Community Arts and Murals

Living Our Dreams Creating Our Future

2012-01-22T14:02:00.000-08:00

This summer volunteers and members of the North Philadelphia neighborhoods came together to paint a mural at the Cecil B Moore Recreation Center Playground at 22^nd and Lehigh Avenue. This grass roots project began with my childhood friend, Teyona Jackson, who met a group of girls called the P.I.N.K Ladies at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she gave educational tours. The P.I.N.K Ladies invited her to their Recreation Center where she felt inspired by the positive energy involved in the youth mentorship program. Interested in pursuing Arts Management, Jackson used this opportunity to engage her skill set. She sent proposals and pull together sponsors of supplies and invited me on the team as Lead Artist.

“This is a prime community mural project: ideas for the design generated from the youth at the Rec Center, community paint days involving the youth, staff, family and others, and a beautiful mural for the neighborhood to see. This is really one to be proud of!” - Mary Newson

Seeking to build trust and respect with the residents of the area we focused on the use of educational workshops, meetings at the community center, and social networking along with cooperative learning to ensure participation toward this mural’s success. The community’s ideas stimulated discussion and interaction among the neighborhood and a consensus was reached about the mural’s theme. Working with the guidelines to incorporate singer and song writer Jill Scott in the mural who grew up around this area and taped her music video ‘A Long Walk’ in this playground, along with some of the children’s recreational activities at the playground the mural design was brought to life. The images depict active children having fun and feeling safe. I wish to provide the possibility for more people to have pride toward their public art and I appreciate everyone that came out to help build this mural. The wide range of stories, emotions and walks of life I observed converging at the recreation center playground will now have more to admire about their environment. This work of art draws attention to universal human commonalities and helps make sense of our motives and how we relate to each other.

“Man o man o man, very impressive; An ambitious project” - Parris Stancell

I became a part of the mural project because I wanted to use this opportunity to learn more by becoming involved in teaching. The key to my philosophy is that we can all use critical thinking to connect and help each other create something larger than ourselves. Reflecting upon my academic career it is clear that many of my mentors have helped develop my ability to create, utilize resources, and articulate ideas. Aspiring toward self improvement, I believe that a good teacher is a good student. My goal for this mural project is to inspire others as my mentors did for me.

“Murals can change neighborhoods and lives -- press on ladies!” - Mary Angela Bock

Over the course of 14 weeks our education team brought on friends Don Christian Jones, Eve Hall, Kanids Hutcherson, and Lanita Sims as assistant artist and dedicated supporters. This system of students teaching the younger ones was encouraging for us to be able to innovate a way for us to utilize our skills in an uplifting way. With high standards for visual clarity the team mixed a variety of vibrant paint colors and researched efficient use of materials to proceed with mural making.

“Love seeing all the photos and progression of the mural - amazing!!!! Looks like fun too!” - Moira Groves Schwartz

Installing parachute cloth with community power.

Projecting digital figures onto scaled parachute cloth we developed a paint-by-numbers aesthetics in hopes of combing all proficiency levels and increase observations from collaborative learning as various volunteers were be able to tackle more complex problems. We overcame the obstacle of acquiring insurance and funding for scaffolding. Realizing the lack of time and financial resources our prevail was to carefully use tall ladders to help prime and paste the mural onto the 21ft tall by 73ft wide wall. Now that the mural is at its completion I’m excited that they style of the mural is unique compared to murals around Philadelphia. I am inspired at what a small group of dedicated individuals can accomplish.

“I would like to thank all of the Artists and Volunteers who helped create our Master Piece. Thank You so much for dedicating so much of your time, energy and efforts in to this project.” - Nakia Campbell

After the summer of 2011 many of our team members have branched out across the world to continue their education or return to employment; however we all continue to build new connections in our communities. I am engaged in a film about preparations transgendered folks take as they growing older and I am dedicate more time toward personal art projects which documents a series of character encounters, such as the ‘Church Ladies’ or my current project; ‘People Selling Things On The Side Of The Road’.


Teyona Jackson, Project Coordinator.

Artists Biography

Nile Livingston is an emerging African American contemporary artist working in drawing, web-art, and installations. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1988 Livingston received her B.F.A. in Studio Art, at Kutztown University where she focused on sculpture and large metal fabrications. Her mother; an educator, and father; a draftsman, encouraged both of their children to explore various forms of expression such as music, writing and dance.

Always doodling and experimenting with computers, it was not until attending the Creative and Performing Arts High School that Livingston found satisfaction through the visual arts. She began creating art as a way of recording her life, similar to a public diary entry. Livingston became involved in community organizations such as the Mural Arts Program. Art courses at surrounding universities in Philadelphia introduced her to computer graphics and videography. Fascinated by the limitless mediums, she found that each combination provided evidence for narrative art works that address social, environmental, and technological changes.

Livingston continues to juxtapose found materials with intentions of articulating her current experiences as it relates to the world at large. She displays her works to be understood in new contexts and to spark conversations about our overall human condition. Her work is accessible to all people, found on walls of public buildings as well as showcases of interactive new-media-art distributed through the internet. The subjects of her work are as broad as the materials in which she uses to expresses them. Livingston is actively toiling at new creations. “There is so much in our community, society, and civilization to see and learn about, and for that my passions are extremely charged and my art is the by-product of human consciousness.” - http://nilelivingston.com/

West Phoenix Murals of Unity and Diversity

2012-01-03T01:23:00.000-08:00

Amidst the backdrop of anti-immigrant legislation, attempts to curb Ethnic Studies and stunning foreclosure rates a group of Maryvale Neighborhood youth are creating some of the most politically charged murals in Arizona. “Coach” Paco Villagrana has been an inspirational leader of the projects, and is encouraging more murals. He has earned the respect of many people bringing together youth and elders to use the arts as a form of service and beautification while making a statement.

"Breakfast With Obama. President Obama with Coach Paco"

These murals came about through traditional grassroots democratic means. Neighbors came together to talk. They recruited local artists, voted on the design content, and started painting. Without the support of formal arts institutions or organizations they set about creating murals up to 400 feet long. In fact cultural institutions have all but ignored this, and most other neighborhood based cultural efforts in the area deeming them of low artistic merit, and therefore unworthy of support.

2011"Gracias to those that never give up, honor our firefighters"

Without the recognition of these institutions, and the resources they bring, many new immigrants remain neither in the center nor margins of our cultural fabric. The mural became a place to have a voice. It is in these places that true democracy takes place, where conversations about what to put in a mural, or what lot needs cleaning up can become a social networking opportunity. This is what building community looks like.

"Mural of Unity"

When the final Mural of Unity was unveiled it featured many civil-rights leaders, both locally such as Isabel Garcia and well known historical figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Robert Kennedy and President Obama.

Invoking such civil rights leaders drew an abundance of controversy. Some neighbors called the murals an eyesore, graffiti or “too much like a ghetto”. A week after the passage of SB 1070 The Mural of Unity was whitewashed. Not long after Coach Paco and neighbors returned, to create The Mural of Diversity. There was a desire among some of the artists and youth to paint unbridled images of a pregnant woman being handcuffed by soldiers. The final mural was toned down a bit, perhaps reflecting the intensity of the neighborhood conflict.

"2011 - Education Not Deportation"

Crime rates in the are have fallen in the past 12 years as immigrant populations increase. Immigrants bring with them the American dream, family and ethics of civic participation and hard work. As more service-based projects are planned the neighborhood is overcoming tensions by working together and getting to know each others stories. With this spirit more murals will undoubtedly appear in the streets of Maryvale.


"Getting Ready to Paint"

The Great Wall Restoration is Complete!

2011-09-17T01:03:00.000-07:00

The longest mural in the world, now 35 years old, has been restored by for and with a new generation!

Read more about this historic moment in mural history here and here.

Super Bowl Indy Murals Announced

2011-07-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

The City of Indianapolis announced the establishment of the cities first Mural Arts Program, joining a growing list of American cities who are using the arts as a centerpiece of their community development initiatives.

