Wn.,,,,,,," . n inlroducC'J" ndic. n)· d ifferem "'ork,n, mahod li and chal­

lellSrli !Tign;ng Icncu, In., , riunl u sk is oomplicned. ",7jth Ihis book Ihc

o ther authors and I hope 10 m.kc eOBl;rne. discou rse Ih.I , ",hile pan of a

Ihinl,or U r hit lOry, is rein"'igonlc.! \Od. y by Iht idulilim of )'01,1111; a" ii t)

uld S1 udc:nu. The Irell\CndOlls recem inlcresl in engaged, carin« public an

lkllUnds. oonlClIl in.n hUIOf'Y and prac'nt ,nll(ISm, It demands .. well

In., gukl.ancc of prcd«flson who an pus on tU111~ 11.....1allo,..tn.,

...hcd 10 mo\'t forw.ni, DOl wff« mdkn rn n"cntion.

1.J.kc!lv..oR it annnpu 10 apb-,in. In., approxh ..'r h..a"rc~n

'Ii C'<>llicioud" coIl..bonu\,e. NOM of us O1"n I~ idru. 1'hor}' h....e

VO"" OUI of a compli.:.llfti history O'\U Ihrt\'~ 1M ..-nun were

lid«tfti b«-.u~ of Inn. undcnund,nJ of nnou. up«u of tholl hlSiory,

R..uher th.n Simply ,011ecrt indl",idu. Ur ...nlll:'l\~y, into ....hoIc._c

h..,c delibn.ltly SCI OUI 10dlvidc and aamiM ""' genrt public an from

... rious perspeceic es,The idea for Ihe book ....cse from . prov.m ealled · Cily Sues:

Anisu and Urb. n Sirollegies.· sponsored in 1989 by the C.tiforn i. College

of An s.rid CDrU.' A M'rin o ( lectures "'lI1 dd iverro al nontradition.l

lil ies in O . klMld by 11:'1\ an il lS "'hoi.t ....ork add.csSfO a panieular cooomu­

rncy on Jpt<'ifiC' ,"un but also stood u. proeoeype (or a ..;der nnGe of

hurmn~Ul\li. ,...., .mill' d ,~sHd lhelr ,..on: .and 1M strncglt'S tM"had dC\'doprd for ",.lehing audiences. 11Icylipoke from Ioc.OOnII di' «1.ly

linked 10 thnr commun.in orsu~ nuntr--f'rom homdns she-lie",

SpulJh-l.angw~ comm unllr librutC'S,c""'retla. rrWmm.ance pr.tgn for(i cy ,..or!tns. con,'.lactnt homes. C'~nt.., ochooh, aed IIlghld"bs.

TIt.ost ",ho aueeded IndvdN DOl onl) srudtnlS.and aru profeuwNb bul

people from .. .. r& range of baclr.grovttds ...ho Iud . special intcrat llllhc

sub ject maUeT of lhew a.rtins.

"

In .&ddlUon 10 kcluring, 1M .anill' wok!Wt in JP«i~ ("l"tnl.l IMy

!wi dcsi gMd. IUd! u progr~ms far M"niorcitiun,. "'OI'"k,hops on ..·,ulr

dl 'f'OAL ~nd <I J-b ppn>i", ... ith ninny founh~C'n. AnlJllI from O~k­

land mC'fIloredS1udmU in a Clall It tM ulifomia CollW of Am~

vafu hdJ In t.Indml with "'"' publiC' WTln; Ihn.t mJdn,1.I okYdoped pro­

pos:.aU fOC' t he-It ,""n InlC'TXti,"C' :utworl... Local_ap.aprn rm ....ucln

Iltal u plond tM wci~ w un ukm up by 1M miring kcrurus. 11w"Cit}·

Siln" smcs YOU Iud( a mockl fOC' _ ~" rubhc <In--soci.Ulr "'Ned.inlftXl,'"r:ut fOl" d,,'aw aud~ncn---asit fUlurnl m.u, media.rd....-auon.

~ lhe- iden lif>CIUOft~ d("loclopmml of 'J'C'f'fK Con' l itUcnc:iocs.

l lte pu rpou of thC' prog ram ....n 10 'p«UI;ttC' on tM oonncoiow

b<1....een the-len ani, 1$.. If ;t """ d iKC'lion in public an " ' .11 indeed laking

,h~p<-<lnd lhe' .."ork iudI,u we-Il AS K\'rr~1 r«enl anidn <lnd eura loml

projce" seem ed 10 , uggcosl lhis-lhe'n the nen quntion wu whether

e-urrr nl ~rilkbm provided 1In 1IpprOpriale- co ntes t in which to co nsid er thil

wo rk"The Ca lifo rn ia College o f ArlStnd C rafts and lhc Heedls uds

~OIer f01'Ihe- Arts 'ponso rw a public ,ympotiu m al the San Fr<lncisco

MUsnlm of Modern Art ~nd '" Ihr« -d ay re lrUI for th irty e-rilic,. ~uruon.

~nd <In"" .I Dun ng lhe''rmposiurn. C'nt itiN "Mapping Ih.., Temin: N ew

Ge-" .e- PubhcAn." 1M particip",,," con,itkred iU lIcs includ ing tlv nerd

10 develop <I cntinllangu..age Ihat " 'ou ld w:Irnllrr;tnd ("l'<lluale- Ihi, ...ork,

un iting ill poIilical and anlhetic upiruiofu..

Inle-rnungl}'. unlil_tl} Ju<h UtUil, haH~ beee hn ked to

e~h U1hcT in 1M cnuul dilo:ourw. n.c, ha'"r b«n (:u nllMd ..-ilhin Innr

.anlIDC' duclplinn-pcrfOl'TnUM:C...ideo. inu<lllarion., p!'woIognphy. 01'"

murat.. for n.ampk-or sun <I' iJOl, led .md idiot) nc:UIK mmpks. If

lhor,' ut e:onln tu<lIiI.N <II &lilt" <>I MKull r e:onsc_ Of" poIi lie.al artists,

fIlQff Of" Ie» in '0fj;1Kdcpmdinll upon 1M CUITmc:y of t lwiTJubj«t rn.Imr,

tlut is., the-unl1}"1lllm.uxlt'TIIua lu..c- bC'cn Km <IS IlUbjC'l;"l-,J'C'cifK. Tho:­

mvnur~ mo<kb;.and undCl'"lpnll ,"wmption, 01 thrir _arks.lfC' specific

10 lhe ir lopiC's :&nd p<TlOnal Slyles. 10 be: ' \11'0:". ret then.lfC' rtLItor po ints

of uni lY th<ll Ih" book Ifts 011110 uplot'e.

AI the-" t>b.ppin g Ihr Te-rnin " rftl'o:"ll ihosc: helping 10 de:-'c-lop Ihis

book listed is,un thll rould he' co\"e-rtd. and ~ugso:"lIed odll: r _ rite:.. who,

"

.....u

un.abk 10 be prese ne, ..' C!'"C' fIo:"'\"ftthclcss 'ny mlKh '" p~rt of the' COIl'au­

rion about IK'"W1lc:n1'o:" publle: an, At 1e-.lS1 once dunng tho:" prllafl of dn fl ­

lIlA Ihcv t'II.I),. bdOl'"C lhe fin.al rc·....rite, 1M <luthors were <lble- to rc..d;tDd

rnpond io e:Kh O1bft ', INnUKnpu. 1ltc-"""len ~ dirmcd ",a)' from

r("l'io:-wing or dCKribt", ",d i..idu~ .uum.and to ud tonSlodmnli qun-

lions md .honK). bu l.all pb.,.o:-d a rok In W~U"ll lhe .utl>ll"hose, ,,·n..u

<11'0:" included in "'"' tornpmdium of thIS book. Rraodft'S an Ihu, INk.: theirown tonntclior» bo:-t.. ttn tM Q\·¢f"'w..·s MId spcculallons _"h", 1M es ­

"'yl aDd Ihe atlU<lI mmpks of .uno--orU,AlIhough fIo:";trly ninny J.n~u an: indudtd In lhe- rompmdium.

no d<IUbl m<lny"'hose- """01'"1.., mi,hl illUllr<lle- lhnt d,>cu,siotu ""e-",

mis)td. md for Ih i, . "e- whom.wr lhe final d« isions <lpoIogiu. T1K a.rtisu

selected do fil J("l e-r",1 « ile:ria: Ihc-y h.a~e- btC'n prxticins ...ilhi n thi, gc-nn:

o r public an for ,ours, m~ny fo r O' "CI'" t ..-e dlXsdc). so Ih"'l lhe-lr . o rk h aS;t

developed. mature, and o ften distilKt b nj;uasr "The-)" 1I. ..e c- ngsged br<»d.

l ~ye-rM. or at ypin l ~udiencc-' , I nd Iho:-y imp ly o r )Ule ide-as abo ul soc!..1

chsnl\( Uld inle-rution. ,\ I<»t impananl , t ho:" ~ f1 i ,u .d«tl"(\ pro' "ide:d iffe\'"

e: nt modd, of pract ice and idooktg y.

In O:-OIlsldmng whum to incl ude:, ..-e ruJiud dUI 1"101all rhe . ·ork

I1K'I our cn lCl'"ia C'\Ill.l1ly" '\li'o:- optnl to ind udc- more n l hc-r Ih<ln Ie...-er e-x '

;tmplt$. Tho:- bound ~ric:s of Ih i, e:hoic:e- ...CTt' in k«pin~ ",,"h the fIo:"""I)t$' of

the I;c-n.rc .., .. til.., lhe-e:n u.:.l1 ,,·rio ng <lboul ii, 11111 ne-<I of~" rn.lkirtg is

Rill tQO lmuu, c- 10 c:ondC'flK lbe.- ftdd of "'quill', Instud. the mmpln;(Te­

IntUlI as a nftfft'lCe-. and tM re-.adcT i, in'"itnl lo ,oi n "-Ith 1M ..-ntC'n ....

ooruidmnt the coaac-.::l ion , .uodd iffc-nnc:n C'ftCompuk'd by the ..-orL

Of IWCc:uitr . the t:UI~., in Ihi, book are lpU'Ulal ;u. but 1M)' .....&11 eo

redr"," CUffe-nldc:foamnn in Ihinkinc .about pu bl '" .an .and 10 poInl oul

pos ,ible mlnU fOf1M usnsmml ofnor be-nrcpu bliC' ;tn..111;, coIJ« IKNl

Ihuf IS not docl"n",i" bu l UsoOali'-e- in n.alure-• .md lIIlCGpC' 1$ Inu,todtd 10

rC'1pond to",",~ m lc:rUl-Md by lhe <ln ilu IhemJCI\"cs. A§ Hou' ton

Cott..-ill and F..slclb Con....lll M.ijoU) u prcsMd It dunng 1M " ~bpping lhe

TCI'"mn " srmpotlum. " Wo:- <;n'&lr m.lp' of bnpal:e thai rq m :, m l cul lunl

pi lyimagcos ~nd meu p hoTic juurfK"YJ of tra nsfQflll ~1 inn and C'lTlflO"'"c:rmc:tlt."

"

CO Ii N iCTl V( AnT" iT I C ~ , AU "'T(I\ I Ii OIVI 01,J A~IH'I }su;C~"ldt

1\$a crll'Cin Ihe ninelie~, I am 001 really iercrened in .... riting (atalog

cnay_ or an reviews. What l::om concerned ...ith is undeu u n<ling the

nature of our cvltuul mylhs and 00'" they evolve-the inn itulional

fr:amework ....e lake for granted bUI ....hich nevertheless deeermmes our

Ii,·<$. One question that has prnxcvpitd me. for instance, iJ what it muns

to be a -SIIC(l.'$l flll" anut wor king in the world to<b y, and ....hether the.

imase Ihat comes 10 mind i1 one "'." u n IUppurt and believe in. Ccnainly

it ~nu Ai if Ihat image i, IInde, soing a radical re-visioning al this time.

The domiIl>;Il! moou of Ihinking in dorsociety h,w e condirie ned

Ui to characterize an primarily ai sp<cialil.ro 00' ts crnted IIOt for moral

or practk al or social reasons, but r".thn 10 be "ontemp!.u cJ and enjoyed.

Within the modern era, an ....as defined by ;t$autonomy and self·s uffi·

ciency. and by its iwl ation from the rest of socielY. Exposing Ih" r.>dical

autonomy of ae~lhetics as S()mnhing Ihat is 1'101 ~nelll r:a l · but iJ an ACtive

panieipant in u pi""list ideclegy hn been a prim.u~· aceomplishmcnt of

lhe aggren i"e ground-clearing work of deetlllslr\l(1i0l1:....Alltonomy.:..."'·e

now see. has ecedemeed an to .ocu,1 impotence b)' turning it into just

another d au d <)biecu for II1.lrktting and ccnsumpeion.

Manic.p.oouction and ccnsurnptioo, oo~pct-2i\':'<:.St:lf;ll$1enion. and

the muimiting of profilS ar" all ceucialre our societ)"s r\OIion of success,

Thest same u sumpl ions, k~ing to maximum ene~ flu...~d mindless

....aste 11 the expenst of poorer coun lri", a.nd of the. cnvironment. h~"e al$O

beeeme the formula for glob~l dnuv ct;on. An itself is not some aneil"'-ry

phenomenon hut is heavily implk-:lled in this ideclog yIn the l.n wor ld.

we are all ~Wlre of the esrem 10 ....hi-tha power-one eted, huruuer::uie

profeu ionalism has promoted a QM-sidetl. c<)l\lumm n ie anirude to....ard

an . l nstitulional models hased on no t'on, of product dn 'd opment and

cart'('r :lC hiC'o cmt'lll ocho the Slerrol)"pie p~ lriarehal ideals ~nd values Ihat

,ha'e bCt'n iruermlized h)' our whole ""I ture and made 10 {'tn-ade e"er~'

el'pcricme_ It is not hard to see ho.... th c , rutilu, i()l'ls and praclic« of the an

....o rld havc been moo d ed on the nme c01lfigurati\lnJ 01 powe r ~nd profil

uut suppo n and maintain our .wdet":, dom' nant "'·otkh·ie"".This ~busi ­

nns ~s u;"ul ~ pJ)'cho logy of affluence is ne w Ihr eatening the «<nptem in

""hi<h ""e lin with ill d)'sfunclI" nal valuts and way of life; it is a single

s)'s tem manipulating the ' ndi,·it!ual into the spiri tually emp!)' relatlon ~h,p

of the prod uccr to the productMan)' people llre a"" llrc thal tltc system 'sn't ....o rk,ng. Ihat it inime

10 m(~,-e on and 10 revise the desreucue e mylhs thai t uide UI. Our "mi re

cultu r:al philoso ph)' and iu narrowntuof «lueem are under imense sere­

lin,.. Among an ists. there ;s , grealcr cri tlcal a"''.lrc~s of the rocial role

of an . and II rejcction of mOOemism'J bogus idroklgy of neutrality. Man)'

artius now n:fu)(' the notion of 1. compktd)' nareiuiSIK uhibition puc·

rice 1tJ the dffirahlc goal for an. f o r 'nstar>e". I"' rfornu.nce anut Guillerffil)

G6tnn-Pcl'ia StalCS; ~ Mon of the work I'n l dlling cunentl)' comes. I Ihink.

from the ruli7,a tion Ihat ",·e're li,-ing in ~ Jtale 01emC'1lency.... I fcd thai

mOn~ than ever V"e mUSt s~tside the Itrietl)· art areru . It is nol enMlgh

to makt' an. ~ In a "milar ,'ein , an, administrator L,nda Fry e Burnham has

<~t'd Ihu gallery an has lost its resonanc e for he,. especially gallery an

by ....h"'l she terms ~white yuppies.. ~ "There is tOO much going on outside.·

she up. - Rul lifl" is calling. I can no longer ignore thc clarno' of disas­

ler----t'COIlOmic. spiritual, en"ironmental, politiul disastet-in the "" odd

in ....hich I move." Perfcl'lions such as mese are a dir<'e' cbahenge to the

.>niJt 's ncrmanve SCUff of h,s or he, role in the ""01111: al su.ke is one's

pers.on~ l idem't)· in relati.:>n to a pan icu],r "iew of life thai oer eulrure h~s

m:&dc a" .>ilahle to \1S.Thalthr ",n world's ulut$. structures, all<! beh",\',ors are in great

fermem has been "vident for S()llle time. and the d('{;onst",ctiolU of the

eight,t$ cerainue to r~ ,-erlxnle profoul\dlr f\ c!in'1X in these upheavals

....as reached for man)' with the eom ro\Cu ial l99} Bit'flnia.l ;lt the 'IX' himer

Museum of American Art-thc lin t multicultu ral "'nd poli' ical Bi( nn1al­

""hith de'nonnr:t t«lthu the an world is under;;oing a dismantling of it~

profCSf ional di tiJm and Ihal ,n closed, sdf ' referential ranks are under

"

I,

,.

CO N N EC T' VE "'UTHETl C S; ... .. T AfT E" I N OI V I OV "' ~I $ H } s. ~ . G~"I.*

As a critic in the ninet ies, I am IlQt ru lly intnettcd in wrineg (at~log

euays or UI reviews. Whal lam concemed with isunder5landing the

natuu"of our cullUm m~'lh) and bow lhey evolve-c-rhe instituliona l

frame....-e rk ...·e take for granted bill which nevertheless dele nni nn ou r

lives. One questio n thu has prwccup iro me, for instance, i, whal il means

to bea ~sucecssful- .ln ist work ing in lhe world toda y. and whether the,

im~ge Ih~1 comes to mind is one we can $lfppo n and believe in. Certainl y

it seems IS if that im~ge is \Indcrgoi ng a n diu l rc" 'isioning at this lime.

The dominant modes of Ihinking in I:/Of sodet)' ha"e condi tioned

us to characterize art primuilr as specialized 00' cre.llN nm fOfmoral

or prACtical o r iIOCi.ll re";On;: bUI rather to be contemplated and enjoyrd.

With in the modern eu, llrt W ;IS defined by it, aUlooomy and sclt' suffi­

cierlC)', and by iu isolnion from the rC$t of so.:.iel)'. Ellpos ing the nld ical

~ulonomy of aestherics as some th ing th~t is 001 "neulral" bUI is 2011 aeli"e

~nicipan l in capitalisl idrologr has~n a pri mary aUQmplishmem of

the aweui\'e ground.de",ring work of dC«lnwuetioQ.:juIQoomy:..,....e

now $~, hI' con demned art IQsocial impo tence by turning il into jlUl

",no ther c1u s of objtCts for muketing and consumpncu.

Mani, produCliQn and confU mpliQn. eQQlp!!iti"c~rtion, and-the maximi7;ins Qf profits arc all cruci al to our soc iely 's flOlion of suecen.

These ume u , umptions.leading 10 maximum encrgy flow and mindless

wute 11the expense Qf poorer cou ntries and Qf the enviro nment, have 1.ll-O

become lhe fQrmul.l for glob~l desreucrion . An itsclf is nol some ancillary

phenomenon bUI il he1.vily implicated in Ihis idtQI~. In the an world.

...e are 111 aware of the exter a to which 1. powe!'"orielltN, bureauenuk

profe,sionalism hu promot ed 1. one-sided, cc nsumeri siic attitude reward

art. InS\itut ;"nal modd,!»sed on OOlions Q( product devejopmcm and

career 1, hie\'etnem echo the srereorypic patrionehal ideals ~nd ~ aluu t hat

"

•,

,

,have b«n imerna li1ed b)' ou r whole culture and nude to P'CI'\."de c" cr}'

eXf'<'riencc. It il nOI hond 10see 110...· the in~l itu tions ;& nd pr~clku of rhe art

~rld have been modeled on the $ame eonfigu....l ions of po...-er and profit

I h~1 support and m.untain our $OCi('t ~', do minant worldview.Th is "busi·

neu a~ usual" pS ~'ehologt of <lffl u~nce is now threatening the ~OI)'SI Cm in

whieh ~'e Ii,'~ " 'ith it. d\·sful1Clion.ll nlue. and W1V of life: it i, a single. .system manipulaling the individual into the spiritually emptv rclaliouship

of III<- producer to the producl.

M~ny poople are a...·are rhat the system i~II'1 working, thaI il is lime

10 move Qn and IQ revise the destructive mphl that guidt us. Our entire

cultural philosoph,. ~nd its narrowness of concern are I,mder imellU scru·

liny. Amons ani$ IS, there il a grealer erincal awareness Qf the social ro le

Qf arl. aod 1 rejection 01mod ernism'l bog us idcolog)' of neulral;I)" M~ny

anisu no.... refuse the 1101 ; 011 of 1. complelely nal"l:issistic exhibi tion pr.te·

lice af the dn ir1b1e G;Qal fOf" MI. For inslante, pcrfOl'l'1Unce 1rlist G uillermo

G6me1-Pciia Sl1les, ~ Mo~1 of the ....ork I'm J oinl; eurrentlyeomc:s . I think,

from Ihe ru li1..1.t i<>n thaI ....' ·re li.;ing In <l Slale uf cmery;ency. . .. I Ieelrhat

more Ihm ever ~'e muSt SttP<:,uuide Ihe Slrinl )' an oncna. It is oot eno ugh

10 make an." In a similar ,·...in. an, administruvr I.joda Frye Burnha m h1S

eGf~c-d that G;~llcr)' arl hu 1011 ils reson ance fQr h~ r, "sp«i111y !p ller)' aft

by ..,hat she terml ~ whi [t )'Upplcl. " "There is roo much , oing on outside,"

Ih,' uyl. • Ru l li(e i, calling. I un no longcr ignore the d~mor of J iu, ­

rer-c-ecceomic, Ipirilu"l, ",n,·iron mcnt:>.l. political d iu $lcr- in rhe ....oetd

in ....hich I mo.'e." Perceplion s such .l$these arc ~ direcechallenge 10Ihe

~ni, t's normali" ... sense of his or her role in rhe ~'orld: at $lake IS one's

pt'rSQul identity In relation to a f'an icular ,·i",... of life I h~ t ou r cultu re h.t!

made a,"~ ilable to us.

