1. Practice
2. Finish website
3. Coordinate costumes
4. Write written report
Sam, Cristina, Nick and Lauren- Practice
Cristina- finish graphics
Sam- find corny music
Lauren- add more to written report
Nick- look for corny music and figure out whether to switch slides or have them side by side
Proposal:
Lauren: Hi and thank you for joining us in celebrating the launch of Onondaga Lake’s new fun filled attraction, Lights on the Lake.
Sam: This family orientated project highlights the history of one of Onondaga county’s most famous landmarks.
Cristina: By combining history and beauty, the 2 mile long sparkling display attracts audiences of all ages.
Nick: Lights on the lake is all year round. Viewers are able to take night time drives through the festive atmosphere or relaxing strolls along the shoreline. The scenic walk is a great way shed those extra holiday pounds.
Lauren: As our fabulous website points out, it only costs $8 per car or $6 on Monday and Tuesday with a Wegmen’s shopping card. This show cannot be missed. You can even have your companies name be part of the unique experience.
Sam: That’s right, Lauren. Companies such as Allied Signal and Solvay Process Company have jumped on board to help share Onondaga Lake’s history with all of Syracuse. There is so much fun to had that you must experience it for yourselves.
Cristina: The Towering light displays, animals, amazing animations, flying fish, beautiful beach displays and breath taking architecture can only be enjoyed by those willing to fully immerse themselves in the lake’s culture.
Nick: If you visit our website, www.lightsonthelake.org, you are able to view pieces of the multi faceted, stunning production. Here (point to fish) we have two deceased fish that have entirely absorbed all that Onondaga Lake has to offer.
Lauren: Look how gorgeous they appear. Almost breath-taking. The beautiful beaches are represented by the 12 foot “no swimming” and “no fishing” signs that flash in different colors as you pass. When you can do everything on a play station who actually goes out and swims nowadays?
Sam: Very True. And speaking of fun toys like play station, Lights on the lake gift certificates make great presents for the holidays and you don’t want to miss the virtual tours that are now available to view on the website.
Cristina: We hope that you all come out to experience the sheer brilliance of all that Onondaga Lake has to offer. During the holidays Santa is known to stop by and give out gifts to the young children. These gifts include packets with safety warnings and precautions for the kiddies to take when playing near the lake. Safety is always our number one concern.
Nick: Thank you all for coming out and listening to our presentation. We hope that you attend the show. It is mounds of fun and should not be missed!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Creative Brief
What is the project about? The project is about the contamination of Onondaga Lake
Describe what FORM the project will take. The project will be in the form of a mock website about Lights on the Lake, which is currently a holiday light show. Our website would be about a different Lights on the Lake, one that shows the pollution and its effects.
Why do you want to work in the location you have chosen? My group was able to come up with more ideas pertaining to Onondaga Lake rather than Armory Square.
What is the history of the site? It has a long history of industrialization along the shorelines of the lake, which dumped harmful chemicals into the lake and polluted it. In recent decades, people have made it a priority to clean up the lake, and efforts are underway.
Why is this site particularly appropriate for the project? The Lake is polluted, and the website will advertise a mock Lights on the Lake show about pollution.
Is this project an integration or an intervention, and why? Perhaps more of an intervention because the website is a way to acknowledge the pollution still in the lake and that more needs to be done.
Will you get permission to work in the site? I have no idea.
How does the piece disrupt OR fit in with the surroundings? It is outside of the surroundings of the lake, and should not have any effects on its surroundings.
Name at least one artist project that we have looked at this semester that inspired your project and explain why your project is related. The Yes Men's mock website of the WTO is the basic idea of our project. They mocked the WTO, and we are going to mock Lights on the Lake.
What are the goals & objectives of the project? To increase awareness of the pollution in Onondaga Lake and that more needs to be done to restore it to its former glory.
How will you measure success for your project? If people were to visit the site and show an interest in seeing the mock light show, the project is a success.
Profile the target audience. Who are they? What do they care about? What are their expected reactions? The target audience would be people that attend the current Lights on the Lake, and for them to see about the mock one. Most of them would be families with children. They care about their family and doing things together as a family. Upon seeing this, they could hopefully care more about the pollution of the lake and would want to clean it so it can be a place for families to go and enjoy a day outdoors. They might be shocked seeing a light show about pollution, as Lights on the Lake is normally pictures of the holidays.
