“I Just Came Here To Find A Husband”
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Honesty On A Hunnid: Woman Wears Sign Saying She “Came Here To Find A Husband” Out In Public
https://www.ayanaevans.com/fullscreen-page/comp-iv6t336z/a069b0eb-bff4-469c-b647-047e589aaedb/3/%3Fi%3D3%26p%3Dwr93c%26s%3Dstyle-jg8yfu78
https://www.ayanaevans.com/fullscreen-page/comp-iv6t336z/72ef1145-d9a1-4f96-af9f-f58a9b22e600/4/%3Fi%3D4%26p%3Dwr93c%26s%3Dstyle-jdugmecl
a.) Why did Ayanna Evans create her performance piece “I Just Came Here To Find A Husband”? What was her specific intention? Cite from provided resources.
b.) APPLY Richard Schechner’s definition of restored behavior to Ayanna’s performance piece. What restored behaviors does Ayanna perform as part of the piece? Be specific and detailed in your response–describe what Ayanna is doing in terms of her physical activities, bodily actions/movements/feelings/responses.
c.) What was the efficacy of Ayanna’s performance? In other words, what power did her performance have to make something happen in the world? Did her performance produce a specific response? Did something new or unexpected happen as a result of performance? Did her performance bring about new understandings, feelings, beliefs, and/or ideas? What stayed the same and/or what changed?
d.) What are the consequences of Ayana Evans’ PERFORMANCE of “finding a husband”? Another way of thinking about this is, why does her performance matter in the world?
Demetria Lucas D’Oyley
8/12/15 3:00AM • Save
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H O M E L AT E S T T H E R O O T 1 0 0 V E R Y S M A R T B R O T H A S T H E G LO W U P T H E G R A P E V I N E I T ‘ S L I T ! V I D E O T H E R O O T I N S T I T U T E C O R O N AV I R U S
Sign of the Times: A Performance Artist’s Creative Approach
to Finding a Husband
Filed to: CULTURE
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On Sunday afternoon, I was at an annual event in Brooklyn, N.Y., which was
attended by thousands of people, mostly young black professionals looking for a
good time.
In the crowd, I spotted a woman who left no doubt about why she’d shown up that
day—not for the music or to hang with her girls or stunt for the Gram. She was
looking for a man. How did I know?
She was wearing a sign on her back that read, “I just came here to find a husband.”
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
I was intrigued. I’ve spent more than a decade writing about dating and
relationships, and I’d never seen anything like this. I just had to know what she was
thinking and whether this unusual approach was effective.
But I had to wait. As I was making my way over to ask her, a guy knelt on one knee
before her, offering her a mock marriage proposal. “Hmm. Maybe this lady is on to
something,” I thought.
Ayana Evans, wearing her sign in Brooklyn, N.Y., Aug. 9, 2015
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“This lady” is Ayana Evans, a Brooklyn-based performance artist “in her 30s” who’s
best-known for “Operation Catsuit,” in which she traverses New York City in a neon-
green catsuit to make a statement about the male (and female) gaze.
You might also find her jumping in heels, for hours at a time, to highlight the
demands of being a woman, or you could spot her literally carrying a woman on her
back, a testament to the strength and expectations of black women’s friendships.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
But the sign on her back Sunday? Was she performing or was she for real? And
again, does this approach work? The Root caught up with Evans the next day to
find out.
The Root: How did you come up with this idea?
Ayana Evans: As an artist, when I have a block and I can’t think of anything to
make art about, it usually means I’m not being honest about something. There have
been a lot of points where I have been desperate about finding a husband, feeling
anxious, wondering, “When is it going to happen? Where am I going to meet him?”
I’m not proud of that, but that’s definitely how I felt. I haven’t been in a relationship
in six years. I realized worrying about getting married was something I edit out a lot
in work. So I was like, “All right, let’s make a piece about how I feel.”
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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TR: When you wear the sign, are you hoping that men will approach you, or is this
an artistic expression?
AE: It’s both. I go to a lot of places hoping to meet someone, but not with a lot of
faith that it’s going to happen. This is me just putting it all out there about what I
want, whereas before I would spend a lot of time and put a lot of effort into
pretending like finding a life partner was not on my mind. I didn’t want anyone to
see me as thirsty or desperate. Now I rather just deal with it head on and let it all
hang out.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
If someone comes up to me that I think is cute, is a great candidate, and I’m like,
“Wow, you’re intelligent, you make me laugh,” am I going to go for it? Yes!
TR: What are the most common reactions when people spot you wearing the sign?
AE: From women? High-fives. Some guys will come up to me and say, “That’s not
going to work! You can’t meet someone that way!” And there are others who are silly
with it, like, “I’m here!” They’ll make a joke. A lot of people want to take pictures
with the sign.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
TR: Have you met anyone without relationship potential thus far?
AE: I haven’t met any new guys I’m interested in yet. But there is a residual effect.
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You don’t meet anyone new, but maybe someone who likes you hadn’t said anything
before, now he has a reason to call and be like, “So I saw a picture. … Maybe we
should have lunch?”
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
TR: I saw an Instagram post of you wearing the sign, and you responded to a friend,
“I’m done worrying about this!” What is “this”? Do you no longer worry about being
in a relationship? Has the sign changed your perspective on finding a husband?
AE: I worry about meeting a husband and having a family. But when you put a sign
on and you let it be known what you want, you don’t worry about it the same way. I
realize that part of the worry is also trying to cover up the worry.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
I can’t even describe how freeing it was to [wear the sign the first time] and go to a
gala. I was thinking, “I am not going to hold my stomach in and sit here and grin real
hard and act like I am not scanning the room.” I felt free to look around and look
every man in his face that I felt like looking at because I had a sign on my back. You
know what I’m doing. I’m not pretending anymore.
TR: Do you have any other events that you’re planning to wear the sign to?
AE: I’ve been thinking about wearing it to church. I don’t know that I have the nerve
to do it, but I do think it would be an honest move. I can’t count the times that
people have told me that you should meet someone at church.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Sign of the Times: A Performance Artist’s Creative Approach to Fi… https://www.theroot.com/sign-of-the-times-a-performance-artist-s-…
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Demetria Lucas D’Oyley is a contributing editor at The Root, a life coach and the
author of Don’t Waste Your Pretty: The Go-to Guide for Making Smarter Decisions
in Life & Love as well as A Belle in Brooklyn: The Go-to Girl for Advice on Living
Your Best Single Life. Follow her on Twitter.
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