Mural by Hector Duarte

“The arts play a vital role in enhancing our urban environment. The “46 for XLVI” murals will beautify our neighborhoods and are an innovative and creative way to augment the extensive infrastructure work underway across the City,” said Mayor Ballard.

The Arts Council of Indianapolis received more than 100 submissions, selected 32 finalists. Among these muralist are world-renowned muralist Hector Duarte who studied at the workshop of David Alfaro Siqueiros in 1977 before moving to Chicago where he is a Core Artist with the Chicago Public Art Group.

Other artists include Cecilia Lueza of Miami and John Domont. The arts council has assembles a talented group of mural artists whose work will beautify Indianapolis for years to come. These murals will be a great addition to a really beautiful city that loves public art and sports.

Wonder Flight by Cecilia Lueza

So be sure to tune in next February for Super Bowl 46 , maybe the half time will include a mural tour! And if you are planning on going to the game, maybe show up a few days early to enjoy a visionary American city.

Go Indy Murals!!

Spring Mural Project Unveiled Nationwide

2011-05-16T02:33:00.001-07:00

Mural news has not slowed down in the past few months, but if you check the Tucson Arts Brigade and related blogs, you will see why I haven’t posted in a while.

Here in Tucson the Tucson Mural Arts Program has been getting some traction. The Barrio Centro mural will be unveiled in June, and a second project "Inside the Overpass" will start the same month.

In the Bay area there are a number of new mural projects. One that I’ve been following is the True Colors Mural Project Directed by Juana Alicia, with assistance from Cece Carpio

The mural will be unveiled Saturday, June 4th, 2011 1-4pm. 2111 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704

"This dazzling mural, created by the True Colors Mural Project, depicts a world that faces environmental, social and moral challenges, while expressing the dreams and hopes of a young generation as they prepare to become the future leaders and guardians of this planet. Patterns of color create powerful images weave their way up this three-story mural, which is illuminated on the interior stairway that faces Martin Luther King Jr. Way."

The Chicago Public Art Group continues to create new works, most recently unveiling

the Osterman Beach Comfort Station. This multi media project is the work of lead artist Andy Bellomo and artist team Will Nicholson and Brett Whitacre and made possible in part form the Chicago Park District for support. You can see work in Chicago just east of Sheridan and Ardmore.

Back in Philadelphia How Philly Moves under the direction of lead artist JJ Tiziou continues to inspire thousands. As you can imagine this is a project of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts program, who continue to innovate and experiment with large scale environment altering works.

This multidisciplinary work captures the Philadelphia spirit through images of dance with mutiple opportunities for interaction and viewing of the work. The final work is currently being installed at the Philadelphia International Airport.

There is much more to tell you, like the now infamous MOCA LA Art in the Streets exhibit, perhaps the first serious exhibition of graffiti and street art in the United States. It's also been a really popular exhibit bringing hundreds of new people to the museum.

It's great to see all of these projects coming to fruition. Send us your mural news!

MuralsDC is HOT

2011-01-26T00:03:00.000-08:00

The national movement to Beautify and Unify our neighborhoods is underway in cities large and small across America. Check out the MuralsDC project. They have been replacing illegal graffiti with beautiful murals.

They write "The goal of this initiative is to positively engage the District’s youth by teaching proper art techniques, providing supplies, and a legal means to practice and perform their skill in a way that promotes respect for public and private property and community awareness. Site selection is based on areas of the District with high incidence of illegal graffiti as identified by the Department of Public Works (DPW) and other agencies. Each mural reflects the character, culture and history of the neighborhoods in the District and interests from the business/residence owners."

The MuralsDC project is a partnership between DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, DC Department of Public Works, and the DC City Council’s Committee on Public Works

Looking at the murals that are being created, these images have a fresh inspiring feeling to them. It's great to see our nation's capital reflecting the creative genius of generation Yes.

Giving Thanks for Community Arts Network in a Time of Innovation

2010-11-27T00:03:00.000-08:00

This is the time to give thanks. I want to give a special thanks to the Community Arts Network (CAN). The site was archived not long ago, and will no longer be publishing new works. It was a terrible loss for many in the field. Art in the Public Interest/ CAN emerged from Linda Frye Burnham and Steven Durland’s work on High Performance Magazine (1978 - 1997). Thanks to the Open Folklore project (a joint effort of the Indiana University Libraries and the American Folklore Society) the CAN site has been archived, so we have a great encyclopedia of resources to draw upon.

We live in the Sonoran Desert, so this is winter garden time. We water new seedlings daily until their roots are strong enough to be transplanted to our specially prepared garden beds. As the plants grow we water them less and less, allowing for their roots to grow strong and reach deep into the soil.

Loosing CAN left me feeling transplanted, exposed. How will community artists and cultural workers inspire, dialogue and report back to one another? Many of us in the field simply can’t afford to fly around to conferences. We are not connected to large institutions, foundations or trust funds. Our base of support tends to be the community itself, and in times of economic despair, innovation is key to our survival. During these times our roots sink deeper into our neighborhoods where we are nurtured and watered.

Community animators play a unique roll in civilization. We have been here throughout human history, in various manifestations, the Griot, Kokopelli, Blogger. We work with neighborhoods, community centers, schools, hospitals and prisons, providing a place for people to advance their humanity, to tune into their emotions, their community and the environment. We work with groups of people to breath new life into forgotten or neglected places. It’s here in the grassroots we find the innovators, the experimenters, garage and basement cultures that have always produced the great art of the day. When larger and more powerful organizations appropriate ideas, concepts and movements it wipes the slate clean for those in the grassroots. It’s a benchmark, a sign of growth and success.

A friend of ours recently met with a community foundation. The guy she met with was very nice, and fond of her organization. He was familiar with the language and concepts of Community Cultural Development (CCD), but not with CAN or any of the hundreds of CAN writers who have joyfully labored in the field over the past 50 years. He coolly explained that the foundations resources would be distributed to several larger groups, and perhaps she could “collaborate” with them. My friend went on to contact each of the larger groups. The funds would be used to study “gaps” in programming. As she shared this story we joked about how not to become part of that gap!

So as the language, strategies and tactics of our movement have been appropriated, those with resources have figured out how to prevent resources from filling an ever widening gap. And this seems to be a national trend.

The fall out is that millions of young people are going without arts education, millions more are deprived of the ability to define the culture or cultures of their choosing through community theater, installations, orchestras, community writing and poetry projects.

There are many schools of thought on this issue as CCD expands beyond traditional art forms. These ideas are being discussed among communities of artist, teachers and scholars worldwide.

Artists and Scholars in Public Life meets annually with dozens of workshops and presentations to participate in. The National Guild for Community Arts Education also meets annually in various locations around the country. The US Social Forum is a massive open space for artist activists with a free wall, children's art village and my favorite the “Creativity Lab” . Alternate Roots hosts a five day gathering that is packed with youth centered programming, open space, fantastic workshops and time to organize. The 35th Anniversary ROOTS Fest 2011: Many Communities, One Voice, will be June 22-26, 2011 in West Baltimore, MD.

The landscape for CCD has changed since 2004, when Art in the Public Interest Published The State of the Field of Community Cultural Development: Something New Emerges, by Linda Frye Burnham, Steven Durland and Maryo Gard Ewell. For example in Australia there is an interesting debate about the effectiveness of CCD. Phoebe Coyne has written number of interesting articles, including “Community Cultural Development Is So Last Century”.

I'm not sure if that's the case, but I do know that for the past 32 years Linda Frye Burnham and Steven Durland worked tirelessly to keep us connected, informed, inspired and thinking about these issues. And for that I am deeply thankful.

Murals, Democracy and Arizona

2010-09-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Arizona is an interesting place, and as most of the world now knows, the struggle for cultural democracy is in full swing. In almost every town and city we find an attempt to define our collective cultural identity as the Arizona centennial fast approaches.

One example of this struggle is a mural painted in west Phoenix entitled “Mural of Unity” The 400 foot mural has been painted, tagged and repainted several times.
Some call the work graffiti – others see it as a visual representation of the human rights struggle revolving around SB 1070. The mural originally featured McCain and Obama, as well as local celebrities. Now artists want to change the mural to depict the immigration controversy. The mural controversy tells a complex story about life in Arizona at this moment.