Tha I the an world's values, , tN eture'. and bcha\'iors are in grul

fermenl h.l$been e"idcnt fo r~e time, ~ nd the decorutruetions of rhe

eighties cQn[inue to reverberate prQflWooly. A d imu in thu c uf' he~'",ls

WI' reached for many ....ith the contro"ersial l 'l'9) Bienni1.l al the WhilneY

Museum Qf American An-the first m\llticultunl and polirical Bicl1nial­

....hieh d, mOI1$1r.ttcJ thaI the an world i, undergoing a d ism~ntl inl; of its

professiunal elitism ;and thaI in closed, u lf_referent ial ranks are under

"

,

h....,·y s,");e, Much of tM new an (ocuso On social':Teat,,"it)" rarh...r than un

...If-expression and mmn.diclS t~ myth of the isoLled genius-pn""t....

subj('(Cli,·..., behi nd c1<»cd doo rs ,n rh... studio. separate from cr hers and th...

wor ld. A.I . h,,1t arl\u " in this essay.neat i "i t ~· in the modern wo rld has

gone hand in hand .... ith iodjvidualism and has been "i"'''''n! stricti)"as an

indh'idual pn.,nomenon. I b..li......·... this conuption of an is one of the th ings

Ihal are no.... cha nging _

r As rhc work of artists ....ho an' discu s, ...d in this hook makcs d car,

th" r... is a d iSlinCl shih in 1M locus of crealh-ity from the aU lOnomous. self­

m ntai ned ind i,-iduallo a new kind o ( dialogiul StnlClUU thaI frequ...nd~· is

\ no t Ih... prod uct of a singlt' ind i,-id ual bu t is the T<'$ul l of a cotlaborali,'t'

and interdependent proc ess. As anists . tcp u ut of lhe old framework J nd

reconsider whal il m.....n. to bean anist, Ih...y are ueo!'.r ruCling rh.......b ­

liomhip between indi,-ldual and community. between an ...ork and public.

l oo king at an in terms of KlCi~lJ?u~rather than ' :!!ual nylt'. an;<!

sett ing J high priority on opcnne ss 10 .... hat is O thcr, causes many of OUr

cheris hed nOlions to break do wn: tnt' , ision o f brisk sales , well-pat ronized

gallmes. good r",-io.-s. and a large. ad min ng audieece. As Rid u rd Shus­

terman ".-nICS in Pr"gm"/lsi Atstbelics, · Th... bel lhat o ur en l'"leht'd

inst itut ions of an ha"e lo ng be...n eluisr and oppressi.·c does nOI mean

that they mUSl rem ain such. , . . Th...rc is no compelli ng r...aso n to acCCpl

Ih... narro""ly R sthctic limitsim~ by Ih... establ ished id""I~. ofaUIOnom ous an. ~

In !'ebruar r 1'J94. 1 had occasion to lapc a concers.nion wilh

rhe Ut dealer leo Castelli, in wh ich h... com mented about the Whitney

show,' II was ~ sea change. not JUSt an y dunge. B.........use I had to acccpt

Ihe f.lel that lhe " 'ondcrful days of the era that I pan icipau:d in. and in

which I had plal'ed a substant ial role. ""ere o ,·cr." In HaJ Modrm lSm

Failed? I ....r"~...j G ...neutly spea king, th ... dr n ~mics of pro fessionalize­

lion do not d ispose' anists 1('10 acccpt their moral mit'; professionals H'" eo n­

ditioned 10 noid thinkiog:about problcms thar do DOl bear d irectlr On

Ih";r work." Since writin g Ihis a d ecade ago. il seems as if th ... picture has

changed_Th e politics of reconccplUali~.at i on has bq;un, and Ihe se.rch

fo r ~ ne'" ~g...nd.J. for;lJl h.u become ~ conscious s..... rch.

(n cc nsidcring th... implications of this ~sea changt'. " one thing is

clear: 10 be ~ble to SCeCUlTeDl sesrheric idwlogy as aet i"d)' co ntributing to

the mOSt serious problems of our lim e m...ans bruking rhecultura l t rancc

and rcquires a chan gc of heart . The whok framework of mod er nist aes-

thet ics " t ied 10 Ih... ob ject ifring ...o os..-iollsness of the sci...m ific wod d-

';ew; lik scienlists, anists in our cultur... ha"c been ...ondilioned nol to

...·OlTy aboUl I..... ~ppl ic-ation. or con"""!I1\.".,.,s o r moral purpose of their

acti,·ily. It is cnough to g"ncrale resul ts. llul JUSI as the sho n comi ngs of

' obj« li, ('" sci...nce a....beco ming apparent, ....... ar... also be,g innin g to per­

c.,;,·... 00'" the rC<! UCIi,-e and n...utralizing aspects of acsthetics and ~an for

an \ sakc·Iu,·... significan lly rcmo"C<! an from an)' li" inj\ soc ial conlext o r

moral imperat;"c eXL'cpt Ihat o f academic an history and the gallery srs '

rem. We ar... beginning to perceive how, by d isa"o ,,-ing an 's co mmunal

dimension. lhe romannc myih o f actoncmous ind i"idualism ha. crippled

art's etfeeriveness and ;n ilurnc... in thc social world.

The quest for freedom and autonomy has been nowher... b..- tte r sum~

marized for me than in Ihe!c co mments b )' the painter Georg Ih selilz,

publ ished in 1M caulog of his exhibition ..t the \l:·hit ...chapel A n Gallery

in London in 198J:

;;;... a rt;";, "o t uS/'Q",iblt' /0 ,mJone. H is wri.Jl role is .._;.,,/; hi, onl)' re,po,,­

s>b,llly Ct»IJ'SiS m ." '''!lIlIae IU ,be- ......,.; be JQts. TINrt' lS" 0 rommll",c" rion

~lfb <rny p. bfic ;-.-h" I>Or.Y7. Tht'JJ'l1U u " .uk 110 qlltsriorl " d bt' m".""s" 0

J,,, t..mC7tt; '" offe.. "0 ;"[I)""..,io" . "nd bis l.-orlr U n" ot be d. Ir tJ the ""d

p Ii'hi,h "'''11/1, '" my e",e, the p,a",.....

Mor.. tlLln.J.deade old. rbese commeeis by DO'" nu.,. sound hope'

lessly OUt o f da le, bu t in a more recem 'm en 'e"'· in AJ'I Nrun. le "'as dc.ar

th Jllhc anist had i,, "o " 'ar altered his \'i" ..-s_~The idea of changi ng or

improving th... world is alien 10 m... and seems ludicro us. - Basd itz said.

"Socicry functions. and al""ars hu.. " 'ithou t 11.... ar1;SI. No arti n Ius C\'cr

changed anyth ing for bcner or ...o rsc _ ~ H idden behind these comm"'nts is

the p<:r~onal and cultu ral my th thaI h... forme-d lhc ani ~t'~ idcntit)" in th...

mOlk rn worl d : rhe myth of the solitary b'eni u<whose perf ct io n Ii.... in

absolu.... independence from the world. ~lif... i. so horribl • Gus",,-e

Fbub<.n wrote ~I th e bcginni nll of the mod ern era, · th ~t Or>c can only bear

it hy H oidin!: it. And Ihot c~ n he dun e b~' I;,' ing in Ihe world of HI ." Fo r

j ean-Paul Sanre. the e"islem i~1 tt\l lh o f Ihe human ~i tuat ion wn ilSco n­

lingency, man's sense dut ht docs not belong-is OOt ncccsSH}'---!o lht

uni,·coc. Since life ...as ubitrar)· VMJ ""'Ml inglcss, Sarrre .ld,-ioed Ihn .."

must a111,,~rn to live withoul h~. ~nd th e English wrher Cyril Connoll ~'

summed up ~ whol" cu ltu ral eth os of ~Iien~l ion with these now l<lend~ry

eomm..nt~: " It is dosing lime in rhe gudens of lhe 'IX'''~10 f rom nOWon ~n

~ni Sl ""ill boo: judg.-d orl1)" by the rCSOnMlCe of his solitude and the qu~lity

of hisd<'Sp~i ,.· Wrnint; abour this form of o ntological distrusl, rhis eoee of

"no confi de ncc· in th... I.Eni,·~, Colin Wilson in A" 1",roJ" r;rion 10 Ib..

N t'MJ Exisr"'rlliaJi. m r..ref'S to the p~r.wigm of ~Iienation ~s lhe "fu l ilit~,

hypolhesis - of life-the nOlhingncn, estrJng..mem, ~nd ~li..n~t ion that

have f<lrmed a eonsi d,'r~bl.. p~n of the im~gc w.. h~vc of ourse!>"..s.

'I ~' friend P~trici~ Cmo., who t....¥I-.cs ~t the Kans.lS City An

Institut e, no... rders to Ihis pm inJ lu miOO-S<.'t U · N d mod..mism.· 10 ~

C(lu!"St" sl>.- gives <In r..rrmt ing the self. h.-r studen ts are insu lICI.-d ~00u1 lhe

d~ogerof beEC'\";ng ,h~1 hutruln~ (....helh.-r they are artists Dr nOl) a, " some­

ho'" outside o f, o r exempt from, a respo nsibiHtr to rociel}" Or to the en" i­

ronmem. \\:'e h ~,'" been raoghrro experi..nce the self;l$ private. suhjective,

sepJnte. fro m others ~oo the "'·0I1d. This no tion of iOOi ,-K\u"lism has so

com p!nel}'$It\letu red ~nistic idenriry md e<>1o,ed our ri.".· of an du t e--cn

for Ml anisllik.. Chrino, wbose public pm j«u such as R"n1fing Fmu md

the more recent Umbrl'lfai Tequire rhe panicipation and cooper-Ilion of

thous ands of people, inne r consciousness is still domin <lt cd by the feeling

o( being Indepe ndent. soliury. ~oo n-parate . In an intcn'icw in Flash Arl,

Christo commented:

T1H:~ ofan IS irT~ I'O'If41 ..nd~s irTft/'O.u,hlt'. ,\ -obody "nds ,s. TIN

'Or .l> IS " h"gt mdiciJ",,11SI1c gr' l"rt Ibat i. I'miul, dt'(IJ ..d by ", ... . . . 0 "..ofth.. greaUl1« mlrib" tiom ofmodlm arl i, ,h I "Olro" ofi""if.'id",,lism..

/ Ihin.l> th .. artiSIc..n da any/hi"g hI''i/,;an/S10do. rhi, i. ",'h, I ""0"1,, n"",...

"CUpl .comm iS<lo11. Ind"plndt'nCt' il mo.1impf'tr. m to me, rh.. ....."" of.n j.

" r.n..IIIM of[rudom.

"

Christo's Jele"m of freedom is ebc unw~"cring, C"·er-prrs..nt mo r..I

impo.'rati'·e I h~t continues 10 be brandished poli linlly ~$ wdl <IS philo­

sophie~lIy in t il the modun mldi l ions o f Western thought. It r""erocrated

loudly in the ia rease con troversy tlut f\1g.-d for se ,·en.1yean o"e r the

pf'OpOSftl rcmo,·,,1of Richard SMn's eo mmisJionnl sculptur.. TJrt'J A rc

fro m its site a, Federal PIau in do...·mo wn Abnh~It:ln. Although co n-

cei..ed specifically for rhe site, Ih... sc,'cnry-thre..-to n Ie"ning curve of

welded sled. which '>',,, i n st~lled in 1'18 1 by rhc go\-ern mem's Arl in Ar­

chitecture Progf\1m.provtd so unpopuIH and obsu-ecrive to local office

"" orkers dut rbey pelilioncd to ha\'e it I ......O\ed. A5 One ..mp1or «' of th.­

u.s. Dcp>.nmcnl of Educaoon srared ar rhe tinK: - h!u.s dampened our

spirits C"'''\}' day. h has turned imo a hulk of ruSty sled and d .....lr. "11"""1

to us, il dOf'sn 't h ~" e any ~ ppe:l!. II might h~,· ... artistic ..alue but JUS t not

here . . . anJ fo r Ihose of us at the plna I would lik.-10 J~y. ple~se do us ~

b "or :>nd lakc il """~~ .•

s..rra·s response. a...ash in the spinl of -bad mod ernism.· .."s 10 Sue

the gO"cmmenl for th i'T)' million dollan because il had -delibeu td}'

ind uce<!· publ ic hostil iT)' 10 ..'~rd his ..on.. ~nd rri.-d 10 have it forcib ly

r' mo" ro. To remove the wor k, ~eeording 10 Scrr~, w:os to destmr ir. Scm

sued fo r breach of cont ract and ..iol ~t ion of his COnStilUlion,,1 rights: ten

million dollars for his loss of sales ~nd eommin;on, ten million for harm 10

his anist ic reputauon, 100 ten million in punit i..... dMlUges for ,·iolatio n of

his nghu. In j ulr 1987, the F.-dera1 Disuiel Coun ruled againsl Serra, and

in M:rrc.h 1989, the SCII lptur.. "''AS; remo..e<! (rom th... site.

'lX'h~ l the Tilu d Arc cont rO"ets)' fo rces us to cons ider is whether

~n that is ccn lerM o n not ions of PUte freedom and radical autonom y. and

subscq uendr inscn.-d into Ihe pub lic sph CTe without ,e gard fOllh, rela­

rio Dship it has to other people. lO rhe community, or dn, conswef\1tio n

ncqn tl>.- purs uit o f art. un con rribure 10 t l>.- co mmon ljOOd. Me.,.,.tr to

pose thc q Ue$I;o n. howe,·c,. ind icates tb3t ""hat h:u most dislingu ished

:lCsth..t ic ph iloso ph)' in the mod ern paradigm is a de , ire fo ' art thai is

absolmclr (r.... of ehe prelensions of doing the "'odd ~ nr good . "I do n'e

kno..' ..·h~1 public an is, reaily;~ lhe: sculpto r Chris Bu,den once said. " '

jusl make an. Publ.ic an is something else. I'm not SUrt it's art. I thi nk it's

"

~boU I ~ I«'ul ~gmd~. ~ JUSt~ disin le'filcGand "n lue-fr« " scienc e oon ­

t~ins n<) innn , csu'lIi" t ", ithin it> mrdloOdolO\>.'· !lUI woul d linUI ....h~ t il

fed, cmirlcd 10 do , · v, llIr-fru · ~t;\Il\Ctki)m rev""l, nOlhing about tltc

limits aee should respect, or Ihc co "nnuuil}' it migln s.... ...'c.

Modcrn ist acnhcdcs. c01\(cmt'd willt ilself li S th t: ch id sourc.... of

value. did I'lOt inspire ereaive f'lrt .....i pnion~ ralko-. it "ncou u ged dis la lK­

i"6 and deprecianon of the OtMr. h s n<)nrd"l ionaL nonimeracl i, 'e,

r>onpan icipalC>ry' on"m alion did DOl u si]) ac«>mmocLI .... die fl\OR" femi .

nino: 'alues of n r.... and oomfWsiort. of sc:c:ing and respondi"!; 10 n«d. Thc

notion o f po"'er Ihal is im plied b,. ..ucrti "g o nc·' indi,·idu ..Ii~' and ha" ing

une's .....y Ih ruligh bei ng in'·ulnr ra bl.... l....ads. 6 nall}'.to a deade"inK of

em pathr. Th model o f the anisl as a lon .... lienius struggling againSI society

dO<"$ nOI allo · us 10 focus o n Ihe b•."ne6"..1and ht:alin!> role of social

intcrKtion. nor doxs it tend itself 10 ....hn ph ilosopher D.."id :>.Iichacl

Le"in ults ~mlighlcnrd lislcni~" ~ liSlm flrg-1n..1 is oric:nlCd reward 1I\C

achiC"emrnl I,Jf sh..red undcrsu ndinp. As LC\·in . ·riln in The Lutmmg

k if, "'«'e needw Ihink abo ul 'p rUlku of the Kif thn ""den/a"d tM

essent ial inl...rt",·ining of selfand c sber; SC'lf ..nd so.:iny. thaI ar': aware of

she sub tle compl""i lics o f rhis int...n,,·in ing. "

Cenainly lh.... $Cnse o f being iso laled fro m I h~· wo-ld and alo ne wilh

o ue's creations i, ;1. common ....xpe rtenc.... fo r art isls in our cu lture. rbe resulr

of modernism's hislon.... failurr 10 con nect ""hh rhc arch elypal Olher. As

Xanc~- h ou ...r pUIS il in hrr bouk UnntJ,. !'Tani«,." "Th< monulog;'" ,oj.,..... is

lhe: Romani;'" indi, 'id ualiSI , i....- in , 'hkh .. . a soli t at"~· "oIeC [is) err ing OUI

into thl." nighl ..gainS! an utterly undifferen l ialed Inc:ksround . ... T'hcre is

no room for .. repl y Iha t cwld qualif)":u a difft'Teol ..oic e, T hen: isno

room fo r interaction.~ "The art ist co n,id...rs his iso lanon, h is subjt'i.:livit}·.

his individualism :llmo~1 holy.~ Stat\'$ film di rector lngmar Bergm an.

~TItu ~ wc finall)' g.ll l,er 1000ether in on< large pen. where ....... ~talld and

bl...at abolJl our Ionclin~ "'ilhoul I;neoing 10 ellch olher and without

r...,.lil.;ng dUI "'-c are slTlOl.hmng e;>eh OIher 10 deuh."·Art ...nnol IM, :l

~e.~ lhe French " 'nler Albrn C amus 0 ............ roiC. ·Contu~· 10

tltt C1.l lTflll prnumption. if 1Mn- is any nun who Ius I'lO right 10 so litud.....

it ;s til< art i,t."

"

All of ""hieh brings me dirffd )' 10 Ihe q uesl ;on or ...hether an n n

build eommuni~·. Arc lherr ,·iab l... a1lcmath·cs 10 " ;ewins Ih.: self in :ln

ind ;vid ualilit ie mJ nner ! And if 50, h.,,,,· docs th;liaffeci our norion of

"succc,, · ? Can anislS and art inst itu l io ns rcdefin.. themselves in less spa:­

moriall )" oeieneed warli in order 10 regain tltc e" pe rienc.. of inrc-co nnecr­

rdn<'u-.f sllbj«t and object intert ...·;ning-l.hal "'aSIOSI in d u..lisl ic

Enlightcnmem ph i1oK>phic:s, ...hie h COIISlrued the ...orld as a spccuek

10br~'rd from <Ifat" bY:l disembodiedere?

\1'11cn C alifo rni..a :lrtis l Jo nath.m 8orofsk r :lnd his collabol";llor.

ar)' G Ll5sm:l1l. lu' clcd in 19S5-86 10 three differenl prisons in C..lifornia

in o rder 10 nuke Iheir ,·ideo dOC'Um...nla~· Prison...,.,. Iher did not l!i" in Ih...

modc o f network reporters imendi ng 10 obsc -e '01 a d istance and then

describe the conditions Ih<,y fou nd . Inslead rh y went to liucn to th...

priso ners in order 10 tr y and undersund Ihri r pligh l . The" "'anled to

und...rsl:lnd fo r thr msch·cs ....hat il .......<ln510 bea pnsoner in Ih is society.

10 10k" }OIIr freedom aed li,'c " our lift' loc ked up in :l cemem box.

Borofsky md Glassman in" i\<d prUol'lr'TS to ta lk about d'fir liv<s .-nd

lI!xlut whal hJd SOIW ...rong fur lhc:m. In Ihe video SOfll\' o f Ih... prt.onen

shue poems the)" ha"e wr illen or sho ... art...·o rks lhe,· Ita"e mad e. Con­

versing with the ,·ide.., makers. tit",. describe the o ppre» i..encss of life

i" i id.. a prison. whue ev...rylhin g is programmcd and i\COp1cneve r gel 10

talk i ponu.nrou, lr aboul rbemselvcs because no o ne is intere sted. Th....

r..no.·lt'dj;(' thai oor is be ing hurd. accordi ng to Glassman. crc:lICS :l sense

of cm P'J""cnnenl.

In Suzanne Lacy's TwCT]U~f Q_i!l. performed in Minn...apolis on

MOlher$lh~' in 19$7. 1Ip~ion of ...)Oo ldcr "'·omen. ...l1 d ressed in

bla...k,!hIt down logelher <II tables in groups o f four. to discu ss ....ith each

c rher Ihcir accom plishm cnu ..nd diuppointme nts, their hopes and fu rs

abour 19inj;, in a ct." remonially orche ~lratcd artwo rk. A prereconlcd sou nd

t rack of the vciees of k" emy -two ,,·om ...n <II the rables pro jeClW their

rd1 .......lio ns \Qud ...nough 10 be heard by Ih... aud iencc. ~W...·r... no IongC"l"

sill illl; Ito....... in Inc rorking chai r anti knill ing. lik... ~·ou think of grandmas

in the old d.-ys.. We gr..nd nus ~1't'II '1 doiol; th '-I <tnpoore ." com ments nne

of 1M "'·omm on lhe audiou.pe.. - I lh ink a lot o f St."nml ~· CO m<:$ from Ihr

..

f~~1 th'lI oobod~' asks r ou an ylhing, - su tl'S another. " No body asks r o u to

spl"ak. Preny soon,)'ou lose r o ur memo..,'. I s l.lf(~r a lot from peoplc 001

IUlcn ing 10 mt:. -

Empathie lislcning nukc:s room for the Othe, ~nd dec cnlulizl'f lhe

q;o-St:lf. G i\-rng each person a ..oi« is ...·1u.1 bu ilds comm unil)' and mak es

~n social!}' rn pons.i,·e. InleTKtM>n b«oma Ihe medi um of opression,:on

cmp~l hie a}· of seeing th,ough artOIher's eres.. - Like a subj«u ,'c IJIlhTO+

poologiSI.- rit es Lac)', - jthe arml enltt5] lhe tctritOf}' of the Otha'. ;and" ,

b«omt'S a cond uit fo r (Iheir]upl"ri~. The " 'o,k beco mes a ~aphOC"

fo , maliolUh ip-"'h i<;h has a hnfing po...~,.- When there is no q u;';k fill:

for some of ou r mo st prn sing soci al problems, xco,ding 10 Lacr. rbere

may be only our abilitr to ...ilAdSand Iecl the ru lil)' uking place arou nd

us. "T his feelingness U a service: lhat art ists off~r 10 the " 'orld, " she $.iys.

Afte r Mierle Laderrrun Ukeles bec ame the unsJlaried, St:lf-:l.ppoinu:d

ar tist -ie-res idencc arrhc Ne'" York CilY Sanil.w.on DepJ rlment in 1978,

she Went on rounds wilh $.lJIilalion workers and fore men from fifly · nine

municipal disericrs, talking with them . nd gelting 10 kno w them. H er firs t

p; c:c:e of an was a pcrform~nce \\'ork u lle<! Tou,h San i/alion , whi~h ....enr

o n for eleven mo nlhs. Du rin g lh.;.1 t ime she .. isitcd the five boroughs o r

K~w Yo rk and shook h.>rlds with 8,500 workers. - It " 'OU an eighl -hour-da r

performlnce ,,'ork, - she states. " J'd rome in at ro ll call, Ihen ""alk lheir

routes ....ith them" " I did a ritual in ",'h teh I bCN each p<'I"son and shook

Iht:ir hInd: and I said , "Thank }'ou Ior keeping N ew York Cit)' alive.tTbe

real a,",'ork is the h~ndsluke iudf. Whm I sluke hands ..nIh" sanituion

IIWl , .. I p rl'fCm Ihis idea and pnfonnance 10 lht:m, and lhen. ill ho"'lber

r<'Spond, tlvy fin u h theart.- TQMcb.tvr" "llOn ,.·u Ukdrs 's firsl aucmpt

10 commu llieate as an artisl: ,,' ith lbe ,,·ork cn. to o vercome tw-ricn ando pen lbe ...~}" 10 undersunding-to bri ng aw~rcnns and a.ring in to her

K lions b) list eni ng.