How do you want your audience to interact with your project? We want the audience to view the website and consider attending, and hopefully become more active in the lake's cleanup process.
Describe what FORM the project will take. The project will be in the form of a mock website about Lights on the Lake, which is currently a holiday light show. Our website would be about a different Lights on the Lake, one that shows the pollution and its effects.
Why do you want to work in the location you have chosen? My group was able to come up with more ideas pertaining to Onondaga Lake rather than Armory Square.
What is the history of the site? It has a long history of industrialization along the shorelines of the lake, which dumped harmful chemicals into the lake and polluted it. In recent decades, people have made it a priority to clean up the lake, and efforts are underway.
Why is this site particularly appropriate for the project? The Lake is polluted, and the website will advertise a mock Lights on the Lake show about pollution.
Is this project an integration or an intervention, and why? Perhaps more of an intervention because the website is a way to acknowledge the pollution still in the lake and that more needs to be done.
Will you get permission to work in the site? I have no idea.
How does the piece disrupt OR fit in with the surroundings? It is outside of the surroundings of the lake, and should not have any effects on its surroundings.
Name at least one artist project that we have looked at this semester that inspired your project and explain why your project is related. The Yes Men's mock website of the WTO is the basic idea of our project. They mocked the WTO, and we are going to mock Lights on the Lake.
What are the goals & objectives of the project? To increase awareness of the pollution in Onondaga Lake and that more needs to be done to restore it to its former glory.
How will you measure success for your project? If people were to visit the site and show an interest in seeing the mock light show, the project is a success.
Profile the target audience. Who are they? What do they care about? What are their expected reactions? The target audience would be people that attend the current Lights on the Lake, and for them to see about the mock one. Most of them would be families with children. They care about their family and doing things together as a family. Upon seeing this, they could hopefully care more about the pollution of the lake and would want to clean it so it can be a place for families to go and enjoy a day outdoors. They might be shocked seeing a light show about pollution, as Lights on the Lake is normally pictures of the holidays.
How do you want your audience to interact with your project? We want the audience to view the website and consider attending, and hopefully become more active in the lake's cleanup process.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Analysis of Panhandling for Reparations
Cristina Posilovic
November 4, 2007
Analysis of an Art Project
Damali Ayo is an artist who creates public artwork such as Living Flag: Panhandling for Reparations. Her work is intended to bring light to social and racial issues between blacks and whites, such as slavery and cultural differences. However, her approaches to gaining discussion about racism are flawed, as they are offensive to many and are controversial. The offensiveness of the projects and the controversies surrounding them have a negative impact on many and devalue the projects.
Living Flag: Panhandling for Reparations was a street performance by Damali Ayo in 2003, which was recorded and put onto the web. Damali sat on the streets of Portland, Oregon, wearing a sign that said “200+ years of slavery”, holding a sign that said “reparations accepted here” and had a tin can with “reparations” written on it (Ayo, “Living Flag”). For hours she sat, asking people, “Would you like to make a reparations payment today?” (Ayo, “Living Flag”). She received varied responses, such as “Black power!”, “This is a great idea”, and “Oh, I’m totally, you know, sorry that people were enslaved. I can’t, no, I’m enslaved by the IRS” (Ayo, “Living Flag”). Damali would then give the money she got from donations to black people she saw walking around (Ayo, “Living Flag”). While most accepted their “first reparations payment”, others refused it (Ayo, “Living Flag”).
For this project, the participants were the ones asked if they would like to pay reparations, or those that received the reparation money. The audience for the project was everyone who saw it, from those that saw her on the streets to those that saw the taped performance on YouTube. Damali intended for the project to start dialogue about slavery, race, and reparations, and to hopefully get the government to do something about reparations (Ayo, Nat’l Day). It is a satire of how blacks have begged the government for reparations for years, and it seems that the only way to get it done is through panhandling (Ayo, Nat’l Day).