I first learned of this controversy from a fellow attendee of the South West Arts Conference (SWAC) hosted by the Arizona Commission on the Arts (ACA). The conference took place at the Chandler Center for the Arts against the backdrop of draconian cuts to the ACA and the tragic murder of a much loved Chandler Police Officer Carlos Ledesma . Also killed were two suspects, apparently active in the local music scene. On the first day of the conference massive state wide anti SB 1070 protests erupted statewide, as thousands of human and civil rights activists took to the streets, even dramatically blocking I-19 .

The gathering of mostly arts administrators never formally touched on these issues, foregoing open space discussions. I understand to some degree. Those of us working in the public eye seek to be inclusive of all, to transcend differences, to stitch together a tapestry that represents the full diversity of the places we live, work and play. Still I felt a disconnection between the events of the day and building a sustainable future for the arts in Arizona.

Meanwhile murals of President Obama are being defaced nationwide. Atlanta, GA and Houston, TX are two examples. In Brooklyn, NY a mural of President Obama was defaced due to a different form of politics between the artists. This brings up the question of civic responsibility among artists, and the struggle between free expression and public space.

This is the ideal time to bring people together to dialogue about issues and using the arts to transcend differences. One issue that seems to come up is a sense of civic responsibility – we all belong to a community of people who cherish our freedoms. While some of the artists who created the Mural of Unity want to express their outrage with overt racism, other community members would prefer that the mural undergo a design and review process.

A few say just paint / buff it out. Questions of content, who will pay for the mural restoration and ongoing maintenance, are not so clear. The issue at hand seems to be whose voices and ideas will be amplified on the wall. Once again we can see how murals are a reflection of our democratic process, or perhaps lack there of. As a friend of mine once said – "any time you add a face to a mural you are bound to have some controversy". The dialogue and process surrounding the Maryvale mural reflects the state of democracy here in Arizona, and it will be interesting to see how residents resolve the issue.

One thing I hope artists will learn from this and the now infamous Prescott mural is that these issues should be resolved in the community design process, not after the mural is finished. While this can be an extended and frustrating process, ultimately it is the artists’ responsibility to lead these conversations and create a work of art that reflects the diversity of views that emerge. This is a double-edged sword, and one that can easily result in censorship or boiling down of content. At some point the artist may decide that it’s time to make a statement of principle - one that they will not step down from. I respect that and also accept that the public, or those that commissioned the mural, may not agree. Like all works of public art the artists should be ready for the controversy that may ensue, and embrace it with love and compassion. Mural making can be many things, decoration, wall paper, or social change incarnate. Whatever the motivation muralists reflect the cultures from which they emerge and are brave enough to do so in the public eye.

PS:
During my research into this story I discovered a wonderful group called Las Artes de Maricopa, a workforce development through the arts program. The art being produced is a beautiful mix of mosaics with hand painted imagery.

ARRA Era Murals Part 2

2010-08-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

The era of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) murals is here, now. This is part two of the story of mural-jobs created with ARRA funding and the impact these projects are having. It is important to note that the creation of arts related jobs also means jobs for numerous other people associated with the creation of these projects, ranging from landscape designers, builders and cement technicians to engineers.

Santa Cruz, CA

The City of Santa Cruz has long understood the value of building cultural capital. They have created 15 murals so far through their redevelopment Mural Matching Grant program . It’s an intelligent move as they point out:

“Murals contribute to the overall success of the Redevelopment Project Areas through the creation of historical identification, district identification and unification as well as generally enhancing commercial areas and creating a “sense of place.” Exterior wall murals provide the added incentive to property owners of reduced graffiti as “taggers” tend to bypass walls on which murals have been painted and contribute to a graffiti free Santa Cruz.”

I found several examples of murals in Santa Cruz that capture the spirit of the day, a sense of excitement about a positive future that is lurking in the zeitgeist. Systems Mural Project is the brainchild of muralist Brian Barneclo and illustrates a holistic approach to mural making.

Brian writes:

“Systems Mural Project will explore the concept of interconnectivity via a 600 foot panoramic mural painted by San Francisco artist Brian Barneclo. Systems are found in nature (the water cycle) and also created by man (the government). What have we learned about sustainable systems? What works and what doesn’t? Should we revisit ancient technologies? Is the Industrial Age over? It is through this conversation that we gain an understanding of perhaps the most complicated systems of all, our systems of belief.”

Kansas/Oklahoma

The Mid-America Arts Alliance (MAAA) has teamed up with the Kansas Arts Commission and the Oklahoma Arts Council to fund two murals led by artist David Lowenstein. Murals are being created in each state. As with many of the ARRA era murals this project is as much about process as the creation of a beautiful final product that engages community. Included are job training, community and civic engagement and giving voice to disconnected people.

These projects will both be happening in 2010 and will give residents direct hands–on experience in the research, design, and execution of major public artworks for their communities. There will be a video documenting the projects, and you can follow progress on the project blog:

http://loewensteinmuraljournal.blogspot.com/

Philadelphia

The City of Philadelphia continues to be a leader nationally in the area of mural and art jobs creation. They launched a Creative Industry Workforce Grants Program with a half million dollars in year 1. Organizations are creating low cost artists work space, community centers and more.

San Francisco

Digging a little deeper one can find examples of murals as part of an overall development project that will translate into employment for several arts conservationists working in concert with experts in other fields. The City of San Francisco Department of Public Health AIDS Office was awarded 9.5 million dollars over the next 5 years to expand much needed services. They will also bring their facilities up to a LEED silver rating, saving them in utility bills over the long term. Their site at 25 Van Ness Avenue was formally a Masonic Temple built in 1911 and designed by Walter Bliss.

The Ripple Effect

There are several other examples I came across that don’t fall directly under the category of ARRA funds being used to create mural jobs. Each of these agencies did receive ARRA directly from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Street SmARTS’s

I was not able to verify if ARRA funds were directly used to fund this program. The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) did receive funds via the NEA in the area of literature. I find it relevant in that jobs were created through cross agency collaboration, and are employing sustainable design concepts.

Another job creation through the arts program is in San Francisco. The San Francisco Arts Commission in collaboration with the Department of Public Works realized they were spending millions on graffiti clean up and the problem was only getting worse.

The solution was to match up artists with business owners to create murals. They had the wisdom and vision to create a program that reduces crime, creates jobs, beautifies the city, provides career development and advancement for artists while building cultural capital overall. 2010 is the pilot year, with 17 murals being produced.

New York

Groundswell Community Mural Project is based in Brooklyn, NY. They received direct ARRA funding through the NEA in the area of arts education. Among their many community based cultural development initiatives are the Summer Leadership Institute (SLI). This summer job creation program for 85 youth is broken into six groups who team up with lead artists and community organizations to develop job skills and create a work of public art.

Image: 2008 “New York City is a Rollercoaster”Acrylic on Cement, 600 Sq. Ft on multiple walls.

One common trend among cities using ARRA funds to create arts related jobs is a willingness to collaborate among city agencies. Leadership is key. The projects described here could be duplicated in any city. The best of these projects seek to seed new creative industry – providing one time start up funds that will lead to long-term job growth. One thing is for sure, more and more municipalities are using the arts in their overall job development strategies. These programs produce jobs that have multiple impacts on the quality of our lives and belief in realizing our dreams and collective aspirations for a sustainable, safe and peaceful future.

Murals Hitting a Brick Wall

2010-06-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Recently Destroyed Mural in a Texas School

I’m not sure what going on in Mural-land these days, but there sure seems to be a ton of press of murals hitting a brick wall, if you excuse the expression.

In the mission district of San Francisco muralist Simon Norris ran into a little snag when attempting to paint a community mural over an existing work of art. The story seems to end well in that a collaboration has emerged and everyone learned something about mural etiquette. I have to say, hats off to the artists in this one, for being open to change and modeling a win win solution.

Outside of Houston, Texas, a the school principal had a beautiful 14 year old mural destroyed. Now they want a brand shinny new one. Several parents pointed out that the mural had become an integral part of the school culture and life.