I\n tlu.l is ' OOIed ;n ~ " Iu lening- §clf. thai cultin lO,"$ I.... intertwin­

ing of §c!f and Other. sl.lggcsls a flow -through experience ...·hich is not

delimired b )' Ihe self but utends into the eommunitr thrccgh modes of

reciproc al emp~th}-. Beeau:sc th is an is listee er-cc ntc red ""t her th :>.n vision­

ori~Olcd, il n nnot be fl.llly re~li:ud through the mode of sclf-Cl'preS$lon: il

"

can onl}' come inro its o....n Ihro",gh di..l.IOj;U<'.,u OJ'C'n con'·crsat ion. in

..·hich 011(' linms to and includes other "oitts, For ,""n)"artists no ..·• this

moe"nsln ting pfC\;ouslr excluded groups Jpc'ak dim;t1r of thei r 0 "'11

expeneece. The aud ience becomes an KI;\"ol' eomponem of I.... ,.'o rk and ;s

pan of the proeess. ThislutminJjorient~lion ch" lknge, Ihe domin:>.Ot

oculan:emric tradition.. which sUSbCS!s llul an is"n ....pcricncc anilabl.e

prim.a.ril) to 1M "re, and represents ~ R':>.llhifl in paradigms. As D~vid

M i<;Jud l .:>;n Sl.lt~ in MoJ""lty ~mJ tbc Htgtmony of Visioll, -This mar

be d w: timc-. the appropri.l.t., hisloric~l molTlCnl. to encouraJ;C J.IKI promolC

a shift in parad i\!:ms. a ~ul rural drift Ih~l, IIIsome ClClent, St:C:II\$ alrcJ.dy 10

be I~k;ng plJ.e e. I am referring, o f course, to Ih" d rift from s«ing 10 IlslCn­

ing, and to Ihe hismrinl porcneial fo r a pa radipn shift displacing visio n

~nd inslalling Ih" " ~rr d ifferent influence of li, t"n ing.-

New models pUIforward by quantum ph)'sl",s. "col~ " and srstem~

theory that define th e wo rld in lerms of interact ing processes and relati on :>.1

fidds c:>. 11 for imegrat in ' modes of Ihinking th~t focus o n Ihe rehricna!

nature of re:>. litr rath"r tha n o n d iscrete o bjects. b cy states . - " oeu. ing on

aspects o f int<.'rJ.Clionand rcl:>'lio nship rath~r than on an objects calls for '"

ndie~l rearrangemen t in our cs pectariore of whJI an :>. n ist doa.- (I 0.1Is

for ~ d ifl'erc:nt approa~h 10 making an and l'\"q llires" differem seeof skills.

To rra.,s.cend lhe moderniSl. ..ision -<cm~rcd pJ.radigm ~nd its spcct"to ri,U

epislemology, ,.·c neN a rdramingp~s thai """l ei SCTlSol'of this mo re

interacli'·e. intersub jCC'l i"e p ract ice ...hi~h is cmcrginS- We u nnol judge

lhe 11<:.... m b" lbc o ld standnds.. -'nformed by an iOlctacth'e ~nd re:c:.cpli>....

nornu lh;tr.li~teni ng genmtO" a ,....ry differenl q1lJtem~ and onlolog~'-J.

"C'ry d iffCi"C'nl meuph}'sics,- write LC\;IL

Modcm ism's confroo u lional onellu lion , nulted from deep habils

of th inki", tlul SCt in oppos ition society and the ind i"idll"l ,u 1.....0 COlI­

tra,) and anuto"i$ l i~ Categories, neil her of ...hic h coul d apand o r de ­

\'dop n;~cpt al lhe CXpn1St: of the ot her. Thc Ieee ~nd .self·sufficien t indi ­

,'id l.l~l lw loog be:en Ihe ideal of Ol,Irrollll re. and ~" isIS cspcci~lI~' have

seen themser.-csas q uiarcssemial free agC'nl$. pursuinJj Ihcir own ends.

But if mod ern ism, and Ihe art lhat emCIl.ed ", ith it. d.:>-dopcd ~round thc

nodon of " uniqu e :l.OO separate self. the an genel'iltcd by whn I ha"e called

"

· ,.

· co nneai'·e ...othetiC$· is ,·el)· d ifferern . As I ha"e ...rgu...d in The Rem _

cb">ltment of An, radic al rd.at~ncss hAS d ramat ic imp lic...t ions fo r ou r

undees....oding o f an and ccmeibetes 10 a new COI'I$Ciousncss of howlhe

self is to be defined and experienced, For one rhing, me bou ndu r ~·«n

self ;rnd Othcr is fluid rasher (lun fixed: Ihc Other i. included within 1M

bo undar)· of sclfhcod. We arc u lking about a mere imersubj""li'·e "crsion

of the . elf that i. muncd 10 Ihe interrcl ... riorul. ecological. and im eracti,'e

chataeler of realitr. · Myself now includes the ninfore5', ~ "..riles AU5tU ­

lian deep ecologill John Seed. ~ It includes d ean air and wat er.~

T he mod e of distanecd. obj,x ti" e knowing, ....", ovcd fro m moral o r

social rcspon~i b ilil)'. has bct,n the animaling mOlif of bolh science and art

in the mod em "'·orld. O bjecli,·it )" Slrips a......>' emo tion. "'am s only the

facts. and i. detached fro m fuling. Objccri"ily sc...... as a d isuncin~ de­

viee. presu ming a world Ihn SI...nds M orc us 10 be scen. su...·e~·ro• .and

manipulated. Ho ..·• then. Ull we ,hift ou r ustf:j,( " 'ay o f Ihinking abou l an

so thai it b«omcs more compa.s. io ru.tc ? Ho w do " 'e achiC\·e Ihe • ..·o rld

,,;,..., of atUchmenl "~1(:;IChmcnllo;rnd co min uiry wilh 1M world_luI

archnn>al p'~'chologist Jama H illman u.Iks about? To 5« our inlCrd~n ­

dellCe;rnd irneeccnnectedness is Ihc feminine perspective thaI has been

missing no ' only in our sci,:mifie Ihinking and policy making but in o ur

a... thetic philo.oph y as well. C are and compassion do not belong to the

false ~objeel i,-i.m ~ of Ihc disintc n,slcJ gne; CMe and comp~"ion u e rhe

tools of the 'oul. bUl the}' are oflen rid icule'llb) ' ou r sociely. which has

been wcak in Ihe ('mpathic moJc. Gary Zu kav p UIS it well in The Sr"t 4the Soul, "..hen he States that there is currentl y no placc fo r spirituality, or

Ihe m ncctnSof the heart, ""ilhi " science. poli ti~. business. or acadcmi... .

Zu lu,· does n'l menti on ...n , but un.i l r...,..ntly Ihe re h..... b«ll no panleular

r« cp li,·il}· tMe eirher,

:"oiOllong ago. I had occasio n 10 .lure ... lectu re podium ....·itb lhe

critic Hilton Kramer, ....·ho proclaimed, ...ilh 1M fo rce o f a I~'pboon, thaI

...n is al il. besr ...rhen it K!"O on h· itself and 001 5OfI1e Otherpu~.

Thing. Ihat in hi. opinion ha"c no I'<'Lation 10 ...re arc now bc-ing "'''''Pled

and legitimizro as an ,,·hen. aeeonling 10 Kramer, an is incapablc of solv­

ing any problcm. bUI a"'Slhnie o n...... I would a'l;ue tha' m""h of Ihe wor k

..

;lIdud~ in .his book couresdices, a!>wluldy. th~ rommCnl..s. 11,, " 'C\'cr,

.herc i. no den ying Uul t1.., .m voork! subtl y disappro"cs of ..n in. ",,1>0choose ;"fen ct;On ;lS thC'ir mnl.ium. r.llh~ dun tM di~mbod ied ~·c. JUli t

... aut;,-il} in rhc 'il,7cs1crn world has been based on an undcnl:;mding of

UKself AS ;IUIOnolllO\lS and~mll.·. •he hegemony of Ihe ~'C is "cry

strong in our culture. We ar.. obsessed ...ilh rhc gu e. Al lhi. po int, [0

challenge Ihe ,,;. io n-"'nlrrnl pand igm by unde rm ining th.. p resumed

spccraro rial diStance of .he aud ience, o r br empowering others and m;tking

them awarc of their own crea li,-ity, i. tn risk the co mplaint thaI o ne i.

produci ng not art but . 0<:;..1work. Persona lly, I h"vc ne "Cr heard of ~

social " 'orkn who was interested in sha king h"nd. with 8,500 unit..t ion

",orker \, or w·ho uied (0 orchCSlf:llC a public con"<'rs"tio,, among four

hu ndred olde r " 'Omen about ...ging. Soci...1wo rkers proceed qui te di(fCT­

entl}' from anists in ,,-Iu t , her do.

To all the'S<' obj«ooM, I e...n onlr $.I} ' W I romp,Jring mod els o f ,he

..,If based on iso....tion ...nd on connecte'lln.ess hAS gi"m me'" differenl sen~

o f m Ih...n I had bd"o",.and hAS cha nge'll my ide,lS...bou t whal is ;mpo n u ll.

:\i v concl usion is tlut ou rculrure's rom ... nee ...ith ind i.-idualism iJ no

longer adequae. Mr 0"'" ..·o rk ...nd thinking have led mc to a ficld like

co nccpt ion of the self tlut ind udo mo re of the en, ironmcnt-a sellhood

that releases us inlo a ..,nsc of our radic...l rd... redness. It s«ms , hat in

many spheres we ha'·c finally come up against the limiu of a wo rldvie...

based nnlr on individualism. In the field of pSj""hothc.-apy, to give ju>! one

c~ amp l e. James H illman. in his boo k U',, ''Ve Had .. Hun dreJ YPd YS of

P.)'chotm·rap)__lt nd the '(f/Qr{J ', Gclti"8 Worse. eastig... res therapy for

enco uraging us 10 di..,ngage fro m the wo rld. Hc maintains that then py

inc.........." our pl'C'OCcup.auon with indi vidual fulfillmcm ...nd perso nal

gro"'1h"'l tM cJ:pt'n~ of any coneet" for communily Or rhe communal

good. ~bny h.lCkln h..."c been raisedin tM thera.peu tic communit>· b >'

H illm.an·s assenion that therapy Ius b«o mc ... sd f- irnp1"()\'emcnl philoso­

ph>' ..·hick turns us in"'ard, a....y from tM ,,·orld ...nd ils problems. Ps~ '

ehOlMapy is on ly ..orking on the - ins,de· sou l. according to H illman.

while outside. the buildinp. Ihe schools. the streets. ... re .ick-Ihe sickness

is out there. The pat ienl in ncro of healing is Ihc world .

"

Conn ective Iodthnics st rikes ..r tbe ~~ of Ihis ,1.licn:l.lio ll by dii ­

wh;ng the mcd und di" isian bet...·"'" s.elf .>nd worldIh,1.1 Ius p revailed

during the modem tflO'"h. World ht ,1.ling begilU .".jlh the ind ivi du..l ...·ho

...·ek QrnC$ the- Other. In U kdn·s ...·o rk. lo r instance , em p:>th)",1.ndhaling

..rt the parameters, rhe ln t of ....beth er the ""o rk is. in f.tet. bting carried

OUI p.1r,1.d igma tin ll )". The ope n hand . cxeeaded to N ch ....orker. t',·o l,,:,

qu alities of geneTOiil)' l nd c..re. We need 10 cuhivaic rhc co ropessionate,

rcbtionll self as Ihorough lr.t s w.. ha,·c cuhivaeed , in lon g r<"aN o f abstract

thinking, rbc mimi gc..red \(I scient ific and aesthctk ncutmlilV. Ai more

peop lc ,1.ckno wleJge the need Ior a new philosophical fnmcwork. ' c .u".

learning to go~~'ond our eu ltu re o f sepual ion-lhc gender, class nd

racial hicrarchin of ..n elise \l;'eil cm Indition th..t has C"o'ol"cd through,1.

precess of exclosion and neg..t io n.

\\T,th its focus on rad inl ind i. 'id u.llism .tnd iu lWllci,ue of k«ping ans.ep..rate from life. modem ..~the1: ics d rcu ms<ribe:d the role of Ihc ..uu iomu

10 [lut of .. d n adwd spec tatcr-cbser...a . Such ..n u n eeves-build ccmmu­

nity. For this ....1.'eeed intt u ni"e .tOO d i..loginl pracnces d UI un wO lhtrt

into lhe pro«:ss.md ehallenge lhe n(>lian, in the ....crds of C..ry· Snyder. thaI

· only some people arc ' u lenlcd ' and they becomeartists and live in San

Francisco workins in cper..and ballet and the rest of us sho uld be salisfied

with walchin!; television .W Conncet i"'" .t~ l hClin sct'SIhat hum..n nature is

deeply embedded in the world . It makes art imo a mood for connectedness

and huling b y opcnin!> up be ing to its fu ll dimensio nalily- nm jus rr he

disembodied eye . Scxi~1 CORtn t bec:o m.., ~ co ntin uum fur inleraclion. for ;l

p rocds o f rel" ling .1nd weaving l o!;nher. cfe~ring a flow in ""hich there if

r\O $p«talo ri.11 d isl.ln«. no :lnu gon istic imperui,·e, bu t "'ther the rrc ip roc .

il)' we find ~t pl.l) in ;an ecosy stem. Within .. lilleMN-tntcrcd pn;adigm.. the

old IpolX"iaIiz.u iolU of ~ 'Iisl ..nd ,1.udi .....cc.crru h ·e ..ocI uncrn t i,·e. profes·

sional ;and u np roffi$ion..l-cl istinaions bct...·«n ",·be> is and who is not :>n

m in-brgin to blur.To foll()~.. Ih is path, I would argue, i$ mou Ihan jusl a matt er o f

prrson:>l taste; it rcp rcscnlSthe opening of an c:o:pn;menl:>1spur in ....hich

10 inst iru tco and practice a nc ...' art lhal is more in IUIIC ....ith the m:>n)· inter-

..

act ive and ecological models emerging in o ur ealru re. I bcliC"o'r we ....iU see

over the nett fC"'· deeedes more art thn is tsSrnlii! I~' sceial and purposd"ul.

:lndth~t rejects lhe modrmist m)"tM of aUlOnom}' and l\C'Utra lil)" This

book bun ...-irness 10 the incT'l'aiing nu mber of anislS ...."0 are rejectin g

the p rod uct o rieeuarion o f consumer cultu re ,loti find ing e,·e. mort re m-

prlling r s of ...·u ,·ing en " ironmcntal 3nd socii! rrsponsibilitr directly

into their o rk. l n ehis complex and ...-on hy endeavo nl sincerely wish

th em well.

h_.~-..l~",",-, ,......-....J"'- . C. 'f ",.Jo<yJ~ "-"'"............~.~_I..___ ''''~''''_ _•••of ' '' ....... yoot... t.000600:n.-.-.Jtw-. '"'"

_,-. .... Mo<k.od '--'L........H.J ~ /I"""" r_"'''''b'''' .."... .•.1... ...,.,"'­..__ ..... \-' H .p"c..- 1--..

l,r.",- u..,.14.dood.,.,. u.:.-. J4""_0-.... _'"~-.J '" ~"' .......,.".,.. :-o ...\"....,,~ ........ ,....

SIo_.. ...o.a,........." .._,>11 .......,~" ' '''Ol ...-.y. " " ......, A"."'''''''' ~<I."". onJc•.-bo oJ...M,,~ »l>< . ...<ll. ,.., .

· r.. "''''''''' \;,u jp I ~/~,.{ .....rn:-'~~1.... ...thM~

u>d»rr.'....,r/-_ fr- ...."'"7>1",

"

To search for the good and make it matter: this 's [he real chJ.t1~ng~ for the

ar tiSl_ N ot .imply 10 Irand orm ideas or r~,'rlations into mallCT. bu t 10

m~k~ tbosc revelations ac,ually m~((CT. Th is quest is measurw u much in

the trUlhs we allempt to cnflesh "5 in the cby we might ae, thetk allr de ­

sign. At bcst. artist ic "':orks nQlonly inspire Ihe ';e...-er but gi"e evid"n n

of tl\., a"is,'s O"'n snuggle to ach",'e higher r«ognilion of " 'hat i[ means

10 be Il\l lr human. Th " works arc leSl4ments 10 the artist's effort to eo n­

"en a pa"icular ,-ision of trut h into hi. o r her O..-n nun o,,·.

As I mwi tatw on lhe tl\.,me of Ihis b<&. I found myself Ihinking

about t" rritorie., bo th public and pri"ate----abo Ul pol itical turf and ddini­

li,~ lines, Ihose Ihat eeelc de and lhose Ihar include. I began 10 reflcct o n

Ihe t an h and allrhe rWt,lI':n borden Ihal ...·e " 'ho arc in"oked in public

an mU,1 bring to the mAp if Ih"re ar<' [0 he posil i\'e new directions {or Ihe

" 'orld 's cu!lurQ. I found mvself con templa ting, as anr ani, t might. the

cc rrespcnding lemtol)'-Ihe terrain o f Ihe soul. , har sac...... space within

the self that mllS! be acknowledgedend tended. that d ream space wh"re

Ed"n and ...·o mb arc ri lualisticalJ ~' rd ale-d . ...·hCTe roncep lion 15 possible.

...·her~ we can r""d "e in order to gi"e again,

The dream lpacc of th" soul is th" real tenai" that " 'c sho uld map.

If OOt. then l\Othin" else lhal " 'e are fighling for 01" against has an ~' possi ­

bilily of transformation: not the miliuristn that ":e resist. nol the oppre, ­

, ion wc d'1'l o r~, no t Ihe toxic ...·a<l e du m" ing o n thc land of Ihe poor. no t

the nosm o r II\., sexism tlul " 'e expose. No~ of lhese COl1<:Cms can be,

taken on unless th"r are naminM. ack nowlw ged. and confron ted within

the inner territory of the ~e1f, the eart h thai. in (act, we ar,',

Th~ sou l is Ihe~bed afour actions. Evcrve hing llut " '"concep­

tualize, cr..ate, or d"s tcoy has its b<-ginnings there_ What ...-c see cuili"aled

and Ihri. ';ng in Ihe Outa ter rain is a man if""tation of our inncr creative or

~lrucri\'C impulses. lhcre ;s COlIDl"ClM nn Sbetween ",hal "'e SC'Cin Ihe..

world and ",ho we are, between ...·ho " 'e arc and wbat ...-edo . The an i"

tends Il,,, prin te garden of th" soul and gives e...idenee"f this process pub­

licly Ihrou gh tl\., a" thaI. in lurn, insp icei o thers 10 tend th..ir o",n gardcru.

T h.. oflcn-asked questio n as to he ,,· one mo,·.,. fro m being anisrto

acti,';" I find ime resting. b«am e I do not make the ",pantion in my o wn

mind. f or m". thc 1...·0 roles ai, t as a single entity: the ' rlisr is the aeti ...ist.

Indeed, ...-uhin th... African Irad ilion, the arnst 's work has a function iuS!

like .....·erything elsein the wo rld . As Ihe mask is fo r fCiti. al.. and Ihe

ground -dn...·ing f~ rnarl.ing a sacrc<i spa,c, and tbe dance for heahng and

dnwing energies 10 oneself. so. too , the rituals that wc perform and the

monume nts that ..." make ha"c a fUllelion: the transforma tio n of self and

communi,,'. " 'hieh is the extended SC'lf. An is a nn:essil)-·. as the poel Aud re

Lo rdc 'ays. nOI a luxu ry. The assumption that an could besomtlhing

separate fro m the Iif" that sustains us. that an is indeed a luxury. i, as false

a Iheory as Ihe not ioo thai thecorer Icrrain can unde'l;o traosformation

without af{,'Ct ing the so ul. AI,d yet. man y believe that th" places oUlSid".

in the " 'o rld, are the IrU" sitcs of ehangc. Notions of separation and ot her­

ness arc ingrainw in Wcstern thought. and it is thi' \'Cry "" a~' of th inkin g

tholt has wreaked havoc On th.. cuhures of th e wor ld.

While no single culture has a copyright on tl\l th, perbars embracing

an African \;ew of Ihe inrrins i;:co nnectedness of all ihings wou ld help u,

to recall the mother from ...·ho m we ha' e all come. And in remembc:r ing

her. pt"rhaps "' e can begin more profo undly to ~ re-mcmber- ourselves.

This charge o f rcm"mbC1"ing the mOtber is impom m hc.:ause ...-ithou t il

our cuhu ral and cross-cult ural amn",ia is nc:"er liftal; Our commo n hu­

manit,- ;s nn '" r fullr acknowledged. We eever kno,,' who ...." arc. and

baving no lruc idemit,-, ...-e end up like a perso n who suffers amnesia.

f('aring ",-el)· face th.u is nQt the (''' act replication of our o,,·n. Alld some­

times in ou r dcsperanon, we even fear our own facc. W" n~"'er de velop a

sense of cont inuity Or ...'holeness amo ng peopl... Th e cultures that rcme m­

ber this connccredness arc r«alling the crucial element tlut has been part

of our su..... i,al since our beginning.

