A Shaman's Call: Joseph Beuys and America. In 1974, German artist Joseph Beuys lived in a gallery with a live coyote for three days. Read my Adbusters feature on Beuys' work here:

As his three-day performance continued, a wordless dialogue with the animal ensued as Beuys sought to locate “the psychological trauma point of the United States’ energy constellation” – that is, the fracture between animal instinct and a mechanistic, consumptive Western worldview. As man and beast became acquainted, roles reversed: Beuys began sleeping on the coyote’s straw bedding, while the coyote took to pissing on “the daily diary of the American Dream,” The Wall Street Journal (marking turf, or making a briny critique of American materialism?).

Art and Commitment: The University of Minnesota is hosting a four-day symposium December 2-5 to explore "the social role of contemporary art through collaborative and interdisciplinary modes of art practice and scholarship." Scheduled speakers/performers include Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Marina Abramovic, Carol Becker, Krzysztof Wodiczko, and others. Details here.