Shifting over to Prescott, Arizona, as widely reported, muralists there were told to lighten up the skin tone of faces in a school mural. "It is being lightened because of the controversy," said Mural Director Wall in an interview by Arizona Republic writer Dennis Wagner. Wall added that "they want it to look like the children are coming into light." Apparently the artists decided not to comply with the school principal’s edict to lighten the children's faces. You can read many hundreds of comments to this story. The story ends well when (almost) everyone acknowledges they made a huge mistake. Nope, no racial profiling here.

Next we go to Boston, MA where the economy is to blame. For the past two years students have been working on the "Strong Past...Proud Future" participatory mural project. Now they have hit a snag, money.

It’s exciting to see the whole person engagement methodology being employed. Now funding has become part of the project itself. So here is a chance for you to participate and experience the power of community arts! Start by clicking here and let's help these youth see their project through!

Murals continue to be a great way to foster community, and national dialogues. As the participatory mural movement expands there are bound to be growing pains. It’s easy to destroy a mural as a knee jerk reaction, and all too often artists don’t know, or simply choose not to deal with the hassle of invoking their rights . On the other hand muralists and organizations make mistakes, and that’s natural, we all do. That’s where elders, teachers and best practices come in. We are not the first generation of muralists to participate in democratic art making. The great thing is is that these elders exist in almost every city large and small. You just have to seek them out.

SPARC returns from El Salvador

2010-05-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well the times, they are changing. Twenty years ago artists worldwide lifted their paintbrushes in protest of human rights abuses in El Salvador. Artists Against US Intervention in Central America (1984) produced exhibitions, posters and events. Author, PAD/D founder and critic Lucy Lippard was a co-founder of this activism based arts group.

The late 70’s and early 80’s were exciting days for the arts and social change movement, there was a buzz of activity as a new generation of community arts activists came on the scene. The election of Reagan in 1980 marked a sudden change for artists. The elimination of CETA resulted in thousands of arts organizations disappearing. The clowns, murals, celebrations and theater arts that had animated the rural and urban communities of our childhood suddenly disappeared. At the same time US policy in Central America shifted to become much more militaristic, with US military advisers being sent to places like El Salvador.

Now, 26 years later President of El Salvador is asking for forgiveness for complicity in the killing of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero. Mural artist and teacher Judy Baca recently returned from El Salvador after completing a series of murals at the invitation of the US Embassy and the mayor of San Salvador, the tiny nation's capital city. The murals are part of a tourism initiative, but also represent a distinct change in the use of the arts as a tool of US foreign policy.

It's an exciting change, and the murals created are absolutely beautiful, well worth a visit to beautiful El Salvador.

At the Crossroads: A Community Arts and Development Convening

2010-03-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

The St. Louis Regional Arts Commission and its Community Arts Training (CAT) Institute will host “At the Crossroads: A Community Arts and Development Convening,” a forum for learning and sharing ideas for cross-sector practitioners of arts-based community development programs. The convening runs from the evening of March 25 through March 27 at RAC, 6128 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112

Community arts development describes a wide range of initiatives by artists and arts organizations in partnership with human service agencies, community organizers and community developers. Designed to help individuals as well as raise awareness of social and civic issues, these programs take place in prisons, homeless shelters, at-risk schools, hospices, community centers, daycare facilities, social service agencies, etc.

“At the Crossroads,” which is funded by the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Whitaker Foundation and RAC, will attract some of the foremost leaders and innovative thinkers dedicated to community arts development with the goal to explore current practices, inspire new ideas and create collaboration in communities across the country.

Among the participants for “At the Crossroads” are Bill Cleveland, of the Center for the Study of Art and Community in Seattle, WA; Arlene Goldbard, from the San Francisco area and author of New Creative Community; and Barbara Schaffer Bacon and Pam Korza, co-directors of Animating Democracy in Washington, D.C., a program sponsored by Americans for the Arts (AFTA).

The convening will feature interactive workshops, performances and presentation of new scholarship, and aims to connect and engage people working in diverse practices. Commissioned papers, presentations and documentation of discussions will be assembled after the convening and made available to the public in order to build on the field's knowledge base.

To find out more about the Convening Registration and Conference Information

visit the Community Arts Convening page at www.art-stl.com/convene.

The convening will take place at the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis at 6128 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112, which is on The Delmar Loop, named one of the “Top 10 Great Streets in America” by the American Planning Association.

The Wall Remixed

2010-03-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here is some interesting news on how murals are being employed as a tool for economic revitalization and workforce development.

The Wall Remixed: The North Philadelphia Small Business Advertising Campaign is a multi-media collaboration among renowned artists Carl Pope, Mari Hulick and Homer Jackson, theMural Arts Program and Philagrafika 2010.

Using images created by students in the Mural Arts Program's ArtWorks! education program and input from local business owners, the artists designed 25 billboards and posters that visually celebrate North Philadelphia's small businesses and community organizations. The project is designed to increase awareness of resources and have a positive economic impact on businesses in this culturally mixed neighborhood. The billboards will be displayed through March, thanks to a partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor.

You can visit http://tinyurl.com/ykreg6y for a map of the billboard, business and organization locations.

Mural 38 for San Antonio Community Murals Program

2010-02-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

The San Anto Cultural Arts Community Mural and Public Art Program will dedicate their 38th mural “Consciousness” February 27, 2010 at 1400 S. Zarzamora at Escobar Park 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

It’s the first of what SACA hopes to be more collaborations with the City of San Antonio Department of Parks and Recreation and Public Art San Antonio

The mural highlights the game of handball and brings attention to health in the Westside community.

The Lead Muralist is Rico Salinas in collaboration with emerging artist Christian Rodriguez & mural crew

For more info contact Community Mural Program Coordinator Ruth Buentello at San Anto Cultural Arts

Go to our facebook event listing here.

Maurice Grossman 1922 – 2010

2010-01-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא

Maurice Grossman 1922 – 2010

Long Live the Mud Man

The Griot, The Howler!

The lover, the sparkling fantastic

That made this place special, alive, positive.

Now you are part of everything, all of us.

The last time I saw you the embrace,

was longer than usual;

Joy, joy , joy

and deep

real

love.

Stim-U-Murals: The New Era of ARRA Murals

2010-01-21T22:46:00.000-08:00

Newark NJ: cWOW's "It Takes a Village Mural"-2009

By Michael B Schwartz (mbsarts@aol.com)

As we wade through what seems to be a never ending “recession” American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) monies have moved like molasses through the calcified state and federal bureaucracy to the local level. Finally projects and programs are getting started, hammers are starting to swing, welding torches are being fired up, and paint-brushes are swinging into action.

Federal ARRA funding has been used to successfully sustain five mural arts programs and I’m sure there are other examples that will surface in the coming months. Each of the projects below are, or soon will be, employing muralists. These works will become the first round in a new chapter of American mural history; the ARRA Era of Murals.

Arlene Goldbards’ article on CAN: The Long Hot Summer of Service: Community Artists on the Job broke the story on the first use of stimulus dollars for community arts work in Philadelphia, PA and Newark, NJ. These are dollars separate from ARRA funds that were redistributed by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program will receive 1.35 million to continue ground breaking youth violence reduction programs, restorative justice and a series of civic engagement projects that will result in the creation of numerous murals. Some examples of this work has already been unveiled and can be seen on the groups website.

Newark, NJ

City Without Walls in New Jersey is an amazing organization. In addition to creating new works, they are connecting their work to past traditions, like the work of muralist Ben Shahn. Ben was not only a celebrated photographer, and assistant to Diego Rivera on several projects including the Rockerfeller Plaza mural. Another Ben, Ben Goldman is the executive director of cWOW and a visual artist. What I love about this organization is the spirit of innovation in the face of adversity. You may recall Mr. Goldman as the author of the “Arts Stimulus Plan for New Jersey and the Nation”. This beautiful concise proposal called for one percent of ARRA to be directed towards the arts.

cWOW celebrated seven new works in 2009, with many new projects in the pipeline. I consider this project to be among the most articulate, inspiring and tested programs in the nation. Clearly this model has provided meaningful, and measurable impacts that illustrate just how the arts can be used to “retrofit” our economy.