The ani sls who remember Our common hllmanil}' and in, t igate

rl."Cog nitio n of o ur true Datur" are those like Anna Halpri n, who ...·001.1

ha.·c P"Oplc li" inS ...·ith AIDS and rbose " 'ho arc no t afll icte-d circle Ihe ..

unh in a d<lnC.. in ..n all ent pl lO bru k do wn th.. bu n ers of fe.... Th~· Ul'

u.~ like Suzanne u C}·, ",·ho would prod uce <l erysu.l qu,11of "'Omnl

whoi<'cho reog..p heod b ying on of h:mds hdpcd ehMlge the p<lll..rn~ of

, hcir lives and make visible rhc bo nd ing <l nd po wer amo ng Ihem. They ~re

those likc Mel C hin. " '00 ""ould mo ve us into lhe m~'s, ery of meu pbor by

",·orking ...ilh scicfllisu 10 develop b ~'brid pl~u Iha' absorb po isons from

thc cart b ie uoI""...-es which can be pluckeod from o ur child ren's surround­

ings. They arc those like the husb<lnd <lnJ wife team N eWlOn ;llld H elen

1I,by..r H amso n, ",·ho h<l"c colb bo r<lleod for o .·cr t"'enlr ~'ean, and Mier le

Lod('ml:ln Ukd rs, ani,,-i n-~c~c of lhe N ew York Cil)' s..niution

Dqnnmem, .rnd Sheib Levr.om de Br"l u,ville, and PCler Jcm;so n. <lnd

ma ny more whu reco gnize th.. illu sio o of dU<llity, the mirode of ca Habor ;>­

ricn. and the beauty of making tru th maner,

No ne of this is to sugges t thu liM: aen hetic qwalitr of <lny " ·0.),;

need ever be 5:l.cnficcd. I sa}' this knowi~ 1'1.,11 il i, <l cn ' i"OlI issue of p ublic

ar l projec ts invol" ing commc oiry par ticipan ts who arc not m>c('S uri l)'

aetisrs. Somehow, it is fcueod. ,he paruciparns ' aesrbencs wil l br ing do wn

the qu.a.liry o f Ill< wo rl<. But since the acsthetic isdCICl"mincd br lite: Mlin.

pcrh<lp5 lhis is nOI the uh im<l<e fear o f rhcse ",·Ilo ar e leery o f Ihc new,

mo re collaoo..t i..... publie art , Perhaps the greate r [ear is rhar elit ism ..·ill be

desl roy<'d. lhat the func tio n of " I ..·ill once again be recognizw , that

frttdom o f expression will cUT}' t iM: imf'\l lsCand surl< bcaUI~' of our fi... t

brealh. and tha.t o ur o wn rd ..v<lnCc <IS h uman bei ngs ",-ill com.. to be s«n

in ,he mu ning of ou' acts, If th is is wh<ll is so fearful. then we mu st con­

tinue 10 make such art and to redefine rhe w<l)'. ;n which , he mlking is

i~lr a celebrated p rocess.

In deciphering rbe mystCT}' of th is precess, ,n., blues fo rm, o r for­

mula, fro m Afriun Am erican cultu re Can pro_'ide insighl . As cthno -m usi­

culogists tell us- the blu es has thr ee lines: , he firsrline is the call, thesecond i,

the response, and the Ihird is the release. The second line rnigh r be the same

<IStn., first but ""ith someslight vari<luon, u lcl tiM: b SIis a de p.an urc. Thc lut

line rhymes with the first and, ,;:, scntiOlllr, sets yo u free. The " 'ho le no tion is

tra nscend ence. a5exemplified in thi. ' !<lnu Icomposed fur illustration:

..

", ",In- ..,'.. ler yo _ .in 'l J<) bl"../ U )'. "-,I/n- ~.. In ro- .fln'l 00 bl" ..

I d""r rhtd u d for Mprlf..nd tJ,cre'• • sky in )'fJ . ,

This form-<:OllJ, Olnswer, and rd elle-is a meu phor for Olrt it,elf

and thc polenti~ IhOlt it holds. Thc call is iecired by t il<.,.,perieneM ....e

hOl' c ";Ih thc "'·orld. br rbe h uman condhio ns and preod;c.unenu ""';Ihin

our terrain that arouse our intere. 1or conscio u. ness. N..xt come, the

respon~, the art ist', erenion- the ancmpttc name, recogn i ~e. MId insl i­

gate d unge Ihro llgh his or hcr ereni.,c opressio n. But the ani,, ·, creation

is nol Ill< end o f rh.. p ro«ss. as il is c fecn thought to be. "J'ht. process Co n­

l inues <1S m..mbe... of Ihe rommllniry exprrienec the rcle..lSe, rh... inspir:nion

th<1t allo ws them to enllesh the me"Olge and oc,;in act ivati ng change in

their own terrains.

This b.>sic human-to-humMlinl...-acrion sign..ll. liM: symbiolic reb­

l io nship among hum an bci ngs. When ...... un dcr.tand this, we can go On to

b.'Hcr appreciate Ihe br..at h d ynam ic b""" cen ours..!'·es <lnd the trees, We

a n undersu nd our reb lio nsh ip 10 <>euos and ozones and othcr 7.oncs

",,·ithi n tiM: univeerse.

Thc blues f()Tm is no ' OlbOll! being do ...-n <lnd QUI. The blues call. to

<l nd tu ns!o. mS lhe holl"rer. ;lnd co ntin ues o n to t..ndorm the community.

It IlLlk..s th~ singer< willing 10 · "..o rk rbe M>Und- imo nl"W ;lnd kno""ing

pcoplc who go aboUllhc business of making tnc IT\lth 1lLl1lCf. Brssi.. Smith

eou ld nOl lea"" holf",ay th ro ugh <l conccn. We,.lS , hc co mmu",,1 sing.....

U nnOt afford 10 do it either. The poet 1-b Y<l Angclo u reminds u 5 Ihat our

d" plh o f ..xpe rience is in dir <"Ct p roportio n to the dedicarico of our artists.

Indeed, w.. MlislS h<l"" to sing th .. '«'Cond lin.. in .uch a ...·ar .lSto sign <ll the

po55ibi!ity fo. "ariatio n in , he song. Wc h<l.·.. to create relevant an, art t hOlI

invites irs Olud ience inro th.. cru t i.·.. process and empowers them. \,(rc must

sing in such a "" a~' as to promi5<' our list..ncr~ who ""o uld become singers

tha i the thi rd line is a bruklhrough. procb.iming ".-i ,hool a do ub t tho, - I

do ne checked for rnyse lf and Ihere's a sky in ~·ou.·

It seems 10 me tha t in o rder for , his IF.lns fonnat io n to happe ll, ",'C

utislS must prepare ourselves to respo nd ucati,·e1y <lnd appropn <ltel)" to

"

~mh in ~ d~nc~ in ;l.lI ~{I~m pt to bll'~k down th~ I».rnef"$ 01 f~n. Th~\' all'

thosoe lik~ Suz.a.llle LaC}", " 'he " 'ould prod l,Iu a cry","" q llilt of ..·o m....

wh~ choreog....phcd laying 011 of hands hd p<"<! ch~lIge Ih~ pallern. of

their liHs and make visible the bonding and powu among thl m. Th~)' arc

those like Mel C hin, who would move us inlC the mystur of met~phor by

"..o rking ..; th seienriscs 10 develo p hybrid planu th~t absorb po isons from

the ean h into le.a' ·n ....hich can be plucked from our children 's surround­

ings. They arc tho se l i k~ th e husband and wife team N~WlOn and Hele n

M~ }"er H arrison, who h....e eo llabo....t...! for O\'er I.. ' ~nty years, and Mierlc

Udmn:m Uk~I~ ani.t-in-resid eIICeof tbe N C'1II' Yo rk Cit)' Smitalion

Dq>anmem, ~nd Sheila u n ""t de BrC'ttC"o';lI~, and P~te r j emison, .and

many mOre " 'ho roxo glli"e th~ illusio n of dUMity, the miracle of colbbo....­

non, and the beauty of making truth matler.

No ne of Ihi$ is 10 suggest thl.l lhe u nhnie qualit r of .any ".ork

need .....·c. be sacrificed. I sa)' th is kno,,'ill1; il.~-t il is ~ C1i lical issue of public

art projects involvin g com muniry panicipams who arCnot nccessaril)'

.>rl isu . Somehow, it is feared. the participams' aenhet;cs will hring down

the q u..J.! iry of lhe work. BUI sincc rhe aesthe lic isde termined by the artist,

pcrh p. lhi. i$ nO\ the uh im~te fear o f rbcse ..,ho arc leer}"o f rbe new,

more eollaborativ,"public art . Perhaps the gr~ate r Icae is that elitism will be

dcstroyed , thai .he functio n of ar t "'ill once ag.un be recogn ized, thal

frffdom of cxpussion will carry the impulse and sUlk beaut )' of our lirs t

brealh, and that ou r 0 ...·11 rcle.....nce .... hunun beings ..,ill co me to be seen

in .he meaning of ou r acts. If this is what is w fearful, . hen W~ mllst con ­

tinue 10 make such an and to redefine the w~ys in wh ich th e making ;s

iuclf a celebra ted proces s-

In dec iphering the m)'StC\')' of this proces.s.. the blues fo nn,or for­

mula, from African American cultu re can provide insight. Asetllno-musi­

cologi,.. tellus, the b lues has three lines: the fi rst line is the call. •he secon d ,.

the response, nwi 1M.hird is the release. Th e second line might be the same

as the fin t but " 'ith som" sli!:ht variation. and the b51is a depart ure . The last

line rhymes with th" lirst and, essentia lly. sets you Ieee. The " 'hole notion is

tra nscendence, a, e~empl ificd in th is ,tanza [co mposed fur illustrat ion'

"

•

11"........ ",·..lr r ) '011 ain'. KI blur

I $"I}', r .r..... =Ur ) '011 am '.... bill..

I donr ehn*rd f.". InJorif ..nd rINrc't " sky InYO".

This fOIln --<:~lI , answer. and rdease-is a m~lal}hor lor all itself

and .he poIenda lthal it holds. T he 011 is incited by th" npcriences we

ha, e ..·ilh tho. " ·ond..b~' the human conditio ns and rredic~ments ....ith;n

our .erra in that arouse our interest o r co nsciousness. N""t comes th e

response, thc m ;st 's creation-the atlempt to name, re<:ogn i1-e. and inSli­

ga.c chang~ through his o r her crcati.e expression. But the anin'. erearion

is llOt the "nd of Ih" pI0CC5S. as;. is often thoughl to be. l1w: process Con­

tinues as members of the com munity upcrience the r"lease, the insplra lion

lha t allow. them to cn ll"sh . he m~s ...gc and b1,'gin activating change in

their own t err~ins.

This buic human ·to-hu m<lIl in terK lio n signals the srmb>o!ic rela­

t ionship amo ng human b.:ings. When ...." under<tand this, we can go on ro

beu~r appreciate the brca.h d ynamic he.wce n ourse!' es and the II«,S. \X'c

can und en und our relnionsh ip 10 OCean.~nd o zones ~nd othe r zones

" 'itm n the un iw rsc:.

Th e blue. form is nOI abou t being do...-n and ou t. The blu,," c~I Ls to

and tra nsforms the hollerer. and continues o n to .randorm Ihe communilV.

It rn.Ik",s .hose singers willing to "work the sou nd- into new and knowing

people who go abOUlthe busi nos of making the truth rn.Illff. Bnsie Smith

could flOt Inve halfwa y thro ugh a mneen . We, as the co mmun al sing~r.

CannOI affor d to do i. either. Th e poet Maya Angcloo ...minds uS that ou r

deprb ofnp("rienc~ is;n direct proportion to the dedic auon of our artists.

Indcc-d , ...·e ~ nis.. h "e to .ing th" ~ood.lillC in such a "'a~ as 10 siltltal . he

possibi1i I}' fo r ' ariatiOIl in th" song. W\· h....e to create relevant an, an that

invites its alldienc~ inln the ncati"e process and ~mpowcrs them. We must

sing ill such a ...·ay as 10 prom i~ ou r list"n..rs who ""ou ld become singers

thaI the third line is a brcAahrougb, proc1a.iming ..·itholl' ~ dcubr t h~t - ,

done checked for m> self and the re's a sk~- in yOll.·

It seems to me .hat ill o rder for this trans format ion.o happe ll.......

an il;ts must prepare ourselves to respo nd creati,'cly and app ropriately to

"

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thc ull$ in our environreeet. Th is i. no .m~ 11 chorc. <'Sp<ci;I.ll~· for those of

u' in the publi c realm, who fiod oursch'c, tJ king on ch~llenging. l'ft ...n

emotio nally draining iSSU ~l ; writing Jnd r~\witin g proposals 1O obtain

funding for projects; me..ting fo r ",hal S«lIlS like ~o entire lifetime with

Jnistic colb oon ton ; addrnsing com munit}' pMt"ip~m,s Jnd rdcmln.l )"

nllying tnnr internt in the proj«t; getting no funding ~t JIl. o r JUSt

enou gh to pr~Jlt only h~lf of the e-welened proj«t; tD«[ing apin wilh

CoIlJOOnlO.... abouTthc meeting 00 the meeting; encountering [hose critin

who themsel\'es have nul decided 10 be imJl:iin~ti\'e in their o wn ....ork;

Jnd, last but not le~.t . ocvcr finishing because we are still Jctiw ly listen ing

to the community's response and rerruining ..,nsiti,·c to the soun d. and

feelings in borh th.. inner ~nd outer life.

To be an anist amid u l tM:sccurTenUi. dcrrund ing. H o. · is the

~n iS1 to prq>are? Dc-'dopmem of o ne's mfl and k« n awarcness of onc'.

surroundings are imporrant but ~re harJTY eno ugh, To be able to make

tml)" " isionarr J r!, we an isrs musr hJ"e in Our lives the croeiJl dement

called drcam time, that is, t i",c when we leave this world and gl' inlOOur

own sacred .p~c.... seeking thc grJCe needed to c!'eJte our " ..nrk. Drum

timc holds thc lurmoil and trauma of rbe world al bay and allo.·s the

vision 10 be gran rO!d and 1M nc:Uing nores [0 altunt "'S.

Some sound I....-cls in the "'orld's chaos no bc dcafening. Our "-ork

in the OUIe.- terrain c:loD becomc SO demanding Ihat " 'e think ....e c~nnol

stop 10 meditJte. BUI this deliberll" pausing i, Jim pan of our wo rk, ~nd,

in rel lity, it m~r be rhc o nl)· Ihing that diStinguishes us from rhose com­

munit), members who 5im pl~' cannot make Ihe rimc 10 llkc rhis inner

sp~e,.,. Yet Iher arc depending as much on us 10 Mar rnc ulls ~nd 10 sound

1M first responses as "'C He depend ing on rhem 10 form ~ eborw for the

song in order 10 release thc h......ling and nu.gnif~· the[ruth. And :t$ odd .... it

ml )" sound, tbi . is [he nalive territo ry of Ihe public ~ nisr. h is ~ 'p~ec to

which Ihe community. time ~nd lime again, banish es us for it. O"'n HI'l'

t;on, a spu e thaI we o urseh'C$ e"enlll~ll)' choosc as a healing h~"en and

h~l1o,,'ing ......'·e. The soul. ~ difficult bUI necessarv terrain of Teneat, holds

the blueprinl. or one mighl Sol)' the "bhres-prmt ,"of I~ ...orld "'e inha biL

"

fO " • • <;~ ' 00 f~ ( <;0 0 0 . " " ..

11>oughth,., eocounrer with d ru m time i. enli,·ening. it e:tn also be

frightening. Thc problem is not our dcscen[ into the wul; it is our emer­

genc", or coming forth, O nec we emerge, we must begin reco nciling wb~t

V"e hJ\'e come to know ....irh what we still sec in the world. W... lell our­

.\.ekes rhere is no rime 10 relreat; we tell ou r..,"'cs anything to k...,p fro m

rcpeal in& rhe ritual o f departure. But if " 'c do suee...,.) in a,-oiding furur,.,

descenu imo Ihe soul. "'e ..,ill more [han likdy fall into rhe Irap of m~king

an that is simply creari"e f"Jlhc r rhan [ rul~' ,·isioll.1f)'.

Thcre is, indeed, ~ dist inction betwccn ere~t i" e art and " isionary an.

lt pJ.raHeJs the d ifferencc bel"'een the aniSf who is In observer, or reporter,

J"d one who i , a panieipanr ill rhe creJti"e process-~ matter of invest­

ment or soul in"oh'emenL Quire simply. the visionary artist h.:t.s root

mcrel~' sighl hut ,-i. ion, rhe lighr rbe soul makes 10 iJlumin:l\e the palh for

u• ..Il Th is norion of the ,-isioll.1f}·being apar1 from life. going inlo his o r

hcr d re~m sp~cr. is nOI Srnon)'mous ....ith Ih" Western notion uf thc

mysric 's ~pat:\t io n. Th" "is iou ry anis r in the com munity work. in the

fields of Ihe personal self. dreaml time ...,d engagemen t with Ofhers.

All artists arc able to d isplay thei r craft wirhoUll h... exenion and

engagemenr rhn marks a pcrform n« fro m the soul. An l niSI Can simply

projcct his o r her persona "'hile rCrrWning dn a.chrd fro m [nc, performance

and Ihe audi...nee. But if ~-ou are • ..·orking the sounds ~_ if you M '" in­

"okc<l in something Ihat engages ~ ou; confront ing you r own prejudices.

fears. and limillt10n., rarher tb Jn merely present;ng whlt you ~ I read )'

know; feeling ,"our o,,"n discomforr and tak ing that discomfort imo the

terrain where rhe tr uth exposes you -Ihcn you arc quire ponihly in the

lerri [O!}' of the "i5ion. You ar'"<:10se 10 grasping 1M mystery or rhe heu ­

ing. You arc then. on ly Ihell. • -ilhin reach of the gift Ihal }'ou can bring

back ro Iht .-orld.

Once you ha,·t glimp.ro rhis \"i510n. ,hcn yo",are indeed a partici­

pant. And thc dua lify berwcen vo u and r our a",dience. you ~nd your

work, becomes an illusion. And you have wrille t' " poem. You hHC don t

a perfurmance. You h~ , c cnfleshed Ihe hc~utr. Yo u Iu" e mad... it matter;

And rhe community, u king pMt in the an. eomplcrn Ihe lUI line of 1M

blues ref.....in. inilialing I new rC2l il~ .

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~ " .. ," ,

FI\OM A~l · MAG E DO O N TO G I\INGOH I\O I" A') C" iI1",m~ (;6 "'U.P<ii~A MANI fESTO AGA IN ST C EN$0 1\5>11'

Etlill>" s note: Origin" lIy p" bfi.h..d ;,/ J'J9J, l fJiS " mele has b<m ,lightly 1(>

"'iud. One 1<;llOJl, wh'cb!rx"iCd On Ihc /hen-"/KMning q" im:enrcn"",l cet­<b,.lIit", ofCo!"mb", ',I"nding, f:''',' dimin4.u J. In "dJil>on, /W O n tra;li r"''''d /"te, dtriae. '£o...th \rot/d "n d Otlu . UlIJp;'''' C"rtog,,'phirs," h..~'l! iKm

mc/HJd"r Ihe md 10 exund the deb"u .

l I\A C", I : Fl NIHC U LAI\TE

/ SOHndb..J ofG'('go,i"" "hdtll!

We encou nter the nOJ[d ecade of tho:' twentie th ccmur)' with gre~ t perpk v

ity. Unp l'l.'Cedentcd cha nges in the " 'or[d have u ken place in the p~~t Ii,-e

r eus: from Tiananmcn Square to the Persian Gulf and from Berlin to

Panama City. we all felt the o"erw helming b irt h pains of ehc ne,,' millen ·

nium. Massatrc$. ci,·i[ wars, ecolog ical dissscers. epid emics. end abrupt

transfo rmations of political regimcs "nd economic struc tures shook bolh

the planer ~nd our individual p<.,·chcs .

Major bo rders disappeared and others were insu nd y created. The

CQmmunists finalh' cro ssed the Iro n C unain 10 go shopping. while the

e ~pitali sti se~rchej for nosmlgia es tOuri stS in lhe Eastern bloc \VCfeh like

un in,-iIOO acto rs in a cyberpunk epic. The .1mOUIll. CUntp lexily. and inrcn­

SilYo f tbt' cha nges made i! impossible for us to deeod ,fy them adequ~t..lj-.

J ust as il had been io the Eu rope of the late 140>:)s, c'\'Crj' lhing scemcd to be

up tOf' srab~ : ideo log}\ identity, religiou s fait h, language, and aesth etic s.

And in the midd le of rhis fin-d e-sicclc eanhqu~kc, m~< contemporar ies and

I have been look ing fo r a new place 10 speak (ro m, and a new "o.;abubry

10 describe this bizarre li""il iguo /" "'e inh er itcd .

The IIOUse <If posrmodernity is in ruins. We arc eit il.ells in a new

societr 0 0 longer defined by geopo litics, cu hure, or ideology, bUI by lime.

,.

T he elock of the de<:ade is runn ing. As members of the end ' of-the-cenlury

society, the wo rld in dallger i~ our tru e and on l)' neighbo rhood.

We are living inexplicab le cOlllradietio ns that shan er ou r unde....

stand ing of the world: as th e fo rmer Se vier Unio n and Eastern Europe

weleome w 'lIcI1l",,1chanses. the U.S. power structure withd raws into ils

o ld repub lican model. As Latin Americ~ finall)' sets rid of its last mi liu~'

dicrarors, the United States beco mes more heavily mi litui7,oo. Whil...

dip lomatic negot iat io n and inreecuh u ra! d ialogu e emerge as viable options

to conSlruct a peaceful future (ha\'en 'l we seen eno ugh examples of ,ran~i ­

tio n-w ithout -ruptu re in other cou nlries?), the United Naric ns begins to

pu c!ice pan ic politics in lhe i\l idd le East. Wh ile ot her socie ties are be ing

led by utopian rcformists such as Mandela and Havel, W (· arc being misledII)' hemispheric mach os.

While an:ish and writcrs in orh..r cou ntries are lud ing th e way to

the neX1 century, " 'C arc being CUI back, censo red, and excluded from the

political process. We h ee a strangc historical di lemma: we stJot! cquidis­

rant fro m ulopia and Arma geddo n. with on e foot on each side of the bor­

d..r. and our an and thoug ht relle<:t this con ditio n.

TI\A CK 110 TH ~ CH I LDR EN Of T H ~ f iR S T A ND TH IR D WORLDS

/SIIH'" dbeJ of pu"k-a'acbi mu,ie/

In rhc eighries, all increa sed awar eness of the existence and imporronce o f

mu hicemricperspec tive' and hybrid cu lturcs within the UnitOO SI3 ,t ~

made us rethink the imp lications o f O rhe mess. As a resul t of demograph ic

shifts, gene ralized soc i~l l urmoil , global media. and the exposu re to no n­

Anglo-Eu ropean art and thought-lead ing to in tensificd tr affic between

N o rth and South and East .tnd Wcst--cthnocenlric notio ns o f · po~tmod ­

ernism " and ·Western cuhurc" " 'crc to ppled by their ow n weight.

Latin Amcrica and Asia arc alreJd y entrenched in N o rth Amer ica;

Afri ca slow I )' mO\'C'S nort h into Europe; and, after a four-decade-long

idwlogical di-'orce, Eas tern and Western Eu rope are co mmingling ~g~in.

The · \\'e~t" is no longer West, and the "Th ird Wo rld " is no lon ger

coo n ned to the South. O ld binary modd~, legacies of European coloni~lism

and l~ Cold Wn mental ily, have been npbCffl by a bo rder di.tln:l N: of

o ngo ing flux. We now inhabie a socio<:ultunl universe in m ru;lan l mo tion.

