From 2004 to 2006, Sunny A. Smith (formerly Allison Smith) organized a series of large-scale public art events that invoked the aesthetic vernacular of American Civil War battle reenactments as a stage for a polyphonic gathering of voices from their artistic and intellectual communities. Rather than pitting two sides against each other or reenacting a battle with a predetermined outcome, the events were structured around the question, “What are you fighting for?” The project was titled The Muster, a military term referring to a gathering of troops for inspection, critique, exercise, and display.

In 2005, the project took shape as a creative encampment on the Fort Jay marching grounds of Governors Island, New York Harbor, where approximately 125 enlisted participants fashioned uniforms, built campsites, and publicly declared their causes to an audience of over 2,000 spectators. The artist created a literal platform for free expression, complete with banners and flags, and led a formal roll call called The Declaration of Causes. While directing the event, the artist did not script it, allowing the outcome to be revealed only at The Muster itself.

The Muster adopts the language and aesthetic of Civil War reenactments, inviting participants to perform identities and explore causes in a live, participatory manner. Unlike reenactors, however, it does not replicate a specific historical battle; instead, Smith uses the format to create a forum for individual expression of diverse causes.

Beyond its historical and military roots, The Muster also evokes the atmosphere of a country fair or early 20th-century carnival. Blending art, craft, culture, history, and social activism, the event reflects Smith’s interest in community and freedom of expression. Participants’ causes range widely, from the political to the whimsical, addressing topics such as art history, technology, gender, democracy, and sociology.

_
Based on information provided by the Sunny A. Smith and Public Art Fund websites.