In addition to these two early success stories news is breaking of other visionary communities who are using murals as part of ARRA. I also looked at a series of roadway and percent for art projects, but have not yet been able to verify that these projects were designating monies specifically towards murals.

Helena, MT

This band shell in Montana will get a new community mural with ARRA funding.

Across the country in Helena, Montana, stimulus money is being used to create a mural in the band shell at Memorial Park. In December they had a community brainstorm meeting, an opportunity for the public to decide what they would like to see in the mural. This process literally practices democracy, and illustrates the power of community arts projects. While there are some critics of this project, a budget has been established for the artwork and the city is moving ahead with a request for proposals process. This is good news for the many talented artists who have made Helena a beacon for culture and creativity.

Carson City, NV

Artists mock up for project proposal.

Another proposed project will bring a history mural to the highways of Carson City Nevada. The History in Motion Project proposed by the city and Gardeners Reclaiming Our Waysides (GROW) would blend murals with horticultural elements to depict the history and life of the famous Nevada town. Some funds have been secured for the project, and they also are still in the public input phase. You can check out what they are doing, and follow their progress on the City’s website.

Chicago, IL

The Green Hills Community Wall Mural is a "community wall" ceramic mural that will extend the length of the Green Hills Public Library. The mural’s theme will reflect the historical and cultural elements related to the area and it’s residents. You are invited to bring a “small rock or stone from your country of origin and it will be installed in the mural to symbolize the diversity of our Library District”. There are community workshops Monday, March 22^ndfrom 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Hartford, CT

The Hartford Arts & Heritage Jobs Grant Program is by far my favorite, so I save it for last. While in Phase 1 of this program there were no specific murals funded, the list of projects funded warmed my heart and will be an inspiration to you as well.

They are now in phase two of their process, and it’s an exciting model I hope municipalities will explore. Artists can get grants of $ 5- 25,000 to support their businesses. The grant is intended to help “Arts-centric businesses, organizations and individual artists play an important role in building and sustaining economic vibrancy: they employ people, spend money locally, revitalize neighborhoods, and are a cornerstone of tourism. As an indirect economic benefit, tourists patronize restaurants, parking lots, hotels, and other businesses, which employ Hartford residents.”

Keep in mind that any community in the country could have done this. Hats off to David Panagore, the Director of the Hartford Development Services , and the Greater Hartford Arts Council. You are a beacon for the nation and deserve an award of the highest merit.

In San Francisco the Department of Human Services is administering federal stimulus funds to cover 100% of wage through September of this year. I know of at least one arts group that has used this program to find a position. You can find out more here.

Conclusion

Each city, town, county and state has taken a different approach with their ARRA funding. Clearly many communities have discovered a way to integrate the arts into their strategy for economic recovery and blazed a path for others to follow.

The mural projects I uncovered using ARRA funds are infused with a democratic spirit. While this process is inherent in the community mural movement, it’s interesting to note this is a very different methodology than that employed by WPA era muralists. We’ll have to wait and see what the long term out-comes are to the ARRA era murals and if they will be compared to the great WPA era murals.

Looking towards a new decade many continue to aspire for a new framework for cultural policy in the United States. Opportunities exist in the reauthorization of pieces of legislation, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) not the least among them. New sources of funding that promote “community engagement”, “innovation” and “retrofitting” are fertile soil for community artists.

As in the days of our grandparents and great grandparents these are times when we’re forced to lift ourselves up by our own boot-straps. What I’m hoping is that the demonstration projects that are emerging from the grassroots and enlightened cities like Hartford, Helena, Newark, Philadelphia and Carson City pave the way for a new national creative works program, and as described in Art and the Public Purpose one that, “Uses creativity for the common good, engages all of us., builds on cultural memory, puts artists to work to support cultural recovery, stand for free expression and supporting democratic media.”

Neighborhood Murals Movement Exploding in Tucson

2009-12-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

Bronx Wash Mural Participants

In case you've been wondering where I've been these past several months, I wanted to provide some updates. I've been working closely with the colleagues on getting the Tucson-Pima Mural Arts Program up and humming. If you've been in Tucson of late you will see a real transformation taking place, not only in the downtown development, but in the appearance of many new murals. Tucson has always been about innovation and experimentation and neighbors helping each other. This seems to be manifesting itself in a series of neighborhood beautification initiatives: landscaping, parks, water harvesting, community gardens - and now with TMAP community and neighborhood murals.

Neighbors at an Elder Share

You can read more about these civic dialogue based murals by visiting the project blogs. This summer I worked wit the Northwest Neighborhood Association on the Bronx Wash Mural. We had some great national press for this project on the United We Serve Blog as well as Community Arts Net. Current projects include the Miracle Manor Neighborhood Mural.

Tucson loves murals and community engagement. As one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the Americas this place is rich in folklore and tradition. This has been an extraordinarily busy fall as more and more requests come in for community based murals. So check out the project blogs, and stay tuned for lots more reporting on community arts and murals!

Presenting the Mural History Slideshow

Mapping Courage a poetic evaluation of Murals

2009-09-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

By Davy Preston Knittle

Mapping Courage is designed to be the commencement of a poetic evaluation of the work of Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program, a compositional homage to the place and to the role of the murals, and a motion towards the consideration of the question: how are the murals linked to the way in which Philadelphians live the history of their neighborhoods? This project is centered on a series of eleven interviews conducted during May and June 2009 with muralists, arts educators, arts administrators and community partners of the Mural Arts Program.

The four poems in the collection that have an intersection or a street address listed below the title are written from the perspective of a particular mural and from the space that it occupies. In the case of these poems, I paid a series of visits to each site to observe the role of the mural in its space and to reconcile both the history of the mural and the significance of its content with the way in which it takes part in the daily interactions and processes of its surrounding neighborhood.

Mapping Courage engages in an experiment in public voice that draws from both the peripatetic exercise in public character and the virulent respect for public space exhibited by Brenda Coultas in her collection, A Handmade Museum. Another principal source of inspiration was a number of collections of poems and oral history narratives put together by the Mural Arts Program’s former Special Projects Manager, Lindsey Rosenberg. Her project that resulted in the book My North Philly proved to be of particular assistance. The language of a “poetic evaluation” of the work of Mural Arts is hers as well. She was unprecedentedly helpful in imbuing this project with its particular focus, and in validating its methodology.

As Coultas experiments with creating the figure of the public poet, so too was the work of this project both, as muralist David Guinn reminded me, to “live with the murals in a casual way” and to simultaneously observe the casual usage of the space of and around each mural. To this end, I owe the fundamental background of this project to Jane Jacobs and to her seminal work The Death and Life of Great American Cities in which the figure of the sidewalk calls into question the patterns of visibility and attentiveness of the public character. I kept Jacobs’ awareness of the space of the sidewalk and of the identity of the public character in mind when considering the area around the murals, (of the four murals that are explored in this collection, one borders a sidewalk, one a public park, and two border or sandwich parking lots) and the way in which the murals themselves can adopt the supervisory role of a public figure in their respective neighborhoods.

MAPPING COURAGE 6TH AND SOUTH STREETS
Muralist: Amy Hillier, PhD

What do you wear for fighting fires?
For collecting records for restitution?

Block by block: the viral spread
a composite house for history,
a map by oral letters: door to door.

Whose documents harbor the record
of Mother Bethel’s inception?

Whose 1899 story of the Seventh Ward was
whose safety in the color line, problem
seconds before the 20th century?

Who affixed a method delta, exit signs, safety
in number lines, to the personless,
acerbic edge of the present Seventh Ward,
to the song of the singular district?

Ask Queen Village’s no man’s not here in
the national soundstage of human by human
diagrams of sidewalk use

Whose documents of ownership sought
centennial release to the public domain?

Street deeds, where before,
they named the people homeward.