While Damali Ayo has good intentions of wanting to raise issues of race and slavery, she goes about it in a negative way. One of the reasons why Panhandling for Reparations is offensive is that it supposedly combats racism when in fact it creates it. In Panhandling for Reparations, Ayo says, "I'm collecting reparations for slavery right. And I'm collecting it from white people and I'm handing it out to black people”. Right from the start she divides people into black and white, by only asking people who appear white to pay reparations and giving them to people who appear black. She automatically assumes that all white people created slavery and that all black people were slaves and should be rewarded for their labor. This viewpoint makes white people the enemy, that because of the color of their skin they should pay reparations. As everyone would agree, judging people by the color of their skin is one of the bases of racism. Therefore, by asking only white people to pay reparations just because they are white is racist, which is the very concept that Ayo is trying to destroy.
Ayo also doesn’t realize that just because someone is white, they are not automatically a part of the slavery of African Americans. Also, just because someone is black, doesn’t mean that his or her ancestors were slaves. By asking only white people for money and handing them out to any black person she sees, she makes judgments based on one’s skin color. Personally, I would be highly offended if she demanded that I paid reparations for her ancestor’s slavery. My parents both came here from Europe, my mom in 1972 and my dad in 1980. In no way, shape, or form is my family related to any slave owners involved in African American slavery. My ancestors lived nowhere near America. Amy Alkon, a white writer, is also in a similar situation as I. She states,
“As for my family, when black people were being enslaved over here, we
were being chased around Russia by the Cossacks. My relatives came
over on boats from Eastern Europe, so if you're looking to place blame
for slavery simply because I have the complexion of Wite-Out, well, you
really shouldn't be looking at me” (Alkon).
However, if we passed her on the street, she would ask us to make a payment only because our skin tone is white. Regarding white people that are descendants of recent immigrants not involved in slavery, Ayo tell us to make a payment because blacks should receive a rectification for slavery as they were wronged by our entire race, and that we are a member of a country and a race that enslaved people and we should take responsibility for that (Ayo, Nat’l Day). According to Ayo, just because my skin tone has less melanin than hers, because I happened to be born white and her black, that I should pay her for the work her ancestors did because other people who shared my skin color enslaved them. Her reasoning for whom should pay reparations is completely racist. If one is going to use racist reasons for a cause that is supposed to resolve racism, it will never happen.
Ayo believes this because she doesn’t think that racism can occur to whites. She once said that, “reverse racism is an impossibility” (Alkon). In response, Alkon writes,
“So…if, according to Ayo, there is no reverse racism, what was it I
encountered at the University of Michigan when I happily sat down at
the end of a table of black girls in the beginning of my freshman year,
and they all went silent…and looked down at the table at me as if I
were a giant turd with legs?”.
Alkon also brought up the minority fellowships in journalism, sometimes offered to wealthy black people and completely unavailable to a poor white person who’s only option to further their education was community college because they could not afford better (Alkon). If the fellowship situation were reversed, it would be an outrage. Few notice that anyone can feel prejudice based on his or her skin color, not just blacks. If Ayo can realize that blacks are prejudiced because of their skin color, she should also realize that whites and anyone else can go through the same thing, but based on her project, she doesn’t.
Looking even further into Panhandling for Reparations, why do blacks deserve reparations for the slavery of their ancestors? Slavery has been around since ancient times, and has been implemented in numerous cultures in nearly every continent (Hellie). It is likely that most people, if not everyone, has a distant ancestor that was a slave. For everyone in the world to demand reparations because they had a distant ancestor who wasn’t paid for their labor is ludicrous. The only fair way of reparations is for the slave owner to directly pay a person they enslaved. Since it has been many years since slavery existed, we can only pay the descendants. However, how are we to find out who is a descendant of a slave and who isn’t? How are we to find out who is a descendant of a slave owner? Even this approach isn’t fair, because the unlucky people who are the descendant of a slave owner would be forced to pay money to others because of what an ancestor did, even if they agree that slavery is wrong. Also, if this approach went through despite the unfairness, what would it solve? One of the reasons why African Americans want reparations is because their ancestors were held back socially and economically (Brophy). However, it has been over 140 years since slavery has been abolished, and since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, blacks have been given advantages in society such as affirmative action. Many consider affirmative action to be a form of reparations, as we are giving blacks and other minorities a higher chance of getting a job than a white person of equal ability (Brophy). If we were to add reparations to that, it could create more hatred and racism, as whites will now be the ones repressed. If we want to achieve racial equality, reparations are not the way to go. Focusing on the wrongdoings of the past, placing blame on others, and demanding justification will bring us nowhere toward equality. We should look back upon the days of slavery, realize how wrong it was, make sure that it will never happen again, and promote equality for people of all races, which is something Panhandling for Reparations fails to do.
