openly discuss the personal, emotional, social and political challenges of working in groups. Where has your group run into trouble? What happened when members left? How is the future looking? Is your group process a healthy one? How do you make decisions? Bring your questions and concerns to the table and let's compare experiences and talk about what has and hasn't worked for others.

Lunch/break/group socializing (bring your own)
1:30-2:00 pm

Session 2 (2:00 - 3:30 pm): Recording Group Histories

Given that there are so few useful historical accounts and limited museum holdings devoted to artist groups, what are some successful strategies for presenting and preserving information about group work? How have defunct groups handled their archives? Who gets to tell the story of a group's practice? What happens when people stop talking to each other, move away or die? How do groups document their own history? Let's compare strategies.

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Temporary Services is a group of three people: Brett Bloom, Salem Collo-Julin, and Marc Fischer. They collaborate on projects, publications, and websites, including Groups and Spaces, a linked list of group work practitioners available to view at www.groupsandspaces.net. Temporary Services members are part of a group of eleven keyholders that facilitate events at Mess Hall in Chicago.