1. What ancient civilization does the artist reference in her work?

What parallels does she draw with this ancient civilization and present day California?
Eleanor Antin references Greece, Rome and specifically Pompeii in her photographic work highlighted near the beginning of the interview. She says that modern Lahoya is similar to Pompeii in that they are/were both centers of affluence, filled with people living the good life, all while being on the brink of annihilation. Furthermore, she feels that the theatricality, decadence and colonial influence of modern America is similar to ancient Rome. She has chosen to photograph in Rancho Sante Fe; the richest community in the U.S.

2. In Antin's 100 Boots series, what kind of person/people do you think the boots represent? Does this change depending on the photograph?
I dont think the boots represent any particular person or group of people. I also do not think that each photograph represents a different person or group of people. The 100 boots series contains a fairly standard story arc. They started off at the beach, which is typically used to represent new beginnings, or at least the continuation of a cycle. Then the boots go to church, where many of us were raised. The boots then turn the corner. She herself describes this photo as containing some sort of angst. The following photograph shows the boots trespassing. Vandalism, trespassing and other forms of acting out due to frustration is typical is teenagers and young adults. The boots then get a factory job, ultimately lose the job (with the organization of the boots in that photo being disperse/despondent), and are ultimately shown on vacation. This is either some retirement or a little more morbid if you consider her line about seeing their soles.

3. Why do you think that the artist did not just photograph fifty people in large black boots? What can an empty boot symbolize that a person wearing boots cannot?
Simplicity. Fifty people in a photograph makes for a lot of distractions. The boots were meant to be the emphasis, but with 50 people in each photograph, one might hardly even notice the boots. An empty boot means that its fillable. Its fillable by you or me or anyone else. If there were people in those boots, they may be younger or older or a different gender/ethnicity. I may not identify with those individuals. The empty boots are a clean, concise representation of anyone.

4. What kind of commentary is Antin making about gender in her Ballet pieces?
Antin views the ballerina as her perfectly female persona. In general, she seems to feel that ballet is objectifying and only leaves room for manly men and dainty women. However, the ballet clips are not long enough for me to pick up on the methods shes using to convey that commentary (other than traditional ballet itself). She feels that

ballet is a ridiculous art form, and that it is only attractive in that it is both beautiful and pathetically sad.

5. What other art forms (visual and performing arts) does Eleanor Antin experiment with to communicate her ideas?
Besides photography and ballet, she acts, makes films and works with large cutouts (paper dolls).

6. What are your thoughts and opinions about this artist and her work?
Eleanor Antin is an artist in many mediums. She creates film and dance and photographs, and I couldnt agree more with her prospective on human nature wanting/requiring a narrative. However, the potential of her work seemed squandered to me. The 100 boots series seemed like a fantastic idea, but later shots in the chronology looked/felt tacked on. We know that she was approached about an exhibition for the project and maybe that pressured her to extend it. Im not sure. But most of her work seemed like good ideas that were executed purposefully to assure the audience doesnt think shes taking herself too seriously. I also appreciate that this interview was about humor, so it may just be the small sample size of her work that makes me say this. Oh, and unless she was some sort of academic prodigy, she was not obsessed with Greek and Roman myths at the age of five. Those kinds of claims are obnoxious.