Prospectus

We are inviting artists to begin the process of building the exquisite corpse of a veteran of their choosing. If you agree to participate, your corpse can be the corpse of anyone who has served in the military—whether they served in a war or not, whether they are alive or dead, whether you know them or not. Your corpse may be the corpse of someone who died or was injured, someone who you are grateful did not die or get injured, someone that is famous or a historical figure, someone who you are close to or someone you're not, someone who served in the U.S. military or in the military of any other country.

To make an exquisite corpse, the first person "draws" the head and passes the corpse on to another artist of their choosing, who in turn draws the body, and then passes the corpse on to a third artist, who contributes the legs and feet.

We are using the broadest definition of drawing here. You may use any 2-dimensional media you choose, including drawing, collage, photography and painting. We simply ask you to keep your drawing flat enough that we can successfully document it using a scanner. We will send you pre-folded sheets of paper, a return envelope, and an information sheet if you agree to participate. 

Exquisite corpses are most commonly drawn vertically, as standing figures, although they have always been produced in other orientations. For this project, we ask that you render the figure of your corpse in a horizontal, or supine, position.

We ask that you write the name of the veteran whose corpse you are initiating on the information sheet provided, along with your name as the first artist, and the media you are using. Include this sheet with your corpse when you send it to the next artist, who will write down their name and media information. 

We also invite you to tell us, and the artists who will complete your corpse, something about the veteran who you have chosen as the subject of your corpse, and we have provided a space for this on the information sheet. We may include some of this information on the wall labels in the exhibition, perhaps with some light editing for space and clarity.

It is important that each artist conceal his or her work from the artists that follow. This can easily be done by folding the paper so that the completed work is covered, although sometimes it feels like a bit of a mental puzzle to figure out how to do it. But please do, and we ask the second and third artists to resist the temptation to peek. The thing about exquisite corpses is that if you cheat by looking at the previously completed parts of the figure it will probably make your corpse less interesting rather than more, so hopefully there won't be any incentive to do so!

When you pass your corpse along to the next artist, you should make small marks that cross the fold that show the second artist where the edges of the neck are so that the head and body attach. The second artist should do the same for the legs or the edges of the torso.

The artists who follow you in the production of your corpse may or may not use the same materials as you; this is their choice.