SUMMER (THE MEETING): 235 QUEEN ST - MARIO LANZA PARK
(Mural by David Guinn)

I

For Duke, the
hose turns on
to fill the
green bowl

There’s a boxer
in the dog run where
Eliot shreds hedges,
on aphid patrol,
and offers detritus grass

Duke and his brother,
are red collared,
eating grass blend animals
and morning glories.

II

David painted
a sparrow,
a sparrow.

His golden retriever
sized to the bird,
without threat
goes without touching

Shadows suggest
the weight of
the willow pulls behind,
their steps retrieve
their shadows.

III

David painted around a
window in the house

below which
Duke and Eliot
masticate their tails.

Midday sitters
turn off the faucet, and

David says that
a sparrow can stand
under this tree too,

to feel out his need for water,
his stamina for visitation.

THE WONDERS OF RADIO 43RD AND LOCUST STREETS
(Mural by David McShane)

A hero is no masker of declaratives, he
Oxygen Man, lassoes the wonders of wave radio
emits frequent figures for disbursal, finds

field fossilists discovering a dinomine,
a forest of swimfrogs who
eye clowns, or clownfish, watch
for a listener public framed by radioglow.

Oxygen Man cedes a dance party on
the experimental network’s
Peanut Butter and the Cat’s Pajam a
jam when the juice box republic gets down.

Through the frequency floor he
floats codes between discoverables, an
invitation in his signature math an adage
of remember your two-step to the city.

Tangerine trees sparkle, parse our artist
whose speakers flow upstream, downgear your sneakers
to hold court, a six-count shag to the broadcast basic.

Look out between sevens and eights where
underwater conductors use traction tread
sounds to funk lines to walk it out,
Oxygen Man, bop for break beats, light the way

Hamster havoc traffics in brass noise, but his
iron hands command the palm of calm and
he radios the sea to send another cowboy

Sleep will check the cats who get done
when the done gets the attention of the
heroes are the raiders of the lost art of broadcast
when the wizards of wave radio wish you well.

...

Graffiti Controversy and Terminology

2009-08-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Tucson, AZ - Graffiti is a huge issue here in this creative city as you can read in the Tucson Weekly.

It’s one of those flashing light cultural indicators that we need more hip after school, evening and weekend community arts programs.

I was always more into chalk as a kid. We got busted at 15 for spray painting shadow stencils in memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We were supposed to use a soapy tempera that would wash away, but we had a thing for spray paints – they were fast, you could gesture while blending colors, throw in some stencils and the sky was the limit. We spent many hours scrubbing off the spray paint after being confronted by elders in our community. That was the end of my experimentation with aerosols. Surrounded by a family and community who were paying attention, it wasn’t long before my energy was redirected towards art classes, sign painting and illustration.

Things haven't changed that much, there are just tons more rebellious, intelligent, talented kids with too much time on their hands. Tapping into this energetic brain trust isn’t that hard, you just need structured, participant driven, meaningful programming that promotes dialogue and stewardship and results in something tangible and meaningful. That might be a magazine, radio or TV show, theater production or mural. It might even be a aerosol mural, or paint and aerosol.

In other words it’s not the medium an artist is working in, but the thought and craft put into the work. Pose 2 , and Bansky are two examples of aerosol artists taking it to a higher level. Trust me there are thousands of others whose masterful artwork would blow your mind.

My concerns around aerosols are primarily environmental. The mist is harmful to individual and global health. The empty cans are hazardous waste. I’ve been researching and talking a lot with colleagues about the “greening” of art supplies. The only thing that is clear is we need to use our materials wisely, and conserve at every step. The waste produced by our work should be carefully considered. Many feel that the making of art may be of greater value than the carbon imprint created through the materials we use. This is a separate conversation, and one that will continue.

My paint skins in an adobe brick experiment.

That said there are craftspeople who use aerosols responsibly, and others who are careless. What we as community artists teach is care and respect for our materials, stewardship for the places we live and attention to craft. The same is true for every teaching artist I know.

So lets be clear and not talk about “Graffiti” as a monolithic phenomenon. There is a difference between aerosol artists and “Graffiti”. If one attributes aerosol classes and murals to vandalism, then we could use that same line of reasoning to assume that these kids are also responsible for other aerosol applications like nicely painted cars and airplanes. Clearly the classes intend to promote stewardship, dialogue and responsibility, and redirect energy from a trend towards isolationism and fear. Dolly Spalding describes this well in her article “Urban Art” for the new hip Tucson zine’ Zocalo.

Such was the metamorphosis of the Water Building mural.

Teaching Artist/Muralist Rocky Martinez with Ninety-nine year old Frank Pesqueira

This successful mural is a colorful testimony to transformation and the democratic process. The project involved our community in a public dialogue and design process that reflects an ability to make decisions as a group or people. Projects like this promote civic pride and participation.

Implicit in the work of many community muralists is the idea that we can bring together a broad cross section of the community to create a visual representation of our common hopes and aspirations. After more than 20 years of doing this work I still am exhilarated by the response of people during community events. By creating a place where all voices are equal and cherished we practice what it means to live in a pluralistic society. Labels and ideology are momentarily transcended giving us the opportunity to delight in our shared humanity. Where we come from, our dreams, aspirations, challenges, songs and recipes. These opportunities to share and learn from one another involve trust and relationship building. That takes time, care and responsibility. That’s part of what community artists are doing, and we invite you to join us.

Camp Sabra Hamsa Mural

2009-07-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

Camp Sabra is located midway between St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri at the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks. Their peninsula sits on the Gravois arm of the lake, near Eldon, Mo. This is a very special place and community. My partner Jodi Netzer and I arrived late on a Thursday. The next day we were greeted at meal time by the entire camp with a welcome cheer. This is a very spirited camp that likes to sing, dance and create.

As people came up and introduced themselves I explained that I was here to lead a mural. It was easy to solicit ideas for the project and I invited campers to be a part of the process. As these conversations developed I created a series of sketches of a Hamsa. After priming the boards I worked with a group of campers sketching the flora and fauna all around us in our journals. We practiced the art of observation drawing, prepared color charts and experimented with the paints we mixed. The color theme of the mural revolves around purples and yellows, when mixed we get beautiful shades of gold. We selected the best images from our drawings and transferred them to the mural with charcoal and paint.

On the third day of the project the camp took the cautious step of closing after several students fell ill. Jodi and I found ourselves alone in camp, but determined to finish the project. We wanted campers to return to a beautiful, powerful and protective image.

The Hamsa, with five fingers like the books of the Torah, was the perfect image. Above are seven red strands, with images of the camp in the background. The history and meaning of these ancient symbols can have many meanings and interpretations, but all include reference to protection and health. For example some say the seven red threads can relieve pain and protect one from the evil eye.

The string’s meaning is based on a connection to Rachel, one of Judaism’s four matriarchs. For centuries, Jews have tied on their wrists red string that’s been wrapped around Rachel’s tomb in the West Bank. The red strings also refer to our connection to our ancestors, and calling upon them to assist in our protection.

The mural was created on panels that were then placed adjacent to the entrance of the dining hall. We worked to the last minute, installing each panel, sealing edges, touching up every detail and finally putting a protective sealer on the work.

We had accomplished our goal of creating a mural that would serve not only as a source of healing and protection, but a gift for returning campers.

On Monday after 10 days at the camp we had to push on to the next scheduled project. We hope to return Camp Sabra next summer to create another mural for the rest of the entrance of the dining hall. We were honored to share in the spirit and history of the camp and so warmly welcomed that we now also feel a part of this place.

THEY WANT YOU TO PERFUME THE SEWERS

2009-07-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Summer is a great time to read. If your passion is community murals you're in for a special blog treat. I’ve been rereading “Towards a People’s Art: The Contemporary Mural Movement (1977) ” by Eva Crocroft, John Pitman Weber, and James Cockcroft. So I was jazzed to see a sort of compendium book just released entitled “On the Wall: Four Decades of Community Murals in New York City” by Janet Braun-Reinitz and Jane Weissman of Artmakers. The release of this book following the elections and conversations about a new WPA is perfect timing. There is a fantastic conversation that accompanies this book on the New York Times blog.