,1 mm·ing cartogu pb}- wilh a flO.ll ing cultu re and a lluefu.lling "'Il$<> of sdf.

A. art isls. " 'e no w understand that we un . peak two or mor.. languages.

ha,-e IWo <>r more ide ntities and/ or nationalities, perfor m different role. in

mu h ip lc co ntexts, and nOl neccssa rily be in co nflict with ourselves and

OIbcrs. Conmdicrion i. no longer penal ized . H yp henated. Iransi tional.

and multip le idcntilin ne no longer jUSl lheories o f radic al .lnthropo lu ­

gists bUl f:unilin pop-cultunl rC<llit i.,... Fu rthermo re. rhe · hyb rids· of th is

.lndOIM contincnu ("d >et hCT muln to•.,meseizos, Chk<l.1lOS, Xuyoricans..

French Algcri .ms. Gennan Turks.. Brit ish Pak ist<ln is.. O!" ot her mo re CC"c..n­

u ic childr"" of the I-l rsl <lOO Third worlds) arc sliding to ""ard the eenlC1"

of socielY. In doing so. they are re<lrr<lnt;ing the para~crs of cul ture. The

bo rd er experience i. b«oming · c..nl1;> I,- and Ihe art and lilcratu re pro­

duced in Ihe pan fi,·c yea.. Can te.tify to thi. . ....

i n this mo ving carlo graphy, it becomes increasin gly d ifficult 10

slista in separalist or essent i..list pos ition•. Mu ltilinguali. m. s~'ncrel ic an ­

ihencs. bo rder thought, and OIltunl plura.lism are b.-eo ming common

practices in th<' arli"ic and int ellectual militus o f rh is cominenl, nOI be­

cause o f mallC1"S of fashi on. :os rh.. do minalll art wcrjd wishes to think , but

because o f a buic pol itical necessiey. To StOO} t~ hino~'_ art. and po litiu l

thougbt of our neighboring Othns Ind to lear n Spmish Ind ot h... lsn­

guages bc«!mes indi~nsahl.. if " -e""ant to cross borders, regai n our lost

"Amt'rican- cifizen. hip, and parricipare in the drafl ing o f Ihe n("Xt

cemury'. ClTlogr.tphy.

T he holde r. of polil ical, economic, ami cu hural pow er-incl uding

lhe broadcast ing .y~ICmS that shape and d d i ne o ur notions of th,' wo rld­

lei eXlrcmdr scared of th("sechange•. Unabl(" to co mprehend thcir new

plu e and ro le in this st ill incomprehensible c:mograph y. they fed Ih lt Ihe

....orld I n<! t~ fUlure Me no longC1" toors, arwl lh C}' anxiousl" ""ant rh..m

ba.ck. Their feMS Iu'·e reached I><'Urocie proport ions.. <lnd thar respo nses

Iu" e been fn rrom enlightcnOO. Thry arc currentlr doing r.eryrh' !1g they

can 10 com ro l lhe en~' o r 1M Other. ..nd to reco nqu... t il<' OO1-so--N ..,,·

..

~'orld , a lerritOr) tlul tMy fed by historical and cultural right bclony

only to them.

T~ "' C K Il l , L A H U LTt · C O N f U 5 10 N CU lT I. MU LT U ~Al

fS" .."JbeJ by Ihe G)'pl' Kings '" Ma>lo Neg.....1 Ih(" ...·. ong lpud]

ln manr way. multiculturalism sou red. We managed to lurn the conliner u

ups ide do wn. so to speak, and insert into the central di scussio n the d is­

course, the t t'nninology, and thc <lllcntion toward no n- Ang lo · European

experimental arti SI ~. '\t'e cv.", ffi.l1Uge<!t Oahcr Ihe fu nding t rends a bit. But

"'... ",'CTC unu>1e to reform the ad min istrni"e stru ctu re of I~ .ut ;",ti lU'

l ion~. lbc~' remain la'lely rnonoculturll.

Tod ay, man~' fall< of ho"" "("Xdt ing,~ " ncct'SS3.ry, · "confusing," Or

- exelusio n..rv~ multiOllturali.m is. Respo nses range from 10Iai ,,·illingnes$

to fund and pro mote fhis cau se. 10 milit ant ang(" r al th(" prospect of sharing

llIo ney and nOloriety with art ists fro m other eth nic backgro unds. to fight ­

ing ..bout ,,·hose suff..ring de serves mor e an em ion .

Th(" debat e has alread )" reached the main~tre,1m, r et crucial poolitiClI

issues ar c still being avoided. Block hu stcr c:-xhibit5 present multic u ltu ral

an as the · OIning edge", f ort. ""itb a f...... es ceprions, thCTC is no men lion of

t~ hislorical crime. and social inc:qui tirs Ihou lie beneath Ihl' neocolon ial

rela tio nship bet....ttn Aogln- Eutopnn culture and iu surroundi ng OthC1"S.

l ike l~ Unired Colors of & nenon ads, a utopi..n disccurs .. of ...mencs s

help, to erase all unplcmnt sto ries. Th.. mes...ge becom es I rcfrie<! colo·

ni,11 ide .., if w e merely hold hands and d ance Ihe mambo tog rlller, we nn

cff~c t j\C l y abolish i d~ology, s("xual and cullu",,1po litics, ..nd class differ­

ee ces. Let's n ee it, the missing text is "cry u d: in 1995 racism, sn ism,

x..nophobi.l, and "Ihnoc:entrism au alive and ...-dl in the U.s. A., ..nd the

eommunil i... that mo re propon io nalc1}' reflre l the mu lticultural composi­

tio n of societr are eh.. horndn.. the prison..rs, P<'Ople " ';Ih AIDS, and Ih..

so ldiers ""ho rftUmr-d from lhe l'("rslan G ulf.

n.., ""ord "muhicuhural" hun't .....-en been defined. Due to the lack

of an m mulni"e m..mof)' that codifies p ubljc d..bne in America., it s«ms

thn oery r ear wc h..H 10 restarl the d iscussion from zero, and therefore

"

,,·c still can', agree on a basic dcfiniuon.Wh~\ arc th~ di ff~r~ncC5 b<"1"'cen

the mulli-, intno-. intra-. and cTOSS-<'Uhural? \\n".t~dy do ,...e man by

oohural cqu it~.. diversiry and pluralism? Wlu.t ar~ the di ffno~""es bet"'~n

coexist enc e, ~~ch~nge, dial"l,"Ue. collaboration, fusion. hybrid iu tion,

appropriation, and creative exprop riation?Thes ~ terms Me very different.

Some onrlap and OIh~rs ~" en h..w opposite meanings.: ho,,·C\·er. wc often

UlC them indiscriminatdy. As phi!osophfi3" PracUtiOllCfS, or impraarios

of multiculturalism. "'e must ask some k~~' questions: \l:'hich of these fonn s

of rcl~tionship between cultures are morc sY'nmctrical and desi rabl~, and

which arCmore " 'actionar )'? Which are those thai .ro ly empower margin­

al i ~ed groups? Which arc n",,' names for old ideu, and which arc ne. ..

realities in se:arch of a berrer name~ Where cnctl~· do "'e stand?

An istS and wriu..... of color arc losing patience. The~' ha"e ro.>pt'lI ­

cdly srared that it is time 10 begin talking about economic and labor rcali­

ties. In 199> wc should no longer n«du. be ree\"al u ~l i ng pau digms.

cOntczts. and nnons. Sc-'enl yean of ('Xc~lkm books. anicles. and cata­

lop are anilable for those: who ani ,'c Iat ~ (0 the imellecrual banqUCI.

Today, mult iculturalism muslliso be underslood as a question of "'o rk­

placc. All cultural institutions Ihat claim to profess it mu~t hire prople of

CQI..,.. in important adminislrati,-.:,anist"", and I« hnical positions. The~

m\l$l be ..~l1 ing to shue tnc pa~-ch«k. the desk. and the decision-making

process ...·ith Ih~ O ther. nor JUSt the excitement of th.. artwor k.

'llIe enigmatic unwillingness of some "m inm it}·" an isu and orga·

niutions to p~nici pat e in 110.. debate is also a malter of ~col1Omics. The y

kno..· tha i if lh~' blindly join in, 110.. Larger orgmizations.. ...hich ha"e

mor.. conn«t>Ons. · credibility.· ~nd bel:t~r l)ranl ..·';ten. will intercept

their funding and funcl ion as multicultur al mCta-sponsors.

We must ....atch out. The debat.. hasn' t ev~n ,-ngendeTcd significant

change and ther~ is al r~~dy a backlash: m~ny Anglo-Am~ricans ...·ho have

b«n unable 10 find a pix.. at the multiooh ural dinner table are becoming

increasingly ....cal ;lgainst u cili. s('Xual, and political differencc. Th.. far

right i, lumping all polilicizc-d m"tteTSof O therness under the 1ab~1 of

"pol itical corr~ctne5S· and bra rwlinl; it "the n...... intellectual t)·ranny."

AftCT fi,'" hundred " ..,rn; of s~'Slcmal ic exclusion and indiff..renee rh..y

..

..001 A., "'G' DOO., ' 0 "'''''0'' ' _ ' A ~. ",." . o . D..... co....,.•••

don' t Want to gi v~ us a f..w mQr.. )'ears of attent ion. If we don't acefast to

r~'ore eLaril)' 10 th.. debue, . "e might soon lose: the lillie terrilOry j;ainedso painfully in tn.. pasl f....· yean.

Th~ impul... behind Ih.. clumsy multicultural debate is the collecli,'"

reali7.ation of the need to readjust our anachron istic n~l iona l inn itutions

and policies to the ncw social. cultural, linguistic, and demographic reali­

ties of this cou nu)'. \\"'h~1 " ·e all ar.. tn 'ing to sa)"is that ..... "'ant 10 be pan

of a -mUl li --pan icipaIOT)' society lhat t ru ly emb races us all, including Ihe

multiracial and multis..~ u at communities, the "bybnds." the recent immi_

l>rants from the Soulh and the East . th~ children and clderlr peoplc-our

mosr ''Ulnerable and beloved onn-tbe propI.. ..·ilh AIDS, and the hom.._

less, ...hoseonly mi.tak.. is fK)1 being able to ;lffo rd housing. This is nOi

radical politics but ~l"m..ntal humanism. From rap music 10 puformanc ..

art , and from ndghborhuod pol itics (0 the international forums, our con ­

I ~mporarr ooltur.. is already retlccting this quest.

T It ... CIt IV : P EIl 'O It ..... NC E POl ITIC S Olt P O llTlC"'1

HIt' OIt ., ... NC E ... It T

/S<II."d, of r'(Y'",dl fddmg in .",d OHI <>/ Brot~ ;liot n hu.vy me,,, 'j

J os~ph Beu)'s prophesied it in the $C' ·..ntlc$: an ...iIl become. polities and

politics will become an. And so it bappened in Ih.. second half of the

eighties. Amid abrupt changes in the poliliul can og...ph)", a mysterious

ron " ~'bl'nCC of pcrform:rncc an and politics began 10 occur, Politicians and

ani"isl$ borro""edperforma nce t<'Chniques. ...·hilt pnfQrtDJflCC artists

b.-g:rn 10 mil< e~p.-ri mCfltli art ...ith dir<'Ct political actio n.

An outstanding elfamp!~ is SUp"rba rriQ, the seIf-proclaimed "so;;:ial

wrestler" and ch~rismatie political Jni"ist ,,·100 emerged OUt of the ruins

of a \I .."ico City d....·aslat..d b~· tht: 191t> eanhqu~ke. Utilizing the mJ,sk

~nd anire of a tradi tional Merican ""r<'SrI". h.. b«-amc the kader of the

Asamblu de Barrios. a grass-roo ts organi7.ationthai helped ro rebuild rhe

workiog-class neighborhoods affeclcd by the quake and lobbiffi succ e..­

fully for ""pandcd housing programs_Bchind Ihe ma., k of Supcrbarrio

th~re ~I"<' at I"~I four diff..rent ~tl\·islS, each ievolved in a spcciaJiud l.ask:

media int..n·~n,>On. grasS-fOOlS pol ities. politicallhcory. and rca1 wrcslling.

..

,.

Aoother Mexican~onnancc activi" is Fu } "Tormmu, a Catholic

priest ""00 '·....Iured in to profess>OlU.lwr""ding in o rder to urn lh .. neces­

UTr money to build orph anagl,'$ and bri ng media allClll ion 10 rh.. plight of

abandoned child ren. In church, he wears his wresrling mask In u r mass> in

th.. "'''. nding ring, h.. chall<,nges his oppo nents wearing rel igious vestments.

In Peru . Alberto Fujimnri. lhc po litiClllr inu:~rlcn<:ed son o f

Japanes( immi ~I7o Rls. ma naged to win rhc ];15\ presidemial dect lon by

ut ilizing performance and med ia art tactics. At «"n ain Sl ratCbic mo meRiS

of his dCClonl camp.ugn ht appe.tred in publ;(" d r""scd u a umuui. In

these Luio American examples, th.. mrl!tial p<'oon~crcatl'd by politi­

cuns and $OCia! aeti,is" funct;o n ..,. both pop-<:u!lur.l1 allegorin and 50­

phi .•tin ted med ia u ral<'gics .

During Ih" urn" t;me. on this .ide a f the boldcr, EU I Co",,, ~n: col ­

l«ti,-~ suc h as Gmup Mn";~1. G n.n Fury-.md the Guarilh G irls used

gue rrill~ Ihe~trr, in.ullat io n, ~nd medla-"1"n:sln.trgln 10 dra...· anenric n 10

the AIDS crisis lnd 10 rhe art world 's racist and se ~i SI practices. O n Ih,· WC't

ColSl, groups like rhe Border An 'IX'o rkshop and the Lo s Angeles Povert y

Departmer nemplo~-rd npcrimrnu l m methodologi~ to Intn'nne d irectly

in Ihe realms of immign t ion and homelessnns.ln 0 1><' " 'ayor anOlher. most

art ist., . thin ke.... and arts o rganiu rs werc aff""'tcd by Ihe act i" iSIspiril of an

and the performance natu re of poli t iC1 Juring the late eight i.... .

The sp u rn t ried 10 d...·clop ie; anl idOin . In M « ico. the gon 'm­

mem r~pond..-d 10 Ih., popuLuil~' of Superbarrio by crealing ~ pcrf.,...

mane., rival: Super pucblo . In the Soulh wCSI, m;lny co rporation, h ypt-d thc

bo rder as a nuquiJadara (assembly pbnl) he;l"en I() seduce inveslOrs. and

many m;lins"eam cullUral im l ilUl ions followed 'UII. The pseudo-MC'1ic.tn

food chain T~oo Bell began dail;Ding place mm inspired by Ihe coocq.­

lual murals o f bo rde. animo Even the far righl began to appropriate the

perfo rmance tactics of its opponents. In 1990. a large caravan ..., anti­

Mcxic.tn "ccocerncd cltizens - and ..-hite ' Upn:nuc;'ISscarred monlhlygalheri ngs ;lt the 5.>n Diego-li juana. border fence, wilh the;r cae he:w­

lil(ht.. poi nting so uth asa protest against Ml he Mexican im-asio n.~ When

quen ioncd by arl iSI Richard Lou, San Diego's fo rmer mayor Rog er

Ht-dg« ock, ...1>0 spc-u he,adt-d Ihe entire cam paign. an,,,.-erW, MWCarc

'"

doing border an . MFonunat c-l)'. Ihe reaction of the Tijuancn ses " -as mOre

original ~nd pon ic: in thei r counter-performances. Ihe)' ' cspondrd " 'ilh,"i rron and candles.

r'- A C I( v C ENSU '- A NO r s CULT U '-A

/So.mdb, J of prmro-r41'1

During these troubled )"U t> . art in the Un jtcd Su tes became a highl>'

$ym bol ie lerritOf)' of retalialion. Ult neonscrnlive rel il;io us and gOH'rn­

n>em SCClOt> Ixgm to UI"!;" noooommrrci>.1 Ut drpie1 ing se:t:u.tl, rui~J.

and ideologica l altemal ives top~tria~h~I WASP cuhuRe.As in 1"-'McCarlh)"en , artis ts once agJ in were confro med wilh the specte r of J

blacklist, spaces were closed. and cultural organizers were sent to COU rt.

This time the S1nt<'g)' wu to use scnu.l moralit~· iml~ad o f idMlngy as a

p. elC:t:1 10 cond emn ,,'o rks of an: that co" fm ntrd mythical American val­

ues. N ot coincidenta lly. ", osl o f thc arlwo rk chosen as Mconuo"e rs ial"

was don.. by gay, wo men. African Ame rican. and LaI;"O an islS.

This lime. censorship was pan of a muc h larg e' politic:al sp«trum.

Symptoms of a totalilarian sta te. the logic~1 prosrnsio n of a decad e under

Ihe Reagan-B ush adm inistralion, wer c being felt every" ,her.... ' Ib e ovcrrc­

action o f Jesse Hdms and Ihe Am...ican Family Associa tion 10 sexually

e"pliol an. lhe attempts 10 dismant le afllrm;ttive action md bi l ingu~1

o:ducal 'on, Ihe effo rts [ 0 b,m the basic righl of " 'omen to conlrollhd, O"'n

bodies. rhe , ilent militarizal ion of thc Mexican hord..... the gU' ern ",cm's

un ...·illingne" 10 respond to AIDS and hom d essn...ss, the eup hemistic "'ar

On d rugs. the ilJrgal in vasio n of Panama.Ihe display of eulirary beavsdo

in the Persian G ulf. and the prcsidcnti~1 \-eto o f Lb... ci,·il rightJllrg;"Luion

"" e' e all di ffercnl expressio ns of the same censu ring mentalit r , Jn d fC;tr

of O therness was J ( ;1" co re.

Since il$ fo und;ltio n, l he, UnilW SUIts hu used the S1 ral~J of

allu king the cuh ural ~nd i.dcolugical Other 10 consol idate ilSClf. From

above, Ameriu n idemil )" hu been dcti no:d in opposition 10 an evil Other.

I' m m N at;"e Amer icans 10 So" iet. , lhis Olher firsl had to bc demo nized

and dehumanized in order 10 then be junifiably caricatured, ce m rolled ,

exploited. 01" dcstm~·C'd .

'"

\\lith the end of the Cold War and the sudden d isappuuf\Ce of Ihe

Communisl threat, n"", ellCrn;es had to be, invented. Fint on the I;"t re

Mniun migrant ...-o ekers blun«l for the gro...·ing unemplo~'ment er ared

by elitist gov.,rnment poIki(:$. Th.,n came Colombian anJ :'> In ian drull:

lords 1«1 by General Manuel Antonio N oriega, but Ihri r past assoc iation

,...irh Ihe Whi te House: m.ul., th.,m a bad cho iee. Then carne African Ameri­

can and Lat ino ~gangs ' from thc inn er ciries who wer e blamed fo r urban

"iolence and for the drug problem o f the American middle m d upper class.

Next On the ES! were Japanese busine, smen .....ho wcre ~. i le ntlr buying ou r

count ty," and , latcr on . gay and ' co nt ro," ers i al ~ artists of co lor whose art

rd lected a soci"ty in crisis, a rdleetion that Washingto n didn't want to

look at. Finally came rhe "monstrom " Ir:oq is. and by o u nsio n. all Arabs,

Ar:ob~ looking J>Wple. and propl" who opposed th" "'u.

All progressh'e and diulh=u g«l Others ....ho ...-eren'e bo rn C hris ­

tian, nuk ",'bite. and ...·uhhy seem to bt; In one ""ay...- anorhcr. impcd inl>

the OOR$truction o f lhe N..... 'IX'o rM (D is)Onln-. This much-lout«l order

is a un ique autoc ratic utopia based on OIlC point of ,-jew-theirs. All Or h·

CO imid" and Ol llSide Ihe U nited Sule_...hrthcr upcrimcnul art isls..

oo nalignw inrdl«nuls. und omesrie.aed African Amcricam and Latin os.

wom"n. ga~'s. ho meless people, or for ri gners from un fri"ndly countries-c­

ha"e nOWbegu n IQ su ffer in our own skin the repe,""un iom of this

sinister ord er.

We arc astun ished and profoundlr scared, fur now wc know thaI

after the exo nrra t ion of Oliver North and the Baghd ad genoc ide. the

viClOrio us po lilicos in WashinglOn and their European side kicks are ("a­

pable of anythin g, 'Ine militant erhnccenrrism o f Ihest new c",...ders

reminds u. of the original Spanish and Briti)h co lonizers of th" American

con tinent. ...·00 perc-eked eulrural differences u signs o f danger.

Despite our fcar; ...e mu51 nC\'er I~ th is perspttti,·e. Any anist,

inlellrcrual, Of arts organizer "'-00 bd i....·es in and pract ices ci"il and human

righu. cultural plun lism. and fr«dom of expression is ,,"olu nuri ly or

in"olunurily ~ m...mbet' of a resistanCe againsl the Ic rees thai seck ro rake

our basic rights a..ay fro m us. And hislher words. images. and act io n) are

'"

exprasiom of lhe Zcilg" isl of America.. the OIher America, the one to

..hich "'e truly belong.

T Il "' C~ V L Il( S' ON S(S TO ' ... N I C CUITU Il [

{!.t.JK byJdlo Bi..jr....nd Ih" ,V ..ritJt .hlt-lic..n Bmi Smgt T<}

My genera tio n "" as bu m and raised in a worldof multiple crises and co n.

rinuo us fragmentat ion. Our curreOl li,'O' are Iram,><I by the .i nisur Ber­

muda rr;ang lc of w. r, AIDS. and recessio n. Weseem 10 brcloser than ever [0

the end, and precisely bttause o f this. our actions have twice a$much m~..an.

ing and moral weight, lho ugh perhaps fewer repcrccssicns.

Our fragil" COntempo raries arc searving, migra t ing. and d ying at.

,. <"t)" you ng age. and the ~rt we u e making already reflects lhis sense of

em"rgeDCY· BUI it is nOI "nough juu 10 make art. We mUSI step omside of

Ih" saf"an arena and an"mpl lOrecap ture OUr stolen pol itical " 'ill and

mutilated civic self.

As tht ninn in unfold. U.s.ani5ls.. lUlrural organi urs. and inld l« ·

tuals must perform cemral ro les in rc-making socitty. We muu fine-tun"

OI.I r multi ple roles as in tercultural diplo mals.. bo rd"r philo.rophers. chroni­

clers. and acti"isls fo r world glasnos t and local gringosnoi.ka.More than

e,'cr, we mUll pr.ct;' .... promOle, and demand access, tolennce. dialog u".

and reform.