Adrian Piper, another black artists, also creates public art that shows people the wrongness of racism. One of her projects, Funk Lessons, introduced white people to a popular form of black music called funk (Piper). In these, she teaches white people the history of funk, how to appreciate the music, and how to dance to it (Piper). While many were offended by the music upon first hearing it, they gradually began to appreciate the music through these lessons (Piper). The reason for their distaste when first hearing it is simple, just that they were not accustomed to this type of music (Piper). Through these lessons, white people were introduced to some of black culture, and it was a positive experience for all involved (Piper). This is an example of public art against racism that made positive impacts, much unlike Panhandling for Reparations. No one was segregated by race, but only introduced to music of other cultures that they would never have heard or appreciated otherwise. The project brought people together and got people to see beyond their prejudices of funk music and to appreciate its value, which will hopefully one day occur between blacks and whites. By introducing whites to music of black culture, it blends the line between the two cultures and allows people to appreciate a culture they don’t know much about.
Perhaps we look beyond the racism and offensiveness of Panhandling for Reparations and look at it as a new genre public art project. Arlene Raven says that public art “forges direct intersections with social issues” (Kwon, 105). While public art was once more about the aesthetic appeal, lately it has been changing to art with a social function (Kwon, 111). Panhandling for Reparations is not about aesthetics, but about creating intersections with the social issues of slavery, racism, and justice. Ayo uses the project as a tool to promote dialogue about reparations and race (Ayo, Nat’l Day). Kwon also poses many questions about new genre public art on page 117 in her book One Place After Another. One of her questions is, “What criteria of success and failure are posed…in this major reconfiguration of public art that moves aesthetic practice closer to social services?” How are we to define what is successful and what is not? If one defined it by the statement it made about the social issue it brings up, one could consider it as a success because, despite its wrongs, it does get people to talk about race and reparations.
Even though in the world of new genre public art, Panhandling for Reparations would be a success, in the real world it is a failure. It attempts to address the problems of race and slavery and resolve issues, but it only adds to the pot. Addressing the issue of blacks and whites does not need to involve demanding that people with lighter skin pay for what people of lighter skin did in the past to people of darker skin. We should rather introduce public art projects such as Funk Lessons whose goal is to bring people of different races together and introduce each other to their unique cultures. Reparations for slavery will never solve the issues of racism in the world. Rather, we can achieve equality by bringing people of different so called races together to show that we are not made up of Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, or any other race people can come up with, but that we are all a part of the human race.
November 4, 2007
Analysis of an Art Project
Damali Ayo is an artist who creates public artwork such as Living Flag: Panhandling for Reparations. Her work is intended to bring light to social and racial issues between blacks and whites, such as slavery and cultural differences. However, her approaches to gaining discussion about racism are flawed, as they are offensive to many and are controversial. The offensiveness of the projects and the controversies surrounding them have a negative impact on many and devalue the projects.
Living Flag: Panhandling for Reparations was a street performance by Damali Ayo in 2003, which was recorded and put onto the web. Damali sat on the streets of Portland, Oregon, wearing a sign that said “200+ years of slavery”, holding a sign that said “reparations accepted here” and had a tin can with “reparations” written on it (Ayo, “Living Flag”). For hours she sat, asking people, “Would you like to make a reparations payment today?” (Ayo, “Living Flag”). She received varied responses, such as “Black power!”, “This is a great idea”, and “Oh, I’m totally, you know, sorry that people were enslaved. I can’t, no, I’m enslaved by the IRS” (Ayo, “Living Flag”). Damali would then give the money she got from donations to black people she saw walking around (Ayo, “Living Flag”). While most accepted their “first reparations payment”, others refused it (Ayo, “Living Flag”).
