Journal Courier
January 20, 1984
By Kathleen Mary Katella
SPECIAL OFFER
Collect all six of these little plastic green combat men and receive a special bonus package-FREE! Just tape the purchase seals on this card and mail it in. Allow six to eight weeks for delivery.
You can check out this series of combat men in an art exhibit called "Buy and Sell" at the John Slade Ely House thru Jan. 29.
The show, produced by Beverly Richey and two other members of the papier mache institute, focuses on consumerism-which Ms Richey approached in a military fashion. It also features Jack R. Harriet's photographs of "Furniture for Sale" (a flee market, an almost empty furniture store window), and Paul Rutkovsky's painted geometric shapes. (titles include 45 cents,) "Buy," "Get" and "Tax.")
"It's about commodities. It's about war. The reality for us is the social meaning," said Ms Richey, who stopped by the gallery this week to speak for her part of the show.
She said she carefully packaged each of her combat men to simulate the way manufacturers use packaging as a sales tool. She sells them for $1 at the exhibit from behind a glass case. She's also had a grand opening, double coupons, triple coupons, a free Band Aid with a coupon and a 25% off sale.
Ms Richey went shopping for her combat man packages. She picked up cheap little toys to go with them-a tiny plastic bible, a tiny plastic ballerina, a rifle, Bazooka bubble gum, Trident sugarless gum, sugar packets, toy pistol caps.
Ms Richey said she chose a military theme after noticing certain ironies- store rhymes with war; supermarkets speak of "price wars"; There are products with names like Bazooka bubble gum; consumers feel they have to fight prices with coupons.
"It seems to me the basis of our economy is war. It's the consumer thats the soldier out there," she said.
The show has gotten me so involved in consumer issues. A coupon for me is a political issue. It is the saddest way for consumers to save money and the best way for advertisers to promote. When food prices drop, we are bombarded with coupons," she said.
Ms Richey got some of her background in consumerism from consulting friends on Wall Street. She also delved back into personal experiences such as being short changed in the grocery store, or paying more for a product she thought was on sale because the display confused her.
Consumers today have a hard time knowing what they are paying because of confusing displays and because they can't see what the electronic cash registers are ringing up, Ms Richey said. Coupons are equally misleading; retailers give out coupons to avoid bringing down prices, she said.
Some of her packages include instant coupons, which Ms Richey thinks is "a little saner" than the cumbersome coupons manufacturers sometimes give out. Anyone who buys all six of her combat men can send away for a seventh. She said promoters always make consumers feel they have to complete a series.
Visitors to the show have had mixed reactions to the work. Ms Richey stuck paper to the walls for people's comments, and got reactions ranging from "Great Concept" too "GARBAGE."
She said the show's goal involved a little more than aesthetics, however.
"Art for me is to deal with, address and change something. I'm not just doing it to hang in someone's living room. I'd really like this to make a change out there, " she said
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