So it’s in this spirit that I offer you, my dear readers, a bit of delicious summer reading. My friend and colleague muralist, author and teacher Mike Alewitz send me this speech by Meridel Le Sueur (1902-1996) delivered in 1988, by video, to the Alliance for Cultural Democracy conference in San Francisco. Meridel Le Sueurs' powerful voice continues to inspire and teach us. She literally had a powerful, compassionate, commanding voice and presence.

"An Injury to One is an Injury to All" Mural, Mike Alewitz

No matter your political perspective this writing helps fill some important gaps in community art history. In this period of great hope and transformation looking back at our roots is critical as we decide how best to proceed.

THEY WANT YOU TO PERFUME THE SEWERS

by Meridel Le Sueur

I bring greetings from the Middle West and also from Time. On February 22, I'll be 88 years old. I've been a writer, an artist in the Middle West, trying to find out what the true image is of our time and our country.

I believe that now is the most wonderful period of my life because for the first time we can think of a global world: a global world of art, a global world of expression, a global audience, a global people. Global was not a word in my time that you even spoke about. It wasn't in your consciousness to be global. Today the consciousness, the rising of the global people, is so wonderful, so tremendous. Such energy is released and we are released as artists from servitude to the establishment, to the death force of imperialism.

Engels said in 1877 there were only two subjects for the artist, for the creator. One was the moribund dying society, 'the corpse' he called it. The other was the newborn, being born out of the corpse, the new people, the new consciousness, the young child, the image of humanism.

Now we see this actually happening. It's no longer a theory to say "the rising of the working class " as we used to say in 1916 in the First World War. It seemed like a dream. Today you look at your television in the evening and you see the people rising. You see the children throwing rocks at the army; you see the brutal resistance of the dying class, 'the corpse' as Engels said.

Imperialism is dying. I don't think they have any way of even saving themselves. They're committing suicide by cutting off the food, causing famines, exporting our products to other countries and selling them back to us. It would be like an Alice in Wonderland death if it wasn't so horrible.

I don't belittle the dangers of the bomb at all, but even these dangers very often bring us together in unity, in a global unity and certainly in a consciousness of the dangers. We see now that we didn't even dream of the viciousness, of the deadliness, of the willingness to risk complete global and cosmic death; of the capitalist class. The middle class is also falling down into the working class and betraying its interests. They have too much to protect to move against death. Death is the only product of imperialism today. It's an obvious problem. They tell us they are going to kill us, and they do kill us.

So the artist has a great wonder and a tremendous influx of new life and at the same time has a great responsibility, because he must bring his skills to the rising people who contain the creation of the new world. It no longer exists in the middle class. It no longer is any good to get the grants. They just want you to perfume the sewers. They need artists to bring perfume to the terrible stench of their death. It isn't doing the artist any good. There is no place to go except to the struggle of the people today. There is no place for the artist. There is no artist arising except from the struggle of the people.

We see now that all culture comes from the people, comes from the struggle of the people. In America, middle-class culture has obscured the great vigor of American people's culture. I came up from the farm culture. When I was young there was farm music, the farm songs, a great culture of the Midwest farm and the democratic forces in the Middle West, and radical organizations like the IWW.

The IWW is something for you to look at because, there, culture was part. It wasn't separate. It was something you just brought out. Culture was part of the struggle. You could only be a poet or an artist if you were a worker, a revolutionary. The IWW taught me that culture is part of the struggle of the people. It's not separate. They never had a meeting they didn't open with poetry. They painted. They had cartoons. Their culture was immense, but more than that, it was a culture of the people. I once saw a group of IWWs learning poetry, learning Walt Whitman, in preparation for going to prison because they didn't have books, so they learned poetry. When going to the same prison they each would learn a different poem so they could bring their culture to prison.

Culture was part—it created a tremendous audience. In 1913, John Reed worked on a tremendous production in Madison Square Garden, put on by the strikers of Patterson. We used to put on affairs here from the farm. We had music, poetry, books. There is a tremendous culture, which is almost unknown and is now in danger of disappearing, like the black culture, like the ethnic cultures of the Norwegians and the Scandinavians.

This is coming up in our culture like a Vesuvian release of energy and its just beginning. Recently in the Austin strike, there was a wonderful example of the artists emerging out of the struggle. They've had a mural, which the reactionaries destroyed.* They had wonderful music. They had theater that just came out of the struggle. This is where it comes from. Go where it is. Go there. That's the only place there's life. That's the only place where there are any kind of images.

*P-9 Mural Dedication, 1986

The new images are coming from these struggles. The farm struggle recently here, for example, was one of the greatest uprisings of culture in the Middle West. The grief, the tragedy, the images... People, farmers, committed suicide. They were looking for images of their struggle: seeing their struggle as a long history, for the first time, as inevitable.

In the thirties, the workers and farmers saw that the factories would open up again, saw that there would be again prosperity even. Today, they know there is not going to be a "good" war. They know the factories are not going to reopen. The work has been exported to cheap labor in foreign countries. The steelworkers know as they are struggling and struggling to open those mills. The worker knows that there is going to be no "good" war. That there is no prosperity. That there is not going to be an end to exploitation. This in itself is a great cultural vision, a vision that is true, a vision that is possible. It is not only possible, it is necessary; it is the only continuation of the struggle of man to exist.

So I feel wonderful for you young people. It's a wonderful thing to be here now, stripping some of the illusions of bourgeois culture—the illusions of getting into those galleries, the illusion of becoming a prostitute to bourgeois culture. It’s not possible anymore, except maybe for a few. The grants are being cut off. They're not going to give out these grants anymore. They didn't work. You didn't come in and perfume the sewers. And thank God, we're not going to have those kinds of grants anymore.

What we need now is something like the WPA where a democratic culture can be supported, and a democratic audience. One of the great things about the WPA was its raising of the audiences' consciousness. There was an audience for art; there was an audience for murals. We started here a farm collective, a painters' group for the farmers to paint during the winter and have farm exhibits, this is where your audience is. The middle class is not a rich audience anymore. They don't have the images anymore. They don't have the truth.

The hearings (Iran-Contra) were the greatest thing to show you what the middle class does to support the lie. Culture is used to support the lie, to cover the lie. Language is used to cover the lie. In those hearings, language became a tool to cover not only lying, but the death and destruction of our whole society.

So this is what is happening. It's revealed. It's not a secret any longer. They can't keep it a secret. What those bastards do in the morning is on TV in the evening. It's impossible to be secretive. They tell upon each other, in fact. They can't keep a secret from each other. You are living in a time when the front door is open, the road is open.

You don't even hardly have to choose—it's between life or death. It's between what supports creative culture and what is death to it. It isn't even a choice. It's inevitable. It's just there. You have to live it. You have to be it. You have a chance to become part of this struggle. As the Communist Manifesto ends; the only people who will save the world are those who have nothing to lose but their chains.

This is what we see in the colonial countries. People driven to hunger, to death, who literally have nothing to lose, who really rise up on the horizon on all scenes. Those great meetings are not any longer the little meetings, but the meetings of millions of people demanding life, demanding the image, the true image. So this is what you have now for your life; to go into this great life, this great new force.

We used to say, "Workers of the World, Unite." Well now we have no choice. It's inevitable. They have to unite or die. So it’s not a dream any longer. It's not a hope any longer. It's a presence, a wonderful living presence.

I'd just like to read a piece of mine that I wrote years ago, and this I hope would be the keystone in the temple of your meeting together:

Let us all return.

It is the people who give birth to us, to all culture, who by their labors create all material and spiritual values.

No art can develop until it perpetuates and penetrates deeply into the life of the people.

The source of American culture lies in the historic movement of our people, and the artist must become voice, messenger, organizer, a wakener, sparking the inflammable silence, reflection back to the courage and the beauty. He must return really to the people, partisan and alive, with warmth, abundance, excess, confidence: without reservations, being cold and merely reasonable; or craftiness, writing one thing, and believing another; not being a superior person, even superior in knowledge, in theoretical knowledge, an ideological giant, but bereft of heart and humanity.