For this project, the participants were the ones asked if they would like to pay reparations, or those that received the reparation money. The audience for the project was everyone who saw it, from those that saw her on the streets to those that saw the taped performance on YouTube. Damali intended for the project to start dialogue about slavery, race, and reparations, and to hopefully get the government to do something about reparations (Ayo, Nat’l Day). It is a satire of how blacks have begged the government for reparations for years, and it seems that the only way to get it done is through panhandling (Ayo, Nat’l Day).
While Damali Ayo has good intentions of wanting to raise issues of race and slavery, she goes about it in a negative way. One of the reasons why Panhandling for Reparations is offensive is that it supposedly combats racism when in fact it creates it. In Panhandling for Reparations, Ayo says, "I'm collecting reparations for slavery right. And I'm collecting it from white people and I'm handing it out to black people”. Right from the start she divides people into black and white, by only asking people who appear white to pay reparations and giving them to people who appear black. She automatically assumes that all white people created slavery and that all black people were slaves and should be rewarded for their labor. This viewpoint makes white people the enemy, that because of the color of their skin they should pay reparations. As everyone would agree, judging people by the color of their skin is one of the bases of racism. Therefore, by asking only white people to pay reparations just because they are white is racist, which is the very concept that Ayo is trying to destroy.
Ayo also doesn’t realize that just because someone is white, they are not automatically a part of the slavery of African Americans. Also, just because someone is black, doesn’t mean that his or her ancestors were slaves. By asking only white people for money and handing them out to any black person she sees, she makes judgments based on one’s skin color. Personally, I would be highly offended if she demanded that I paid reparations for her ancestor’s slavery. My parents both came here from Europe, my mom in 1972 and my dad in 1980. In no way, shape, or form is my family related to any slave owners involved in African American slavery. My ancestors lived nowhere near America. Amy Alkon, a white writer, is also in a similar situation as I. She states,
“As for my family, when black people were being enslaved over here, we
were being chased around Russia by the Cossacks. My relatives came
over on boats from Eastern Europe, so if you're looking to place blame
for slavery simply because I have the complexion of Wite-Out, well, you
really shouldn't be looking at me” (Alkon).
However, if we passed her on the street, she would ask us to make a payment only because our skin tone is white. Regarding white people that are descendants of recent immigrants not involved in slavery, Ayo tell us to make a payment because blacks should receive a rectification for slavery as they were wronged by our entire race, and that we are a member of a country and a race that enslaved people and we should take responsibility for that (Ayo, Nat’l Day). According to Ayo, just because my skin tone has less melanin than hers, because I happened to be born white and her black, that I should pay her for the work her ancestors did because other people who shared my skin color enslaved them. Her reasoning for whom should pay reparations is completely racist. If one is going to use racist reasons for a cause that is supposed to resolve racism, it will never happen.
Ayo believes this because she doesn’t think that racism can occur to whites. She once said that, “reverse racism is an impossibility” (Alkon). In response, Alkon writes,
“So…if, according to Ayo, there is no reverse racism, what was it I
encountered at the University of Michigan when I happily sat down at
the end of a table of black girls in the beginning of my freshman year,
and they all went silent…and looked down at the table at me as if I
were a giant turd with legs?”.
Alkon also brought up the minority fellowships in journalism, sometimes offered to wealthy black people and completely unavailable to a poor white person who’s only option to further their education was community college because they could not afford better (Alkon). If the fellowship situation were reversed, it would be an outrage. Few notice that anyone can feel prejudice based on his or her skin color, not just blacks. If Ayo can realize that blacks are prejudiced because of their skin color, she should also realize that whites and anyone else can go through the same thing, but based on her project, she doesn’t.
