100 Boots Cross Herald Square (35th St. & Broadway, New York City)

Born in New York City in 1935, the artist moved to San Diego, California for a teaching position in the late 1960s. The edge of the Pacific Ocean is where Antin’s 100 Boots Marching began their trek across the United States, visiting various locations from the sea, countryside, towns, and cities. Fiftyone postcards sent to thousands of lucky recipients served as the narration of the boots’ march to New York and a visit to the Museum of Modern Art. Antin’s 100 Boots is an example of mail art, a Fluxus strategy for making and distributing artworks. Fluxus sought to liberate art from its conventions by denouncing the exclusiveness of high art. By utilizing common materials they strove to create art that engaged with everyday life. The creation of multiples and the use of methods of mass reproduction provided the artists with an alternative means of exhibition and distribution. While not considered a member of Fluxus, in the 1960s, Antin was creating conceptual artwork influenced by the Fluxus movement. Storytelling and narrative structures are a key component of Antin’s practice as an artist.