We mUSt speak wilh valor aud e1~ri t y. fro m rhc nrw center, ne t the

old marg ins, and we mUSI do it in l a ~e.se:ale formats and for large and

dive rse aud iences. We must uS(' public-access TV, N ational Public Rad io .

printed media. video. film, and fax art. \I 'e mUSI uke ad"antage of high

l«!mol,,!:Y· \1'e must redefine and expand the :leli"i" legacy of the late

eighrin 10 form mere im"rlUlt ural eoll«ti'·n, eomputn- d ala banks.. and

publicalions linking '-;u;ous armlic. po litical, . nd med ia communitin

witbin and outside the C6UnU)·.

\\?e mU51 dcf"nd Ihe sunival of the an ""...-ldas a d emililarized ZOne.

'\r"e must continue to suppon tbe communit)· C(,OI"""and the altematl"e

sp~ces , hat ar" rot ~n tiall ~· facing "" t inct ion . Large irmirurion s muse tl"}" 10

'"

kccp the snuner ones fmm , inking, fo r wilhout lhem, the large inslit utions

wouldlese their roots and their seeds. Successful painters mi~h t comc m­

pla te donating ihc proceed, from the sale of an artwork 10 a co mmunit),

center or a.n ahe rna rive spuc. ln w me CU6, one pain tingor sculptu re

mighl !Kenough 10 pa.)' forsenral mo nths of opcntiona..l apcmcs. If some

of Ihe smaller spaces nnnOl surv;"e the crisis, ""e mu,t dn-elop diHc.-cnt

modcls that respond 10 the ne" condi tions o f cultural em"rgenc)'.

We mus, li$[en carefully to other cultu res Ihat ha'·c a long hi, tory o f

facing rep re~si on. censorship, and exclusion. N at i"e Americans. Lat inos,

African Americans. and A, i:lJ\ Amt'riu ns have becn fighting t ht'~ banles

Ioe «nturin .We mUSI r"bu ild communi ty through our an, fOf" ou r com munilies

have be=. dismembered. The insidious colonial tendClK;es th.>.t " ·e ha,·e

internalized-and thai <:JIprcss rhemselves in sa.diSiKcomp"tilion for

money and attent ion, po litical can nibalism.~d moral di. trust-must be

o\'e reo mt'. We must ru l i ~ e thai we dre not each other's enemies anJ ,hat

the true enemy is currcntl)" enjoying our divisiveness.

We must d ialogue and collabo rale ..-ilh an;sts fro m ot her disciplinC$

and nhnic communities. as ...·ell as ....ith politOcal acl;yis ts. educators, Ia...••

vers, journalists. cultural cril ics, <>od social scient ist5. The old schism!K­

tween ..rt i. lSand academic, mU5l !K resolved once and fo r aiL '1);'.,must

come 10 the realiulion that we hdVC ~en equallr m..rg;n..lized b y socicty

and that therefort' we need on e another, ,\ <tists nea! the i n tellect\l~1 rigor

of acade mics, mel ther n«d our . ki lls to populariu issues. Academics

have access to more cnensive info rmation, and ...e h..vc acces, to more

d ivCf'SC audiences. Togeth«. "'-ean d",·clop .. na. io na..l consensus of prio ri­

ti("j[ ~nd s.u.egi es for the ne.... decade.

Some people u y that the n;ne.i" ...-ill be · ,be decade of the en,·;ro n­

ment,~ and I wish with all m,- heart they n e right, but, as pcrforma nce

~rl i st Ellen Scb~"ian say~ "We, the human beings, are the ultimate em·i·

ronmenl.· From Sio Paulo to Baghdad, and from So"'e' o to the Bmnx, ', "e

arc a fau~ in d anger of <:JIl inction. Our n;osysICms" the d eteriorata! mul·

tiracial cities ..e inhabit, an: part of the IU.lUte " 'e must saH, If we don',

".

save the human !King ..nd hi,ther eo ncentr.ua! hahitat, " ·e ","o n' t eyen behere to ","i t n e~ s the extinction of the great whale and the Califo rn ia condor.

In lime~ such as these, nationalism is no longer useful. The survival

of rhe hu man sJX"' ies is ~ Concern to all com muni ties. As respo nsible an i. u

o f this cnd-of· tbc-centu,) soc iety, ...-c m c sr challenge the anachronistic

l1OI:ion that Qys; ..e are o nly me""IIO " 'orlt " 'ilhin ou r p..nicular ethnic,

pol iTical. or w :rual eo mmun;t;es. s,ried r an contexts, or marginalleflist

milieus. Our place i. the ....orld-in-dolnger, a, big as i, can be for cach o f us,

and ou r communitie, have multiplia! expo nentially_Rega rd l es~ of age,

race. gender. metier, or na tion~l ; tr. ~ nr ,",,;all)' respon~;b le person-nOI

jus t m i' lS-from ,h is Or other continents ...·ho trul)' believes in and prK­

rices CU ilUralde~' and raci..land sexual <'qui!)' must!K considered ..

member of ·our- com munity.

P..""IIc1 to this majo r protect, .. much more private. but equally

important , path must be pu rsued : the human i?:..t ;on of our person..l un i·

'·efS{'. We must lu rn to take good care of ourselves and our loved OnC5. Ifwc are nor responsible and Im·ing fri" n<I s, sons and d aughters, puent"

lo,-ers. neighbors. and oolleague... how can ."e possibly be respo nsible

citizens at Inge ? If ",e don 't rcoplure Ihe necO:SS.if)· ,imc and personal

' pacc.o enjo)' rommuni~' rituals, fr iends hip , food. uCTriw. .lnd ""'.

..-he-e ...·ill ...... g...t Ihe str ength to conlinue?

The humaniulion of our disjoimed lives is also an expr .... ion of

the seuch for a new soc ial orJa, and the reaw aken ing of our wtal sclf­

ci,·j[ian, po litical, 'pir; tua.!. erot ic. and ae.chetic-....ill ;nev it..bl)-demand

.. ne..· l'OCial bodv to conum it.

T lt AC " vu . T Hf CU l TUlt l 0 ' T H E EH D 0 ' T H E C lNTU lty

[501",dbed romposed by the re"Jer/

l ant 10 exerris" my po l it ic ~ 1 ..ision for a moment and try 10 imagine the

pl. " of the ..rtist in a pcsr-gri ogost roika SOC;cty.

Perhaps b~· the end of thc nineties po li' ici1.edanisu and inteUec·

tu~ ls in ,he United Seaes ...·ill no lo ngn- be border p;n 'es 01'" .. ltcrtUt;"·c

'"

chroniders but respectable .social lhinkers . Per haps a muhincial group o f

artis!.S.lnd ans orpnizers ..· ill hC2d a Minisl!)' of Cuhu....1Affairs. Per haps

there will nen be a ~l inisU',. of CullUra l Affai rs ....ith a budge'! rquivalem

to lhat o f o thn co unt ri" s, and mo re than a hund red cxp..rirneeralar ri sts

..·ill br able 10 sU1"\';"e eKdusi"ely on thdr art . Perhaps lhere ..,ill be a Free

An Agr« menr bet...ecn It... United SlaI ts, Mu ico. and unada. and ..·e

"" ill be ab l.. 10 exchange id..as and arnsrie prod ucts, no t just conSumer

good. and ho llow d reams. Perhaps the Spanish .o nly in illuiv.. will replace

rh.. English ·o nly. Per haps the border with u t in America, the Crru Toni·

lla Cumin, ,,'iIl6ru.11,. mllapsr. Perhaps one of tMsr daY5 Chiclna arti$'(

Amalia i\lrsa-Bains will become gonmor of ulifo m ia, and performance

art ist lim ~l ;Her or Jo hn .' !alpede the mayor of 1.0. Angele•. Perhaps po.'!

Vielor Hernm dc-I:C ru z " 'ill ba:o me president o f Ind ependent Puerto

Rico, and N mm Chomsk)' us.S«reury of Info rmat ion. Per haps Ralph

Nader ....ill be S«reury of rhe En\;ronmenr. and l ui!> Valdez the hud of a

genero us INS. Per haps performance anius will be heard r"l; ularl r on

Nat ion al Publ ic Radio. and peers and philosophers of colo r will publish

daily in d.e majOC" M ..'spapers. Wouldn't ~'ou like- 10 read the opinions 01C h<'Ti Moraga. James A. luna. o r E""", Hem phill in you r 10caI paper?

Perhaps we will be able 10 " 'atch Trinh T. Minh -ha. Ju sica Hag~-dorn,

Ga~ atri Spin k, Michele Walb ce . Com Fu.co, Gloria An:u. ldua, Corn el

West. Rubin Martinez. James Cliffnrd, and man )' other thinkers from Ihe

olher Anw:r1ca o n muhilingual n.uional td e,; sion. PerhJ.p, there ..;11be al

least five cuhural television channels in ever}' citr. and C\'e..,' independent

film and "ideo an piCe(" .... ill be availab le in the local ,·ideo store. Perhaps

" 'e ..ill be abl~ 10 purchasC' books b}' Chk allO, Afri"" n American. Asian

Ameriu n, and NJ.li,-e Ameriun ..·ri len at the: supermarkn, and .....("rl at the

7- Elen n, I'er haps thc re will be so ma ny alte rna tive spaces that they " ,ill no

lo nger be called alte rnative. Perhaps there willnc longer be a need for CO Ill­

munit )"c..mcrs, since C\'e~ d~' will fu nct io n as a real com munity. Per haps

r~re willbe 50 man~' artists J.nd imellectua ls of color "'orking in our ee l­

rural, educuio nal, and meJia instit utions that there ..·il1 no lo nger be a need

to labe l us by our ethn icily, Perhaps ". ~ will no longer need 10 imagine.

•

".

• •

I N 1 E il C U l T U il A l WA IIF AII E

To <l'..i~ .p hrT<'

"lrc"Jy mt"...to bl ,m Mromplil;t

ro ..1fIbn dnJnlcrum.

It won'l Cut it anymo re 10 pretend th at the enemy is always outs ide. The

scp ar.llist., sexist., and radSl lendmcies rhl.l ....e eo ndemn others for prrpct....­

ling also exist ,,'ilbin our O"-n communit in and ..; rhin ou r c ...·n indi" idua l

selves . l ike", i..,_the art " 'orld is a d ysfu nct ional family_ micro-uni" rrse

reflecring th.. larger .societ}·, We c:>.n' t cominue to hid.· beh ind the prclCXI

tha t the all-puIJ'O"" · dom inam cul tu re- or ·sc....ighl ..·hite men" arc the

scure.. of all OU r p roblems. We must no ..' have Ihe courage to tum our

gu e inwa rd and begin to ....ise the [Oueh " issues that mos t of us avoided in

the paSt dec ade-

Men of color au aCli" e prol:lgon ists in the histOl}' of sexism., and

Anglo- American " 'OlTKn sharr t h~ blame in the hiscory of racism. We

must ae, ept this with valo r and dig nity. Afriun Ame ricans and Afro '

uribl....ans have a hard t ime gett ing along. U.S.-bo rn Latioos and Latin

Amer icans cannOt fullr u ndersund o ee ano lher. Despite o ur cul runl

similari t>cs. ..·e are scpJ.rated by ie viaible idios~ nc....t ie borders. Third

'oX'o rld feminists and Amer ic01Jl feminis," nil! ha'-en't reached a basic agf"C<'­

r nent regarding prio ril ies and stra tegies. Th e " bop ' clubs" of the sixti\'$

,100 ",\'~min c:a n hard ly be in the same room ..-ith the mul tiracial and

multisc:rual an isu o f Ihe C'igh lies and nineties. n.cembiuered ,·etcrJ.tU

resent the in c"eren ce of th ... yomh and the inrensity and directness of the

WOmen ;lrti. 1S and intellectuals. In fact, most st raight mcn are slin ir ritat ed

when sexis m is ment ionOO.l>l y lo..er has co nsiseemly pointed OUI the hy­

pocrisv of my hid ing behind crhnici ly 10 a"aid gender i$.Sun.

The bo rden keep multiplying. Ani. 1S and academicians ....rd}, u1k

to One another. So-called community an isls and po litieir.oo art iSiSworking

in major insntunons sLi I!s« o ne anorhce a.senemies, nor as allies working

'"

on diff erenl frunu . Politicized arlists who work dirl'Clly with troubled

com munil ies SUC h ;lS the ho meless, prisoners, migram workers, or in ner

city youth are seen as o pponuniuic. <lnd theiTintent ions arc ofren ques­

t ionni by P'""Pk ...ho do .absolutcl}· noching Io r rbose communities.

·Successflll- ~rtislS of color~", pcrcci.-ed U ·Co-opled: and rhose who

ventUTe into rhwry ~re seen ~s elitist .and no. -o~<l nie· in rd atio n to the ir

commu nity. Bo. h Anglo lil>cral, and essemialins of color "-fe ,t ill ;m­

mCTSC<i in Bn ;anl ine deb.:ttcs aho u. who is · authent ic· and who i. n·t.

Poliriciecd art;"l$ ..-00 f~" or h~'bridi t y <lnd cross-culrcral collWor'ation

~re seen with dis t rus t bl' all sides_

Wdl -m(>~ ning liberals have learned the correct ICrmino log y 10 not

offend us, but lhe}' rem~; n un willing to give up con tr ol ;lnd StOP run ning

the shu ..·. When called on their b..nign bigotr y, . hr y suddenJ ~' become

moM'cn. :\h ny ....hire multiculturalislSMe cu rt"C'ntl}· experiencing.ll1 ;lCU IC

casc of "co mp.m io n f~.;gue. · Tim.!of bcing Hicetoo and scolded b)'

f""Ople of color. they arc eilhC'C bailing out for good o r rcrrcoching 10 pre­

muhieultu r~ 1 sranccs. The;r Ih;n co mmitment 10 cul tural '''lU;ty en po ratcs

before our "CITe}es,

In rhe ni~ie>, OI,Ir communi.ics arc ferociously di,·id.-d b~- geod ct,

race, class, and ~ge. An ~byss-noc I borderlilloC'----'5cparates u. from ou r

chi ld ren, Ollr teClu gers, ~nd ou r ciders. The Cclur obiae legacy of divisi,'c­

ness i. more present than ever. Thi, i. co ntemporu r Amerira. ~ land of

such di"crlity ....he"' nOone toleralC'S d ifferencc, " bnd o f such bizMre

eclecti<ism ..·hCTC ("\-el'}'one mUS' kno .... hislhcr pbce. Her~ <lMistsandacn ..isu spend more time co mpeting for ..tten.>On and funding thOUl esrab­

lishing emlitions "" ith ot her ind i" iduals and grou p>.

C hic.no theo retician Tom~s Ybarra-Fuusto su ggests t h ~ t in the

nineties " 'e muse resist aU at tempts a.t int..rcu lt ll r~l ,,"'~rf;lrc, and I com­

pktcly iubscrib.. 10 his call. In o lder to~n the gre.l.t pro}cct of racial.

gender. ;lIK! gellCTa.ional rcconcili~I>On. ..-e must.ign a Innporary rca.ce

tTC.lt )·. Perhaps the key here is the recognilion Ih. t we all arc pan ially

guilty, and (h. t most of us arc pan i~l! r discnfrrnc hised . At least ~mong

ourselves. like in a family rl."tlnio n, .... e must face these issues fro null l' but

....i,h respect. .... thout indicting ~nronc, withoul calling na.lOC'S.

,..

OUTcultu ral institu tion s can perform an impon~m role in this

respec l; they C.ln function as labo rarcri cs to de,'clop and rest ne,,"' modcls

of colbooT<ltion, and as - free zones- for- intercu ltu ral di~logue ;lnd

u diCill think ing.

llH G R E A T COl l A IO RATl V E ~ R OJ tCT

~Tbr peaplr from tbe SDJtlh,z" coming to " ':Ie..-"- •

-LnJw .11......... w..... .or• ,.."eI JiM..-.......

Our ·nhnic· communitiC5 tu,·c clung~ $V d r~m~t ic~ lI r in t~ pasl ten

years Ih~t I~r might no longer b.. JUSt ·ours.· Our oeigbborboods and

burios have become mueh more mulli r"ci;ll;l nd i mp(n'erish~ . Our f~mi~

lies, schoo ls, ;lnd commun ity ceme rs arc f;llling apart. Tmer~ci a\ violence,

homd cssnns, AI DS, and dru gs have incrcasN exponemi~lIr. It becomes

turdcr to differcmi~te bft""ccn the Sout h Bronx ~nd So..-eto. between

Soul h Cnllr~llos Angeles MId the~ Paulo f",:.:el.rJ . Our ccrdaed social

theo ric:s h;lve been rc ndC'C~ in:adequ.tte by these ch<lnges. And artisrs and

acti"i$1$ h~vc become foreigners and exiles in OUTown co mmun ities.

Despite lile fact Ihat in the Ilinel ies the word -co mmuni ly- has

u kcn on myriad meanillg. (mOSI of which arc open ended ~nd C"C'C

ch.lflging), some P'""Ple slil1 utili7.e the demagogic b.lnnu of <l mythie<ll

alld unified commulli~' 10 infuse their actions wilh moral suhsunee. The)'

all ack ~ Ild escl ude others who express d ifferem views On u d al identit )',

sexua lity, and ~esthetin; - [ TCp resent Ill} ' wmmunil)', H e/she deem ·t.~

- H is communiI)-' dOC'sn'l hac k him <lI1 ymo re. W - Th is an is nOC community

based....• Th;,. sd/-righlcous 8 5 must Slop. Noc onl)' docs ir ...iden ai­

re~dy exi,t ing di"isions but il provides rhe m~ia;lnd dorninan r inst ilu ­

tioll ' wilh Ihe confirm.tion of their steTco trrc-t hal arti sts and p,'Ople of

color who d emand change simpl y can't gel alon g.

Under rhe current fog or cOl\fusion, som~hing is ek ar: ""e mu.1 re­

diKO' er ollrcommllnilies in tu rmoil, redefi ne OU r prob\nn;l lic n:U.OOnship

,..

10 th..m, and find new "' :I." S 10 ~rH them. And those who ehoose for

wh:l.tever reasons never to go b3..k to thr ir o riginal co mmunities must be

~Spn::led. No on e h3$ the moral right 10qu~tion rbeir decis ion.

The an .m rkl , 10<>. i. 3 paniculul ~' nung" community. II h;as no

eklers oc children. Tnc clden:lre ignored,:l.nd the: children He.s«n;as a

nui... nee. This b el is:l. microcO$mic expression of the de hunu.ni7..uion of

the l..ger scci ..t}·. Lu ino 1cad..r. insist that cn.ry,thing we think :lnd do in

the fUlUre must h.csh:or..d wit h other generat ions. We must in" ile ou r

cide rs, t<'e.u.g..rs, and young chi ldren to IIte!:l.ble and reco nnect ..-irh them,

for ther nn remind us of the lruly imponam lhin;s in 1if". We must bridge

this gTa"eg"ncnl:ion.a! g.>p:o.nd. make sur.. d UI "'hen we le.l,·e the table

oth..rs ..·ilI t3ke ou r plue.

The case of the d istTUstful teenagers is parricuhrly sensitive. They

rightfully believe " 'C are pani:l.lly respons ible for rbe dangerous world ther

are inh..riti ng. Th..y sec us .u ineffici..nt and int <:iOlsigent, and Ihe)' h.."":l

poinl- We mustln rn to an:q>1r~ponsibilit~· and seek mor.. dicel i....

languagn 10comm llnlat....·ilh rhem. lbe ttt,ug"TJ!u.,·e u ..mcndous

Ihings 10 IN ch us: they Iu."" Iewer hang -ups about rae.. and gende .. they

are much mor.. at cue wilh crisis and hr b riditv: :l.nJ Ihcy un dersl... nd our

e i ti~ and neighbo rhood s bcuer dun we d o. In faCl. if Ihu e is an an lorm

Ih..t trul y s""us fo r the present crisis of ou r eommunili~. this form is rap .

The ind igl'llOUSphilosophks of the Am..rX-as remind us lha t """ry.

Ihmg is interco nnected. "11dnl"'eti.... .and divisi" e Iorces have me S:l ......

'IOurce, and all snuggles ror Ihe rcspn::t oflife in all ilS " ...riann lead in Ih..

same dire ction, Th e ~rcal proj c~t of reform and rccond lialio fl mUSI be,

ab<we ...11, a collaborative one , and ..ll -discnfr:o nchised· rommu nincs muSt

takc pa rt in il- w.. .&11 nc..d to begin sharing OUr secrets, skills. It rac egi~

...00 inff;lStlVClURS-~ indigenous communillcs of the "m"';cu c:o.n

tach us mo"" ..n1 il;hlencd " ':lr S10 proouce foodand medic ine ",ithoul

cominuing 10 d~IT(>Y the :tir and h nd. The recenl Lat in and Asi..n imm i­

&ranls can mak e I)ur cit ies walka blc and livable again. T hey can also leach

US ho..... 10 resp"'l our children and elderly people. since Iheir £ami!i:o..l

Sl rucl ur~ :lr" much llronger rhan o urs. The ani,u md ,,·ri,ers of calor can

help us undmand the bizarre racial .lnd cultural lopogr:o.p hy o f Con l..m-

".

" "" '. '_~'"' ''<>o'' ''' G."",,,..... ...... . KU,,,,," ."".... e. ~..........

po r..ry America. T he r:wieal imdk<lual. can monilor rh.. bchavior o f our

gm'ernmenu wilh regard to hum;!n righu and ~n " iron mcnul standards.

Po liticized women can r....ch us ho w 10 organize and co llabo r:o.t.. mere

demou nic;;ally. T he g:o.y:ond lesb ian communities can show us },o... to

red...im our bodies;as Srtes for p leasur.. and cd cbr.l[;o n. )i.wy mOt"<' com~

munilies must join in.

It 's about t ime Ihat po liticians :ond ci" ic .Ind co rporate leaden begin

to rake note: no cffenive so l... l ion 10 Ihe mult iple crises th.lc affl ici Comem·

por.lr~· sociery cm bI' impl..menled wuhourrh.. consent, co nsensus. ..nd

d irtct part icipal>on o f cuh ofI~ ove.-l.lpl'ing commu nities. \ f r co l­

lC2f;ues .Im1 1poli tely ask ~'OU to join in.

Please forgive mr incommcnsurahl.. .Irrogance.

'"

.. ,.

c • • • Tl' •

LOO to:lNCi A ROU N O, )WH H E W I .....e. WHHE W E COU LD IE L",. }' R. U p" .."

lOO ~I J'l (; ....OU NO

]','e spen t a lot of my life loo king, bu t less of it lOQking uound. An history

and th.. an world "make progr~s, • focusi ng on an invented ,·..rush ing

point. losing sighl of the cydic. panoramic .......·s. And of COUr1o(" it's not

"ur 10 be visiona ry in Ih.. smog.M~an""hile, Hucl H enderson 's - Ihink

globally. ael lonH,·· hn become a lruism-an o.-erused idea importa nt

eno ugh 10 remain tru e. Thc nOlion of the local. the locale, the locmon, the

local i t ~ " Ihe p/<lCf in art, ho......'·"r. h:os no l caught On in the mainstream

because in order to auraet suffieiem buyen irrfhe currenl syst..m of d istri­

bUlion , = musl be reb l i"d " gencnl ized, deu chJbk from polities 1J1d pUn .