Looking even further into Panhandling for Reparations, why do blacks deserve reparations for the slavery of their ancestors? Slavery has been around since ancient times, and has been implemented in numerous cultures in nearly every continent (Hellie). It is likely that most people, if not everyone, has a distant ancestor that was a slave. For everyone in the world to demand reparations because they had a distant ancestor who wasn’t paid for their labor is ludicrous. The only fair way of reparations is for the slave owner to directly pay a person they enslaved. Since it has been many years since slavery existed, we can only pay the descendants. However, how are we to find out who is a descendant of a slave and who isn’t? How are we to find out who is a descendant of a slave owner? Even this approach isn’t fair, because the unlucky people who are the descendant of a slave owner would be forced to pay money to others because of what an ancestor did, even if they agree that slavery is wrong. Also, if this approach went through despite the unfairness, what would it solve? One of the reasons why African Americans want reparations is because their ancestors were held back socially and economically (Brophy). However, it has been over 140 years since slavery has been abolished, and since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, blacks have been given advantages in society such as affirmative action. Many consider affirmative action to be a form of reparations, as we are giving blacks and other minorities a higher chance of getting a job than a white person of equal ability (Brophy). If we were to add reparations to that, it could create more hatred and racism, as whites will now be the ones repressed. If we want to achieve racial equality, reparations are not the way to go. Focusing on the wrongdoings of the past, placing blame on others, and demanding justification will bring us nowhere toward equality. We should look back upon the days of slavery, realize how wrong it was, make sure that it will never happen again, and promote equality for people of all races, which is something Panhandling for Reparations fails to do.
Adrian Piper, another black artists, also creates public art that shows people the wrongness of racism. One of her projects, Funk Lessons, introduced white people to a popular form of black music called funk (Piper). In these, she teaches white people the history of funk, how to appreciate the music, and how to dance to it (Piper). While many were offended by the music upon first hearing it, they gradually began to appreciate the music through these lessons (Piper). The reason for their distaste when first hearing it is simple, just that they were not accustomed to this type of music (Piper). Through these lessons, white people were introduced to some of black culture, and it was a positive experience for all involved (Piper). This is an example of public art against racism that made positive impacts, much unlike Panhandling for Reparations. No one was segregated by race, but only introduced to music of other cultures that they would never have heard or appreciated otherwise. The project brought people together and got people to see beyond their prejudices of funk music and to appreciate its value, which will hopefully one day occur between blacks and whites. By introducing whites to music of black culture, it blends the line between the two cultures and allows people to appreciate a culture they don’t know much about.
Perhaps we look beyond the racism and offensiveness of Panhandling for Reparations and look at it as a new genre public art project. Arlene Raven says that public art “forges direct intersections with social issues” (Kwon, 105). While public art was once more about the aesthetic appeal, lately it has been changing to art with a social function (Kwon, 111). Panhandling for Reparations is not about aesthetics, but about creating intersections with the social issues of slavery, racism, and justice. Ayo uses the project as a tool to promote dialogue about reparations and race (Ayo, Nat’l Day). Kwon also poses many questions about new genre public art on page 117 in her book One Place After Another. One of her questions is, “What criteria of success and failure are posed…in this major reconfiguration of public art that moves aesthetic practice closer to social services?” How are we to define what is successful and what is not? If one defined it by the statement it made about the social issue it brings up, one could consider it as a success because, despite its wrongs, it does get people to talk about race and reparations.
Even though in the world of new genre public art, Panhandling for Reparations would be a success, in the real world it is a failure. It attempts to address the problems of race and slavery and resolve issues, but it only adds to the pot. Addressing the issue of blacks and whites does not need to involve demanding that people with lighter skin pay for what people of lighter skin did in the past to people of darker skin. We should rather introduce public art projects such as Funk Lessons whose goal is to bring people of different races together and introduce each other to their unique cultures. Reparations for slavery will never solve the issues of racism in the world. Rather, we can achieve equality by bringing people of different so called races together to show that we are not made up of Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, or any other race people can come up with, but that we are all a part of the human race.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Essay 3 Outline
Introduction
Damali Ayo is an artist who has been creating public art such as Living Flag: Panhandling for Reparations and her book How to Rent-A-Negro.
Beginning Thesis
Damali's art projects are intended to be works that raise awareness of racial issues, however they also created controversy.
Panhandling for Reparations
In Panhandling for Reparations, Damali makes her argument that black people deserve reparations, but does it in a biased manner.