Capitalism is a world of ruins, junk piles of machines, men, women, piles of dust, floods, erosions, masks to cover rapacity.

To these stinging sounds the people carry their young, in the shades of their grief, in the thin shadow of their hunger, hope and crops in their grief, in the dark of the machine, only they have the future in them.

Only they.

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THEY WANT YOU TO PERFUME THE SEWERS
Google Doc Organized by Mike Alewitz and Denny Mealy.

A remarkable writer and life-long agitator, the biography of Meridel Le Sueur can be found at http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00323.xml

*P-9 Mural Dedication/ 1986. Mural by striking meat packers - Local P-9. Dedicated to then-imprisoned "terrorist" Nelson Mandela. Destroyed by UFCW union bureaucrats.
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Long Live Northland Poster Collective!

2009-06-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

It’s not often that I report on issues outside the world of community murals, but it seems that every day now history is being made. I was shocked and saddened to hear that after 30 years Northland Poster Collective is closing it’s doors. In the early 90’s I maintained a small office for the Alliance for Cultural Democracy (ACD) at the collective. I would help out here and there as needed in between ACD tasks. The collective has produced numerous designs for progressive causes over the years, and you will still be able to purchase some of them after the storefront closes. None the less my heart sank when I read the news. Ricardo Levins Morales worked for 30 years overcoming one obstacle after the other, keeping the ship afloat. NPC has been a constant source of inspiration in an art world all too often consumed by greed, inflated ego’s and elitism. Against the backdrop of the art-industrial-complex Northland produced inspiring images that have become hallmarks of the progressive movement. Standing up against corporate greed is never easy, but Northland did so with grace and humor.

If your fast you can still purchase items at half price. It’s not the last chapter by any means, there is life after Northland and as Ricardo writes “we will see you on the picket line”. And that we certainly will.

We will never be disappeared.

Arts for All Mural Project

2009-05-26T19:37:00.001-07:00

Sonoran Bioregion, Tucson, AZ - Recently I worked with winners of a “Graffiti Art Competition” that was facilitated by Arts for All (AFA) located at 2520 N. Oracle Rd.
in Tucson. Young artists throughout Tucson were invited to submit designs, the winners would be paid to do a mural for walls in the AFA parking lot. A group of community jurors met to select seven finalists. The winners went on to develop large to-scale color designs that again were approved by the jurors.

I was asked to help facilitate the transfer and painting process. This was a first for emerging muralists Roberto, Amy, Arisa, Josh, Jesus, Jello and Lizzy. The artists brought their individual creative sensibilities and experiences to this project and that shows in the final work. Working with them was fun, encouraging as they would switch from aerosol to paint, at first reluctantly, but acrylics have a way of growing on you. Some of the artists stayed in one media, they all created bright, vibrant, beautiful and clear images.

One of the fascinating things about this project was the intergenerational pedagogy. Artist Carol Kestler, who helped conceive this project and was a mentor of mine for many years, imprinting countless lessons on what in means to be a teaching artist. Carol founded Arts Genesis over 30 years ago, and has helped to train dozens of community teaching artists. That experience, richly informing my career, was imparted to a new generation through the Arts for All Youth Mural. This is the very essence of community art. One generation practices, gathers, builds upon and passes on the knowledge of past cultural workers.

We met weekends for several months transferring the designs and adding layers of color. We used a mix of aerosols and acrylic paints slowly covering the wall. Each session started with a short meeting where we had a chance to check in, scan mural images, write in our journals and talk about what we planned on working on next. These meetings were brief, the artists were eager to paint.

The artists explored the potential of acrylics combined with aerosol. In this piece by Jello you can see that each letter has a different surface treatment. The aerosols drip and blend, with the strong black lines gestured in with aerosol and fine-tuned with acrylics.

Video - Muralists describe their work.

Finally be early May just as the summer heat set in we added our final touches and sealed the mural.

The artists spoke about their work at the May 9, 2009 unveiling. They were proud of their work, having set out to accomplish something for the first time and succeeding. Several said that they thought they could do better, or wanted to go back and change some things. Any muralist working from their heart understands the constant desire to improve our work.

A special thanks goes out to the larger support community that made this project possible. In these time of budget cuts this project shows how a tiny bit of money and a ton of good will can go a long way. So thank you to the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Tucson Pima Arts Council, the Mural Panel and Arts for All staff. A special shout out to Valerie Burnside for getting the ball rolling, Christine, Janelle, Frances for assisting, and of course Harriett and Marcia Berger.

A Note on the Health Impacts of our Trade:

Why do we wear respirators when using air-brushes, solvents and aerosols? We love the effects we can get from aerosol paint can’s, the ability to have large gesture marks and lines, the speed, the way it fills cracks in the wall, the way you can blend colors and get trippy special effects. Unfortunately one of our favorite tools contains propellants that have serious health and environmental risks and are considered hazardous waste . These Chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs) were originally used as propellants and then banned in 1978 because they deplete the ozone layer. In the 80’s hydrocarbon propellants replaced CFCs until it was found that they contribute to smog. Since that time new propellants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are being used. These include and 1,1,-difluoroethane (Propellant 152A) and 1, 1, 1, 2,-tetrafluoromethane (Propellant 134A).

Acrylic paints have a smaller carbon footprint, but also have their drawbacks. Golden Colors has some valuable health and safety information.

What do you think?

Paulo Freire Freedom School Mural

2009-05-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited to facilitate a mural with Kristin Bloom’s students at the Paulo Freire Freedom School in Tucson, AZ. This is a very unique school with a focus environmental and social justice curriculum. It’s a busy place with active parent and community involvement. The school is truly a living testimony to work of the great Brazilian popular educator Paulo Freire (1921-97).

Many thanks to the Tucson YMCA “It’s Time to Talk Youth Forum” for sponsoring this beautiful mural located in the stairwell. Congratulations to the 13 students artists on a successful project!

The students will report on this mural project in their own words.

Paulo Freire Freedom School Mural

“The theme of the mural is breaking down the walls of prejudice and becoming one. A giant mural focusing on peace.

On the left of the mural, two different races are split between a big wall. The brick wall is how we are separated by racism. The heart with the flames represents love falling to bind the whites and the blacks together, bounded by love. Love breaks down the wall of hate and brings us together.

The people represent segregation and the heart is supposed to be crashing down on the wall so it lets the people be together. The people in robes represent how all the cultures came together

The middle one has everyone at Kiva and the pole in the middle is supposed to be everyone coming together into the world.

All the colors blend together and all the major problems were finally solved. The love for each other is painted onto the wall. Our Kiva brings us together. Creating roots to a wonderful world. Kiva itself is a miracle, and all of us together in peace and love. A strong wall, but only love can break it down. One whole community coming together. No one fighting or anything. Everyone at Kiva being one big kind and caring diverse community. No segregation, only integration.

In the third section, there are two faces kissing. The faces are light "white" and dark "black" coffee being poured from Chinese and Native American style cups. On the tea cup the man in the maze is painted on it and the man in the maze is the symbol of the tribe Tohono O’odham in Arizona. The blue teacup is an illustration of a Chinese teacup. It represents different ethnicities coming together and meeting peacefully. No color or person is better. "

Art, Community, Social Justice, National Recovery

2009-05-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday a group of community artists and organizers met at the White House for a historic first. The meeting was facilitated by Community Arts leaders Arlene Goldbard, Caron Atlas from the Pratt Center, Claudine Brown of the Nathan Cummings Foundation and arts organizer Billy Wimsatt. White House "hippster in chief" Yosi Sergant was instrumental in arranging this meeting. This was an opportunity to begin a conversation with the White House on how community artist organizers can contribute to the economic recovery of our nation. We left the meeting excited to start organizing, moving directly to Busboys and Poets.

I will be posting more details of our meeting and ways YOU can get involved. Its going to take all of us to transform our economy, and this meeting is an indicator that we all have a seat a the table. Check out the newly formed Office of Public Engagement. You can read more about this historic meeting in the Washington Post.

On Wednesday several of us headed to "the hill" to lobby. After a number of exciting meetings we are more confident than ever that cultural recovery is just around the corner.