.... Th e soc;",1:unnesiJ and a l11 ihistoric~ aui tudcs Ib.at chuaClcrlU OUr

society al brge Jffect lhe an world as ,,·..U. "C hJnge increuingly appears

10 be all Ihat there is. . . . Thcre is no sense o f progress which can pro vide

muning or dept h and a sens.. of inheriunce. ~ I But, perhaps beeaun "" e arc

al a retrOSpccli,'" mo ment in bisrcrv-c-n..arin g the end of a millennium ,,00

jusl ~llhe fl"e bundredth 1Jlni"el"SM}' of the mosl heralded po inl o f

coloni~ism-man~' of us ..,-.. Iooking back 10 fiod solid ground from ...,hieh

to leJp fo rward, into [he shifting future. 11 "'~ms significant that whal the

histor ian Lawrence Grossberg calls the · ,·ery co rnersto nes o f hiSlorin l

rneueh· can alro be called the "er~' cornerstones of the an to ",·hieh this

book is d...·OIcd: -appreciation of differ..nce, und..rstand ing of co ntext,

and abili t), 10 mak.. crit in l compuati"e jud gmcnu Onlhe basis of ..mpathy

and ...·id ..nc<:.·'

Ecological cril is is ob. ious ly responsible fo r the currc m preocc upa­

tio n with place and cor\l.·~ t ,:IoS is In ongoing noslalgia ior lost con nections.

The Gr....k root of the word "eco logy" mu ns home, and it's a hard puce

10 find these dars. Prteisd~' beau", 50 nu.n~· people J rt' 001 at home in the

world. Ihe pl.lrlC'l is being rendered l.ll impos;sibk home for rmn~·. Because

' "

.oo"~c .. o ~ ~o WN'OI .... . . .. "'. , .. .... '0..' 0 "

we hsve loS! our own pl~ccs;n the world. we have los! rcsp<'O for lhc

eart h, and I(UI it badly. L.cking a sell,e of microcosmic com muni ty, we

bil lD proteCI ou r murocosmic global home . Can an imcnnivc. proce ..­

based art bring people · cloSC'T 10 home· in .. wciet}, ChM2C1.ni7ed br "..lU.I

Gn:>rg Luhcs called - In .llsundcnuJ homdcuness- ?

Not $; n~ [~regional.n of the Ihi rli~ h""r so m.n~· people lookni

.round . rO,'<;ordcd wh.t rhcy sec or wo uld like Co sec in thcir o wo c",-im,,­

rnCnls• • nd u llcd it .n. Some have gone ~yond th e rctlecnve Function o f

co nventio nll an formS,ll1d thc nKI" " function of mlKh activiSl an.

Those who h..,·..b«n . 1;1for • long ume U C rcpr~ud individu"]ly in

this book. BUI tfH,yalso .....,... heirs and colleagues among younger .lnis<...

wri ters, ~ nd .lCli,·islS ....ho rq;aro the rd alionshi p OO""«n pn>pl~ and

people u ll1ik~ rbcm. bet"""",n pooplc and place. b.·tween peoplr, plJce.

/lon, bunJ. and no w, neces.suil )', e,'en armo~phere. as a " 'ar of under­

su nd ing his to~' and the fuIU~.

Th e growing "mubiC1lhunl~ (and cross-cuhural, iml'rC1l hun.l)

«Intribu tions of th~ lut decade Iu.,.." optncd up fresh "'J~'S of urw:l ......und­

ing Ihe incrcJibly complex po l i li~ of nu ure. Culru re and the concept of

plJce J re in [act inseparable. yet people (Jnd id<"<.>IOJl ies) arc o ilen lefl o Ui

o f In aboUIl and and landscape . A5 K"nnelh H d phand has observed,l=dKapc$ (...hich I would define as plue al a disunc~) -carry legacies

and kssons ~ and can create "1Jl info rmed tandsc~ cnizenrv.•j

Nalional. globa.l.collective narr.Ol;'·cs uc CS(>C'("i~lIy sceessible

Ihrough one 's b mily hislo~'--br asking simpl.. qun lio ns abou t "' h~' ...-c

move d from One block or citr or smc or cou mry 10 anOlher, gained or lo se

jobs, married. or didn'l marry whom ",'e did, kepi Irack of or losl track of

ccru:in relarives. A suni ng poim, for mmpl..: simple~Mch ~boullhe

pt.ee ...·hff\' ~-ou li"e o r ...·ere raised. Who lived the re Mor~? Wlu.t ch1Jlges

have b«n m"lic? h~..e r ou made ?" 'h en ...-as the house bu ill? Wh~1 do Ih..

deeds in the coumy records ha"e to ...y about il and rhc l.lIld il su nd. on?

How docs it /it into the histo ry o f Ihe area? Has its monelary "alue Jppre­

eialed or deprecia,ed? Whr? When did rour family move thcre? Fro m

""here? 'I};'h y? Wha, Nui"e peoples first inhabited. it ? Does ~'our family

b.a'·e J hislOI')' in the u e;&. o r in any u ..a? Do rdali..es liH neJrb)'? Wh.al is

'"

r

differnit no..' from ..-hMlrou were r oung? Wh y ? H ow docs , he intn-ior

of }·ou r ho u$(' rd n e to tbe- o;lmor~ Ho..· don its sej-le ~nd d.,.,or:llion

~fl.,., t r ou r f~m il >". cuhur~l background. Ihe places from ...·hich you r

people urne ? ls there a g~rage ? a b ""n' a g.udcn ? 10 the flo u loa.l or

impon«!? Is there ...-ate r to sustain it? Do an y animals li"e there ? And On

a broad er scope, arc rou sati,fi l-d wilh lhe presell1? If 1'0 1, ~ re yo u nosral­

gie fo r the past or lo nging for lhl· fut ure? And ' 0 f" n h.

Questions like th"" can set off ~ chain of p<: rso nal :lIld cultu ral

remi nisccncc. and ramifications, includ ing lines of tho ught ~bout inter­

linking histories, the ull3ckno.... lcdged Amcriu n c1.us s}'scem, racial.

gende r. :lDd cu ltu ral di\"isions and Cammon grou nds. lind usdabusc. gCOl;­

nphr. MI ,·ironmcnt. to..." planmng, and the es perience of natu re th~. h.u

m.:tde ~ ~ rctum· 10 it ro mYlhiul. \l'hcn rhis k ind of research into socia l

belo nging i. inco rporate<! into intc ract ivc or p<ll1:icipnory ar t forms, col­

len i'-e ,·iew, of pbce can be arri ved n . It pro\'jp.,,; "·a ~' s to un derHand

how human oc"up~ nts arc also pari of the en\' iron men t rather than mere!r

I n' 'aders (hu l thai (00). According to Wendell Berr y, Ihe most COn, iS1Cntlr

inspi ring writer On A meric~n place, - Th" COlKepl o f count '}·, ho md and,

d...·elliog place becomes simplified as ·I he en\"i ronmcll1'--Ih~t i... whal

su rrou nd..< us- Once ...-e~ ou r pl...:e, our put of the ....orld. as ."rrrnmJing

us, "·e bsve .ure~}· made a profound di' -mon bet..-een il nld ourselves....

Rni immers ion is drpcndem on a hmilWil r " 'ith pl...,e and ia

hisl o'}· thai i, Ure tod>.y. O ne ..·ay [0 umlcnur..J ...here • .-c b..-e landed is

[0 identify Ih.. econo mic and hi$loric.J.fOITCS lh.1l brought u. ",·h..r.....·e

nc-~Ion" Or acco mpanied. (C ulture, .uid on e co ntcm po rar y artin, is 1'01

" 'here w" comc from; il'Swhere we·re coming Irom.) As we l()(lk al o ur­

scl"es crili cally, ill soc ial co ntexts, as inhabiu l1lS, users, onloohn, tourists,

.... .. c~n scruli ni7."ou r Own part icipatory ro les in rhe nllural p rocesse' Ih ~ l

~re fonning o ur fUlun :, . Similarl}" the study of place offers access 10 exp<:o

rimee of lhe land itseU (and ...·hal ""e ca ll -natu re ~) as ....dl.u 10 ..-o rrel'l

ecological pcliricsaod a se nse of responsib ility 10 II... futu re.

Jeff Kcller h.u d istinguisbN the nOlion of place from thai of silc.

made po pular in the lal.. sin ies b)' the term ~ s ilc- specific ~ .sculpture: -A

5,1" rep resents Ihe cons tituenr physin l propenin o f a pbce . . . whi le

".

~OO < ' W G "OU ~ O " HI" w I . .. ..~ . .. "'- ' eou,o ..

plm are rhc rcscn'oin of hum.:tn comem, .. "'bil.. pb ce and ho m.. arc

001 s}'non~ moos. a pl...,e must h.l" c something of the hom" in il. In these

chillin j;timcs. Ihe canupl o f place hu a ...·arm feeling 10 it. T he implic~­

rion is that if "'·Cknow oor p lace ..... know som"l hing about il; 01'1;.- if .....

"kno w· " in the h istorical and ex~rient ial sense do ",'" uul~' belong Ib,'re.

BUI few of us in contemporary North America" socie ty know uur plsc" .

(W hen I ask..d IW"" l>, uni '·ers it,. studems 10 name Hlheir place.· most had

none; the excep lions wcre two Nan ju women, ra ised t radi lionall y, a"d a

man ...·hose famil} had bc..n on ~ southern ill inoi s b rm for j;Cneral ;ons.)

." nd if ...-.. ...n Iocalc nurscl.-..... " ·e ha'e not ncccsnril}· exam ined our place

in. Of" OUr SCIw.1 rclationd tip 10, lhal place. Some of us h~,c .wopl~ p laces

tty t ar" nen really ours excepl psychologic..!ly.~'c ha" e redefined place as

a fclt bUI inveible donu.i.n.

In cenrrase10 Ihe hol istic. eanh-centercd indi l:eno us peoples of this

hemisphere (",·Ito, (WeT Ihousands of }·ea.... had ~Iso madc changes in the

land ), the innding Eu rop eans saw rhe nalural ....-orld a. an o bi...,1of plun­

der 10 be co nquered, cxp loilcJ , and co mmod ified . Th c>, impo n ed d enial.

sli ll a pre" ~l e nl disease among their d..sc..ndants. Thc causes of Ihe ex­

hauSled resources. the scarcily' of wood ami ara bic land in an "o ld wo rld "

" 'er e n...·er ~ckno... l«!gcd; old habia " 'cre simpl~. reasserted in Ibe ·ne..'

....o rld.~ Althou gh ~ sense of collective loss spread through rhis cou lllry' al

rh.. cnd of Ih.. ninctC<'fllh ctlllU'}·....hen mos l of the arable 1M><! hsd been

parceled oul, most f't'OPlc in the United SUICS tod>.}· st ill ...am to believe

I h~1 ou r reso urcC$-...·~ler. to!"oil, (orals, fucls, o:\'r\;c n- are infiniU, Not

un r..b loo i~ the scam anent ion paid 10 [hc w~ys ru ral and urban spaces arc

Sl ructur<.J and how Ihey affecl Our nllion~ 1 psycholog r- (Histor;anJohn

Slilgoc sal's that in "oloni ~l New England , lowns plann\-d in odd shar'C5

"'·cre seen as disorderly and werc - mo r.. likcly 10 har bo r civil and ecclesias­

rical unresr.·)"

Tod ay. acco rding \0 Rosalyn Deu ISC h. spac.. 1$ a reflect ion of PO" ''''

~III>Of15 (prod uced by social rclllions) ~i. on the pol it ical agenda.as il

oevcr Ius been before, ~- This is t rue fo r artists " '00 have bc..n Hfr.uning"

I~ndfills, shopping nulls. parks, and Other social coot..Xls for man y y<'1r5

no ..... Yet the e veralltonc is no r exuberan t. r ,·e bee n seuek br dtree recene

'"

,

nuning pb.mumen.l: First. th~ posunodemin impulse (no'" ~l lea>l:l de­

eade old, and sup remcl r wr<»nin' in iu o wn right) h:os S\U-..-ned:l

rlnhoTa of uhihiuons. "nid~ M>d books called Tl:'·>;rw'ng, K'-\' isioning,

re·m..pping. rc~thinking. re. photographing. S«ond, th e titles o f exhibi·

lio ns about Lmd ..nd nUUr.. are becomi,,&mclan.;holic and C>'C'n apocal}"p­

lic: for insu ncr, .~gll;n fl ,\ "a IMre, The Dcmor,,/'uJ Lrndsc..pe. TIN

Unmdking of,v,,,,,u, I.OJr 1/I"51005.;rnd Ulopta, Prlfl-UlOpi". Third.lhc

terms ~ Ierri[ory," "bod." ·unh,· · u r....'n ." and ' m"pping~ :lre "Iso

ub iq uitous ;n both rhecry and p....cli cc. T he map as a micm/macro visual

co ncept has lo nl; been of intcresrro ..rusts, and panicularly to "concep­

t\lal ~ and · canh ~ "nists from 191>5 to 1')7>. On o ne hand , mapping thc

turf can be seen as abening .Iun ·cys . fences, bounda-ics. zoning. and other

inst ru m<"ms of po5scssion. O n the O1 hC1" hand, mapslell. uSwhere we arc

and .ho... us ....here ....c·re goi ng.

Undcnlanding our cultural grognphy.witl be a nn;~' cempe­

ncDt..,f tlx: ","in.-enlion of n.ltu n:. Wc 0C'Cd 10 Slop cknying differ ence and

..prctmding a ""oo:ty u no'ersal ism W I masM and mainU.iM dttp """ial

divisions, We h.a,·e 10 kno...· more about our rdatio nsh ,J'l; 10 eaeh (}t h....., ;as

p"" of Ihe cultural eco logy, to kno.... ""here ...-e sland as art;s", and cullural

work el"l' on ho melesmess. ncism, and land, waxer, cul lUral, ~nd religious

righls. ...hel her or nnt we ...vcr " 'o rk direcdy on thne i.~u cs. Benuse Ihey

arc linke<! . 10 be ili: nonm of o ne is to misunders tand anothn Ye, such

~wa rc ness dem and s exte nsive "i . ual and verba l (and )'leal) research that is

nOI induded ,n trad itional u l education. Multicultura l . rudics especially

need to be incorporated into an about hislory and place. If o nly white

history i. st udied, the pl"'e remains hidden. f or inSlance. wlte n I taught a

semi nar o n land in Colorado. I fou nd Iltad to indude the " 'ar land was

used and COlIcrptWl'i~cd by the origi lLll inh.abiu .nrs. the Ingie histori... o f

~ui " e land. and bves and or the cont inu ing SIN gle on Me,.ican 1M>d

gn nts, the roles o f bbck farmel"l' and co...boys. C hinese railr~ and

agricultu ralworket$. and the dnen. inlemmcm of Japanese Ameri c.ln$

during World War II ,

~'hite A merica has been d"'ply affected (so deeply it doesn 't oft...n

sho "" o n the surface) b~' th... bnd-bascd Iradil ions of Nali..e and mCSlizo

cullures; colonists inherited ~grieultural si'es and technique. ami survived

'"

< OO ~' NG ~' O UN O "'" _, . , ... . .. w., .. .... ~ OU ' O ..

by modding rhem sel....." o n Indi an. even ",'hile wiping them OUt.' The

resurgence of mains tream inte rest in Nari.·... culture in Ib~ last Ie...· )'ears

(a process dur began in thesixt ies) is panly due to Indians' grass-roots

strenglh and pride al h.a...ing sun'i,'cd, p~rtl~' bolsternl by tbeir ra.ge at the

cost in Nati...e culture. health, and land. BUI il is also a p roduct of the

gruwing recognitio n amo ng Euro-Amcrjcans that the fi"c-hunoret:l-year­

old dream wem a.... ry. T he 5Carch for place is rhe myth'cal search for rhe

axis mundi. fo r ro me plaa 10 sund , (or som elhing 10 hang on 10 . (Scnet::a

Jrti,t Pele' j emison has said it is nOt the Hag but the pole JOe n~l~ on lOp

Ihal mea n some thin g to his pl'<>plc; th(·y c(""''XI cJnh and ~ky, body and

>piri(. ) At the Same I;me. a dc-idcaliU l ion o f nJrure aod of N ative attitudes

(oVo'ard nalure is nccCSSlI)' because anylh in~ SCIon a pM e51a1 can . 0 ca5 i l ~ '

be u ndermi ned.

" respo ru iblc an of place must be pm: of a cenlering ptOCC'S)'. 'I),"'a"e

:oftcrwa"e of exiles is sli ll coming through Ihi" land. and ""e hne made

lnlern.al exiles c>cn o f lbose wl>o ue iu nath,n. The immigrant populuion

in the Uniled Scates (all of us) has no center; DO ""ay of orienl ing ilSClf. 'I),~e

tend to pres u me ou r ancestors ha.d one, bUI my family, for enmple. <:on.

slan d ) m()\ et:I around; from the 1700. on, fe...· generatio ns sn yed in the

same to....n. When J pl~ce-oriented sculptor sa~ .. "Place i . wha l you hJ'- e

lcfr," I'm not sure whClher .he means "all thlt remains · or -that which is

left behiod."

Alth ough art has often bet'n used in Ihe p,,-'I as prop aganda for

coloni'llism and exp~nsion,sm (especially durin!; the ninet« nlh .cemu t}

mn" ~meOl "" est ), and muc h COOlemporal'}' pu blic ln is still propagaod'l for

exist;ng po ....er srrucrures (espccially d e'c!opmeOl and banking). no bcuer

medi um exists in this society to reimagine nature, to negotiale. in Dunna

Haraway's ...-o rds, -Ihe term. on ",·hieh 10"e of ...lIure cou ld be pan of Ihe

sol ution n thcr than pan of Ih e imp05ido n of colonia.! dominalion and

cn,-i.ron mcnlal destruct ion. . "

The upper middle class (from ",h ieh lhe majori ly of aniSt. emerg es)

It<ndS 10 confuse plJee with nalure, because il blS the mea ns and leisure

lime to ind ulge i", wand erlust, 10 na vel 10sites of beaurv, dirference, curi­

osity. 10 have second homes on s!>urn . in mou nuins, on abandoned fums.

'"

,..'~..

But urb~n cnvironmenl' ~re also pUcc. , ~ Ithough fonn ed differently, more

likely to . pawn the multiple sd ves that ease cross-cultural communie~ ­

tions, tha t in f:l(: , afe the reSult nf UOS$-cuhurai communicat ion. Thns t of

us l i~'ing in any big cit)" "x u y Ue confronted by a ,'"st minor ",henc"er

...·e Strp outdoors. It reflecrs us 1nd those wt.a. like us. lin- on this cOm­

mon ground; our appe.uanccs IDd lives often diffn-. but "'e can'r look into

rhe mirro r wilhout see ing them 100. Thc r«iprot~1 natu re of cchural

cc mmumcaricn is rhe nailJames Baldwin hit on rhe head when hc said,

-nI am not who you thouj;ht I was. then )'01,1 arc nOI who )'ou thought

you Yo'crc cithcr,""

The dial« ,ic hrtw«n placc aoo ehange i." cruli,'c cros uoads. I'm

~pcrimrnling ",ith thc ide:lS sk...ched ~bo>·e.as u~hing tool.. ~s way. in

...h,ch teachers "no! "tudenu can collaboule 106nd their pl~n; an inc",.as­

ing number of artisUi ~,e becoming in"ol-'ed in similar idas. Inll1ld y

illlerdisciplinar)' and multicultur.d, thi$ linrlll' inquiry and prod ut1;on

relaees to cont exts and content rath"r Ih~n to Sty le and tr .nds. M)' models

... arc the artists whose concepts of place and hisrory inelude people and form

rhe guss roees of much inreracnvc or ~ne..' genre - an - from Judith Ib u 's

G~~r W~U ofLM AngorlC'J, " 'hich brings logether teens from diffC'rem

cuhuraJbxkgrounds to cru,. a mural on lhee non..-hile M oon ' of Califor­

nia, 10 Micd e L:a<lrnmn Ukeles's wor k ""ilh lbe N.,..· York City Sanilation

Depar tment exposing how "'e mainuin ourselves and m~nage ou r waste

(and wilh whom); from John ~h l ped e 's ~ rnall - _,calc examinations of

hOlnelessncss 10 Ncwton and Helen Ma)"er Harrison's large.scale en"i ron­

menul,.,.cue ~ttempts. Art iSlScn'-;s;on (<I verb lhal embraces a noun) ~

praces. Ih.:.t rcsu]Ui in an ~n"·ork.

WoHH W! "''1

I've been struggling "'ith these queslions for a long time. In 19671 wrote

th~ 1 visual art "'~5 hO" rring at ~ crossroads · that ma)' well turn out to n.,t....o roads to one pLacc: an "s idea.and an as action . . . . Visual art is still

,isua! e..-rn ,,'h.n it is in,'isible or ,-isionar)...· " In 1980 I ...·role:

,,.

.00< "" " ou~o W_ ... ..., ' " ....... WI CO ..., ,, "

Any ,,= lund of ~TI p•.uri""is f oing /(J h.....,. 10 I"Ju puu "1/~" 11 ptl-ni.Jl.,

oUlud~ of Ih~ ~TI u'orld, And b~rd "s ,I i.,o r$(J.hlu b onr..,lf i" Ibr ..n "':orl,(

Irn rirrum,CTibeJ !Crrifo,;," dr. ../1 Ihr rn rn-e fraughl ",-jlh p. ril. Oulf/uT!,

rno<l 4. riJu 4r~ ".;rberw~ltome "Or "ffrni,,~, h", '" h..' r u " polrn fi"lIy

.../footfmg(V(l)O" IN ;::bleb " 1T;"I ...e dr/"ded m' o f reb..g Important for dOing

onl, (;"b.., i, u;~"rtd oft«m. \t~ ronlin"e 10 Ittllt ..J,o. t ."..... form. - baa"..,rhe ..~:: b~J bren ,be fC'mlizinr fm sh of 1«'""·....I _g.m/~ ,lifer /I dtf4~b.ed ,url!

f mm Iht Inf.."try. al<' " m4' b. ,b..llhrw nn:> fon,.. lire 0 ..1, 10 b~ fo_nd

b"ricd m WOdI rn"81f1 not )" 1 ru og..iu d .., IIn.U

Not ~11 the varied (but srill not n ried enough) forms that have come

to be called · publ;c art" deserve rhe name. I wouldde6ne public HI;U

accessible wo ri< of any kind 1h.:.1cares about. ch~l1eng.,., inn .h-a, and

consults ttK: audience for or with " 'hom it is m:a<le, rnpecting eommunil}

~nd environment. The orh.,.,. ' Iuff is sti ll privale an, no matt .,.,. how big or

expo sed Or imrusive or hyped il may be. In order to ro n 01,11where ,,'r

slOnd at the momenl , I"'e made a neeessaril)" ,enu li,·., 1;51 of Ihr existing

genres of · oullookin,- art abou, place. These n e nOl illlended as Irozcn

categories, and manr obviousl y o,'.,.,.lap:

1. Wo.ks prepared for cOll\"enlioouJ indoor exhibition (inslall.alions.,

phoc"l;raphs, eorw:q>tual <In, 1nd pro;t<:1propos.ds) ,h.:.t refer 10 local

eommunil ;"~, histo!)·, Or en, ironmenu l issues. Examples an: Deborah

Bright and Nancr Gonchar's ChiragQStorieJ, Newton and Helen

Mar er Harrison's proposc<l Boulder Creek Proiect, and Richard

M;srach's 8r~f"o 10: TIN Bombing of thC' Amfflc«n \t'r' l.

2. Tr.ad ilional outdoor public an (nol ~plunk an, · which h.as simply been

enlarged and dropped on the site) that d ra...-s attention 10 Ihc specific

characleris,ics or fUlXtinns of Ihe places where it interve ncs, either in

prlodiCiab le locatio ns su,..h u parks, bank I'laz.o.>, museum gardens, and

college campus." ($uch as Andre'" Leice. ltr's mininl; memor ial in

Frostburg, Mary land; Athena Tach.:.'s M emory P..th in Sau.sota,

'"

Florid./.; ~nd 8~rbmJo Revelle's Prop/c's Hutor)' of Color.do, in

lh::n"er), or in unex!X'r1W ~tld sometimes inaccessible locations, " " h

U streets, store windows. ~ cabin in the wooJs, a 1aundrom~t, 1 goli

course, ~n office, 1 supernurkct. a craler in th" desert. ~ resident ill

neighborhood (such ;lS Cha rl"" Simonds', imaginary landscapes md

ci.-iliu Uons for "Lint" People" .md Oa,-id l·b mmOlllis HOMw of lIN

F itf Ul' in Charlesroe. South Carol ina). This group WO\Ild also include

innon ti,'c ~nd officially funded public an and m"morials with social

~gend~s ~nd 10( ~1 rcfer...nCI'$, such ~s Ml ya Lin's Vietnam Veterans

Memorial and Barb1 r~ Kruger's Litd eTok~'o mural at the Museum of

Contemparary Art. Los Angd"" .

J. Silt-specific outdoor anworlu. ohm eolls bo..ati"" or ccllccnve.

Ihal significandy involve Ihe oonunun'ty in execudon. backgrou nd

infornution, or ongoing fUr1CIion. Eumpleol a..e o(fici~ n~· condoned

graffiti w~lI s; Joc l Sisson's Gr...:n CIJ.r,r pTfJjret in M i nl)c~poli ,; Olivia

... Gudc ~nd Jon Pounds', PI/11m"" Projeeu in Chicago; the Bord er Art

\'(lorkshop in San Di.-go ~nd TijU.;ln.t; Dr. C turles Smith 's Afrin n

Ameria.n Heriuge MUSonlm in Auron, Illinois; and ..·or ks by nuny

prcgressive muulists.

~. Permanent indoor publi,; insulbt ions, often "'i th SOme function in

reg.rd 10the commllnit)"s hiStory, such as P05t office murals across

the enuntr y and Houston Conwill, Estella Con..·iIl :\I:ijozo, and In­

.seph Dc Pace's The Rh:CTS ~I the Schomburg Ccn tU for Research in

Blxk Cullu.., in New Yor k Gty. l1t.is gr<M.lp also includes hisrcry­

sp«ific communi~' proj«ls thai focus on ongoing educational pro­

eesses. such as the Chinatown HiSIOt)· Projert in New York Ci~· and

the Lowell, M.lSsachusctts. natio nal industri.l park.

s. P~rformances or rilU~1s outside of resdiric nal ~rt spa.ce. that call attcn­

lion 10 pb ces ~nd their hiStories and problems, or to a l.uger commu­

nit}'01 idcntil)' ~nd cx~nce. Like SIren J>OSICTS, Stencik. or st iekCTS,

'"

<00 0 ' ''& ~'O.... b "'" • • , _ . H ' ...~ . ...... <;O"'D.'

Ihe$<:' ....orks often fUllction.lS ~"'akc-up ~rt,' a c.:ltal ~·St l<.> oollc<,:ti, 'c

aet;on. Examples ~re Su"a"n" l.acv's Three We"ks in ,l/a)' in Lo. An­

geles, and G uillermo GOmer.-Pena and Coco Fusco's TIJ I! YearofII],·

While Be.rr:lt se"eral sites in the Unit..d States and Europe_

6. Art Ihat funCl>ons for- enrironmenul a,,'arenos, imprO'·=>tnl. or

rccr..mation by lrand orming WUldands, focusing on nalUu.! history.

opc ruinj; utilitarian sites, m~king p~rks. and cleaning up pollunon. An

eumple is A I~n Sunfis!'s Time L.m dlc.rpc of NF'" York CII)'.

7. Direct, didactic polilicalan thn co mments publicly on 1<K~1 or n~ ­

tional issues. np«i>.Ily in Ihe form Qf sil;n.&ge on tnnspon~Iion, in

parks, on huildings.or by dloC rINd, which marks sires, ",·tnt.<,and

in"isible histo ries. E:u mplcs arc REPOhislOry 's sign projCCI in LO" 'er

M~nh~tt;ln. D~" id A'Ollos, Louis Hock. and Eliu hcth Sisco'. San

Diego bus project, ~nd Hs chivi Edgar Heap of Bird, 's Host projects

at multiple ,i tcs.

8_ Portable public-access ..dio, tel"'-ision. or prillt media. such .lS audio­

and "idcorapcs. postcuds, comics. guides. manuals. artiSts' book.. andpo5lers. Essm ples are Carole Con de and KHI B",·eridge·s book andposter work ,,'ith Canadian unions aed I)~pcr ligl.'1' public-access

television. demonstr~tion art such ss Ihc AIDSquilt. and the Spec/ad e

of Tramform.rrion in Washingu," , D.C.

9. Actio", and chain acrlon, lhat tr:t"eI, P'Crme~le ..-bole IOWns, or app"ar

all O\"rTthe country simulla.l'lroWly to highlight or link current issues.

Examples H e John Fekner's slencils in rhe Bronx, NC"" York; the

Shadow Project, a narioewidc commemoration of Hiroshima Day:

and LeeN~di ng 's highway ideograms."

For decades no..' a few mists h~"e ventured out into the public

rontnt and made interactive, participatory, cffecti,·e, and .ffC'C1.i' ·e an

relating 10 places and tbe people in lhem. Since the lat" fifties lhere have

'"

bun alt empts b~' ani SiS utili:!:ing form, m.:nm..u, ~nicip<llion, COnlt<XI,

and ca mrnl (t<.g., Happt< nings by Allan Kaprow, C lat<s O ldenburg, and

Carole t< Schneeman) 10 escape fro m galler ies and museums . In th e sixties

the gerund (Ihe gramma tical fo rm of proce"j overc ame ",ulpIUTe, ",hi ,'h

~gan scan ering, leaning. hanging, fold inS, strelehins, aning OUI, and

othr.....ri se muu a ns and mobiliz.ing. Since around 1%6 there Ius been a

body of work Ihat q uestio ns all o f Ihe structures by which an exist! in th e

,...orid-i.lK- mod emis, myths, Ihe commod ily st:nus, efJeason Ihe «'01­

og~'. male and ,,",,:li te do minance, tlK- prn;ious objece, the spccu liu o o r

uppcr- c!u s audience, and the cultu ral co nfinement o f anis15 tlK-mseh·cs.

Parallel ing the development of a socially aware experimenul an

s;nc(' the sixties, a fragile movement for cult ural democracy hal recognir.ed

an as useful. though no r neccssarily u tilitarian. Th an ks in p:U! to the

women 's an mO"emem, which silKe rhe u ri)' seventies hll emphasized

sociJ l struCtures .... f(>[m.al innon tio n (morc"";:'omen nuke and ...·rite abou t

J>MIidp:no ry public an du n men). -e lu"e~n a brwdening of Ihe n0-

tio n of public an into a nunuring as -ell as nllcrta ining, plcasure -gi" ing,

or crit ical enterprise.

By rh... late eight ies, rath...r surprisingl)'. this impt'IUS was rclati, eIyan,epled intu the mai" str eam, thuugh its amcccdcms are n"'er aekllo,,· I­

edged . But tbere is, in fact. lin le full)' realized ·oe"· geMe public an " OUI

there yel. Th~ rclatioo~hip, bet ween ani, t and co mmun it)" ha"e usually

bern scri.aJ1~· monog.r.mou$. Th e anisl {"'ho m:l.}' li"e in situ (lr n",y have

parachuted in) goes on 10 $(Imething else. and the community is (liren

iru ufficic,mly in" (lI"ed to co ntinue (IT U I..nd thr pr(lj« 1o n its (I""n. Too

m:l.ny :mistS ....ho had h(lped t(l help change the ...·(lrld throu gh making

issue-<lriente<;! an for larger aud iences in m(lre accessib le place. h:l.'·e be.

com.. disillul i(ln..d with the acc()mp~n>' i ng bureaucr acy. ~ Public Jrt sucks"

i_< the o pinio n (If onc much. resp..cted and luog·commilled public arlin.

Ano ther tells me sbe is fioishcd with public an after "" orki ng for years o n

a p ro}ect that Wll full>' o kaYed and funded um il an officiall,' concocted. . .glitch appe-ue'lf and wiped il off tbe sc,,"n. IdealiRic an istSall o'er Ihis

countf) ' are being " rung up "",ith ud upe. nunyn 10 the tM.>pdul cause of

a truly public. imcrae,i"e, ~nicip:l.tof)·, and pr<lgl"cssi,'c an . Th e m(l"t'Y

'"

<OO"~ G " O~"O W~"'''' ' .'' "' . .. . ... COU'O "

and rnCT tbat shou ld ~ going imo thO' mUlual:l.nd collective educat ion

(If ar tist, and bureauer:l.ts anJ audiences iso'l evailable.

Of th.. peoplc I'v .. wrillco ahou t since 1981 in my colu mns on art,

po lilics, and community," most are still 00 tr:u::k. ColI:l.boratiUII and orga­

ni7.:l.l ional support seem 10 sustain o urr..;)ch ..ncrgies, whil.. "success" and

the al1l1lCtion o f connnlio nal venues tend to wukcn gra.ss-roots io,'o"'c­

mrnl. ("\-en ;\S lhey offer high..r profile opportl,lllilin to ...·ork in public. .'...

fca' highl~' visible progtCS5ive min s h.•xe b<'= able 10 get Ih<'ir messages

across to tru ly law. thou gb not neces...rily b road, aud iences h)' expand iog

their media :>a: CS$.

T he art " 'o rld's no ,-clty upress tr ain. which oflen rewards the

, ul'erficiaHy ~""", - aod ignores those who arc in for the 101\1\ haul (uole, s

their prod ucts are uleable), i. parrially respo nsible for the attrit ion amo ng

public anists. as is Ihe poli lical and «ooo mic d ill1:l.le. E,·.... a, it fails to

reach iu goals. bo"·("\·cr. hil-and· run (o r hug.and · sidllHJff) an o ffcn

u m-alizing glimpses of ne...· entrances l(1r:an into ("\ erp u r life.

Moderoisl an is al "'a~'s moving figun li,'c!y into "ne...~ terrain.

rearing -new w parameters, de mand ing -nca' - parad igms. It remai"s 10 h.­

seen ....hether ,he "new" g.,nre public an wit h which th is book is COn·

cemcd cao transcend the boundaries (and the eo mm..rcial demand for

no n ·h y) that shelter or impri soo even that an which mO,",S OUI into the

world. Altho ugh I\ ·c usd the word II much as aoyo ne. I'n co me to

undersund tlul a tru ll' publie an "ccd fJOI be · n",, " to besignificant.

"nc.. the socia.! eon lexts and aud iences so crucial to its formation an- #f­

<:4y' changing. As I go over IlK- « ologica.l:an thai h.u been made in the

last ""'enty ~'c:\rs (cspcciall~' the ephemerallandscape an of Ihe lare sixties

and u rly s,,·ent ies. and the spiritually orien.cd feminisl an o f Ihe SC" cn­

ties). I am sim ultaneously heaneeed b~ its variety aod di_,,"-ppointed by i"

co mmun;cati"e [imitations. H elen Mayer Har ri ~o t\ s~ ys, · We haveo't

~pokeo the voice of the ri"cr; cultivate hum ility.»'· T he int eractive aspects

of IlK- ouuuching ~n·about- pbce Ihat has been dC\eloped du ring tlK- last

f....· rears may be fragile and tentati,·e. but they are budding. eom po:stcd in

a renewed S<'1Ue o f mcmory. rndy 10 blosso m if "",e c-an ernIe a ...·ek oming

O<II ·(lf· art co ntext for t lK-m 10 vrnlurc into.

'"

I

l

W H £ U WE C OUlD U

T here is no reason to cur the l in th ~t bind such art to its home in the corn­

mu nity. ...·hich ~t ....orst co nstrictSand regul~les it and ~t o..st shares its

co ncer ru.. o ffering rrspo"sc- ible crit idsm and suppon . Inn u d. the task is

to u t:lblish .ln additional sn o f bo nds ndiating oul to pan icipant commu­

nities., .ludielKd . and orber - marginaliud " anists, so that the an ide"

DttOmes. finall~" p"n of rbe cenrer-c-eoe "n elite "elller sheltered and hid ­

de n from p ublie ,·ie.... bUI an accessible eemer to ....hich panieipants Me

anracted from .ll1 sides of ~n and lift.To affcct percept ion its-elf, ...·e nttd 10 .lpply ide... as .....d1 ... fOnDS

to (he ....,.ls people see and x t ....ithin melOn thei r su rrou nd ingr-in muse­

ums., parlrs,.lnd educ u ion .l1 inst itu tion s.. Ide... catch lire in di .l1ogue.....hen

one penon's e~'cs light up as a......lfter con jures iltUgrs..An ilsdf, .lS a ",nu·

Irri,,!ized sp.ark, an X I of recognition. ean b.. .. U t.l1p l in ..II..<us of lif,. -once It breW .l.....ly from the rultural con finement of the m.lrkn rc.l1m.

Redefinit ion of an ..ndart isl can help he..l .. ..",-in,· m...t is .llicn.tred from

its life Iorees. As Lr on SO...-der hu pid, "We muSI shift ou r Ih inking a,...ay

from bringing gn'at an 10 Ihe peo ple 10 ...·or:king ....itb people10 ernIe =h · . f l·"F . . - ~t "t ,s me..nmg u . emlnlSm I...., :acli.';sm hl"e created models, but

,,-e've bard }' lou ched rhe dcp'lh of rompluily " ; Ih ....hich an could inter­

.lei ....ilh soc itl},.

To eh ange the power reUlions ;nhn,nt in ,he ""'y In i. 00'" nw:Ie

and dislributed. " ', need to eontinue ro seek OUI ......· fonns bll,uJin rocWl

cn"8~s not )~r rrrogn,u J 'If . n. SOme of Ihe most inttr... ting ..nemptS are

, hott that refrarne not-n«es$.lril} -I n pract ices o r piKes br S<"cing rhem

th rou gh Ihe ern of art . Th is, too. is an idea thaI origin.:ued in thc mid ­

sixties . At lhu lime such "looking around" "..a. the prod uct o f a rejection

of .ut :lS "precio usobjects,- as more ffllff fi lling up the ,,·o rld. The id ea "..a.

10look at what was alre.ldr in rbc world and tn nsfonn it into art hv the

process of seeing-e-n..ming and pointing oUl-nlh... tha n producing.

If the ral's nrst o f problems Ihat ateo mpan ies anv fora... out of the

. Iudio has de tlc<:ted man)' anists fro m new Or old genr~ p ublic an . no

an ist who hu ventured out returns without being change d, and thn ged .

H ow can we build these changes inlO art ed ue..tion , into the e"rerr

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m<:<.:hlnism. , into th e poss ibilities that a life of an making holds lor thos e

tempted b)' suth ri~ks ? With few except ;ons., the art schoo ls and dep art ­

mentSin thi. country still t....ch a einerecnth-cemury norion o f the runt ­

tion (or func tionlessn....) of art . There .lIe a few - ~n in a social co ntext"

co urses sp rinkJeJ " rou nd the ....o rld. " b ut (he r renuin o-erwhclmed by

eon"enlion al view •. Most an students. e\'Cn sophisticated o nes. know linle

or nOlhing about she historv of atte mpts 10 bre.lk do wn the " 'Ills. The

fact is, " " need '0 elu.nge the sr .tem und er ,,-hieh ""c live and make VI.lli

citize ns ..nd ilS = ,,·orke-rs. We Me b ring out I},., ingredienu bUI Still

looking for the recipe . Once th, re Me more coo ks, " 'erybod y will use ehe

ingrcdiom d iff...end ~'_ We cou ld be "Ie.Khing- fUIUr' ~n-nol ...h.lt's

already been m:ode, and nol n«CSS<1ri1r in inst itulions. 'IX'e could be propa­

g;>-ting Ihe sou recs and eontextSo f lhe art W I hun'l been made yet. Th~ is

",hm: the absolulely cruci.oI mollimltunl aod intu d isciplinary co mpo­

nen lSof art aboul plxe eo~ in.Cultur, is " .hal defines pl.lCt .lI1d iu meaning 10 poop l, . The apol.ili­

ul.lnd "ccleureless" ......ltu r' in which most of us liv, in the Unired StatC$

il1C\·iuhl}· ln .·cs US pl:acekss_To<!.lr . in the nineti es... some art islS have

..,nlured 1(> make knoWIl.l broader sense of eultu rc.u a pan of our li, 'cs

that's not hirrarcilal but tempon.!. ongoing. Some an haSbecome a (:lui rsl

or "ehid e fo r ~1Ll1 exchan ge among cu llu res. helping as find our multiple

seh ·n .lli opposed 10o nc-d imr n. io n;aj slc-rrolrJ>O. Regard less of class

and opportunity, ,,-e ~II h..rbor several id"nt itics-religioos and po litinl

Mfiliuions o r Ixk thereof eu lttlnl aod grographinl backg rccods, nurilal

o r parmul $latuS, occup.llion. and so on. To lam 10 use thesemtlh iple

identi lies. not ju ~t lO kno'" ourselves bu t 10 empathize and work ,,·ith

others, is one of ihe lesson. ~n imeraeti,,, an a n o ffer. O ne of the work

gro ups at the ~Mapping the Terr ain - con ference su mmarized, • AesthelietO

shapes relat ionships het"·,,en people. Constant negotiation s of life are

rt('nacted and released in an . Yo u t an' ! do rommu nit)' ...·ork unless ~'ou

lisrco. use imuilion.·Community dOt."S n'l me"n understanding eve ry lh; n~ about e"cry­

hndy and resolving all the diffcrenccs; it me"n s knowing ho'" to work

within difference. J.S they cha nge anJ ",\·....Ive. C rit ical consciousness is a

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procas of r<:cognizing bOlh limirat ions and pcssibilines. We need 10 001­

laborale ....itb small and large soeia l. poI ilieal, epecialieed groups of people

alread y infonned on and immened in Ihe U:sues . And ....e need to leach

them 10 ..·deome Htisu. 10 undenland ho.... M1 can concret ize and en,i­

sion lheir goaJs;. AI the >.=Ie I;me ....e need 10 roll abonle ",ith Ihos<, ....~

backgro unds and maybe fonyound s Me unb miliar 10 us. rqc:eting lhe

insid ious no lions of -di ,-enily · tim simply ~lral i7.r difference. Empath y

and exchange ar e ke}' ...onl.s.. E,-en for imeracrive ut ",·orken ..-be> Ila,·e

all ihe nghl ide-as. elit ism is a hard habil lo kick. Nothing th:1.I excludes the

places of people of col o r, women. lesbia ns. gays. or ....orking prople can be

called inclusive, universa l, or healing. To find the ....hole we mUSI kno ....

and respect aU the parts.

So we need to weave a relat io nship and r~iprocallhoory o f multi­

plicilYaboul who wc are, what is our place. and ho w o ur cultu rc affcets

o ur cnvironment . Wc n~ to kno w a lot mO<". aoo ut ho w our work affcelS

and d isaffects Ihc pcople cxposed to ;1. whcther and how il dot. and docs

nor com mu nicalc. This 100 Can he: bu ilt into exper imcnta l ed ucation in

both an hiOlo ry and studio courses [the tWOremain absu rdly separated at

most schools).

To retu rn to the notion o f place, an Ca nnOt be a cemering (ground ­

ing) devic.. u nless Ihe arrisl hersel f is centered and grounded. This ;s not to

sa)" that the ahenared. the diso rient ed. the deracinaled. the no madic (i.e _.

mon of us) can not makc an. But wme po rtable place must rest in our

JOUls. Pem aps "'-e are lucky enough to have some SUSlaining chunk of

- nalu re- to nourish us. Per haps thc city is jusl as sawfy;n g. Perhaps Ihc

SIU<1.0 is lhe dcn ..M re "'·Cli..k our ...ounds. d ream up images. plan """

strategies, gath" r thc nrcngth to go out again. I'erlups lhe limiulions of

lhe i,·ory galln)· and t .... p<tgrs 0{ an magnines u"stuming the groWlh of

an an thai dreams o f Slnding fC1t' lcssly into the S1~ts. inlO th.. u nkno",·...

10 meee and mingle: "ilh uthers ' lives.As "en,i.ionancs, · an istS should be able 10 pro,·idc a ,,·a~· to

wo rk againslthe dominanl cu ltu re's rapa cious vie",- of nalu re (· Manifest

Destin y" ). to reinstate the mythical and eUllUral dimensio ns to " pub lic·

expcr ience and arrhe Same l ime to become conscious of rhe id w logiul

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, O O" N ~ "O~ N O "'"t.. w i ... . "' . ' " w , <o~'o "'

relalio nshi ps and histoneal consr rucrioes o f place. \l'e need artis ts to guide

us Ihroogh the S<'I\SUOU'" kineslhclic respo nses 10 topogr.lph~.. 10 lcad uS

into rhe a rchuo~·:