How to Rent-A-Negro
Ayo's book was a highly controversial piece misunderstood by many.
Ethical Questions
Damali Ayo's works have a common theme of raising African American issues to society, but there were ethical flaws in their approaches.
Public Art
A goal of public art is to raise awareness of a certain social issue, but does the controversy around Ayo's projects help or hinder their meaning?
Conclusion and Ending Thesis
Despite the controversies brought about by Ayo's projects, perhaps they were beneficial.
Quotes
"As public art shifted from large-scale objects, to physically or conceptually site-specific projects, to audience-specific concerns...it moved from an aesthetic function, to a design function, to a social function." -Miwon Kwon
"The dialogue is now to occur between an artist and a community or audience group that is identified as such in relation to some social problem..." -Miwon Kwon
"I'm collecting reparations for slavery right. And I'm collecting it from white people and I'm handing it out to black people." -Damali Ayo in her performance
"This work is more symbolic and satirical- a biting commentary on the state of the reparations debate." -Damali Ayo, on her blog
My essay ideas are still a work in progress. Changes will probably be made, and my essay may not look like this.
Damali Ayo is an artist who has been creating public art such as Living Flag: Panhandling for Reparations and her book How to Rent-A-Negro.
Beginning Thesis
Damali's art projects are intended to be works that raise awareness of racial issues, however they also created controversy.
Panhandling for Reparations
In Panhandling for Reparations, Damali makes her argument that black people deserve reparations, but does it in a biased manner.
How to Rent-A-Negro
Ayo's book was a highly controversial piece misunderstood by many.
Ethical Questions
Damali Ayo's works have a common theme of raising African American issues to society, but there were ethical flaws in their approaches.
Public Art
A goal of public art is to raise awareness of a certain social issue, but does the controversy around Ayo's projects help or hinder their meaning?
Conclusion and Ending Thesis
Despite the controversies brought about by Ayo's projects, perhaps they were beneficial.
Quotes
"As public art shifted from large-scale objects, to physically or conceptually site-specific projects, to audience-specific concerns...it moved from an aesthetic function, to a design function, to a social function." -Miwon Kwon
"The dialogue is now to occur between an artist and a community or audience group that is identified as such in relation to some social problem..." -Miwon Kwon
"I'm collecting reparations for slavery right. And I'm collecting it from white people and I'm handing it out to black people." -Damali Ayo in her performance
"This work is more symbolic and satirical- a biting commentary on the state of the reparations debate." -Damali Ayo, on her blog
My essay ideas are still a work in progress. Changes will probably be made, and my essay may not look like this.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Topic, Questions, Sources
Topic: Damali Ayo's Panhandling for Reparations
Questions:
How did the project go in the many other locations people panhandled for reparations?
Did the project raise awarness about slavery and reparations?
Will there be any lasting impact from the project?
Possible Articles:
Purposeful Panhandling: Volunteers gather money on Portland streets for slavery reparations by the Associated Press. Portland, Oregon newspaper.
Panhandling for Reparations draws ire but also discussion by Erin Hoover Barnett. Newhouse News Service. Portland, Oregon newspaper.
Interview: Damali Ayo on her Web site, rent-a-negro.com.(9:00-10:00 AM)(Broadcast transcript)(Website overview) by Tavis Smiley
Portlanders Beg for Reparations. Portland, Oregon newspaper.
Questions:
How did the project go in the many other locations people panhandled for reparations?
Did the project raise awarness about slavery and reparations?
Will there be any lasting impact from the project?
Possible Articles:
Purposeful Panhandling: Volunteers gather money on Portland streets for slavery reparations by the Associated Press. Portland, Oregon newspaper.
Panhandling for Reparations draws ire but also discussion by Erin Hoover Barnett. Newhouse News Service. Portland, Oregon newspaper.
Interview: Damali Ayo on her Web site, rent-a-negro.com.(9:00-10:00 AM)(Broadcast transcript)(Website overview) by Tavis Smiley
Portlanders Beg for Reparations. Portland, Oregon newspaper.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Ericson and Ziegler
"Art in the public interest forges direct intersections with social issues."
The quote was found in Miwon Kwon's One Place After Another on page 105. It says that public art, such as the projects found in Culture in Action, can tie into and bring light to certain social issues. One such project was Eminent Domain, done by Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler (Kwon 102). The project consisted of color charts with different colors named after an issue with public housing in the Ogden Courts Apartments of Chicago (Kwon 122). Ericson and Ziegler said that "The chart would deal with some specifics about federall funded housing, demographics, etc. It would of course hopefully raise issues that are of concern to the tenants but it would also question the validity and morals of the suburbs which these charts often cater to" (Kwon 122). This public art project ties into social issues of housing with the names of the paint colors, such as HUD Cream, Homeless (which is sky blue), Scattered-Site Coral and FHA Gingerbread (Nesbitt). Because the paint charts were created by the residents, the ones who experience housing social issues such as problems with the FHA or being homeless, the project gave them a voice to raise awareness of the social issues. Their connection is direct, between the issues and the art, which is what public interest art is all about.
Kwon, Miwon. One Place After Another. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002.
Nesbitt, Lois. "Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler." Artforum International 32.n9
(May 1994): 104(1). Academic OneFile. Gale. Syracuse University
Library. 28 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodId=
AONE.
The quote was found in Miwon Kwon's One Place After Another on page 105. It says that public art, such as the projects found in Culture in Action, can tie into and bring light to certain social issues. One such project was Eminent Domain, done by Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler (Kwon 102). The project consisted of color charts with different colors named after an issue with public housing in the Ogden Courts Apartments of Chicago (Kwon 122). Ericson and Ziegler said that "The chart would deal with some specifics about federall funded housing, demographics, etc. It would of course hopefully raise issues that are of concern to the tenants but it would also question the validity and morals of the suburbs which these charts often cater to" (Kwon 122). This public art project ties into social issues of housing with the names of the paint colors, such as HUD Cream, Homeless (which is sky blue), Scattered-Site Coral and FHA Gingerbread (Nesbitt). Because the paint charts were created by the residents, the ones who experience housing social issues such as problems with the FHA or being homeless, the project gave them a voice to raise awareness of the social issues. Their connection is direct, between the issues and the art, which is what public interest art is all about.
Kwon, Miwon. One Place After Another. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002.
Nesbitt, Lois. "Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler." Artforum International 32.n9
(May 1994): 104(1). Academic OneFile. Gale. Syracuse University
Library. 28 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodId=
AONE.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Video and Resistance: Against Documentaries
Originally photography was intended to be visual replications of truth, however, this is not the case. The artists look at documentaries, and how they are supposed to be accurate representations of real life events, yet they are just another form of propaganda. Images and commentary are paired together to give the viewer a sense of only one view existing towards a story. The flow of a documentary gives the viewer no chance to question or interpret the story for themselves, and only to follow along.
The artists describe how photography's original purpose was to be concrete evidence for truth that cannot be found in people's memories. Memories are easily distorted, but with a photograph you get a true representation of a piece of history. Sontag shares a similar view of what photos are and describes them as "not only an image,...an interpretation of the real;it is also a trace, something directly stenciled off the real, like a footprint or a death mask." Sontag also believes that "photographic images are pieces of evidence in an ongoing biography or history." According to the artists, that is the idea behind documentaries. Documentaries are a collection of images to display history as if one actually witnessed it. Both Sontag and the artists view photos in a similar way, as something more concrete than a drawing or a memory, but an actual replication of a moment of time and that photos are a powerful and versatile tool with many uses.
The artists describe how photography's original purpose was to be concrete evidence for truth that cannot be found in people's memories. Memories are easily distorted, but with a photograph you get a true representation of a piece of history. Sontag shares a similar view of what photos are and describes them as "not only an image,...an interpretation of the real;it is also a trace, something directly stenciled off the real, like a footprint or a death mask." Sontag also believes that "photographic images are pieces of evidence in an ongoing biography or history." According to the artists, that is the idea behind documentaries. Documentaries are a collection of images to display history as if one actually witnessed it. Both Sontag and the artists view photos in a similar way, as something more concrete than a drawing or a memory, but an actual replication of a moment of time and that photos are a powerful and versatile tool with many uses.
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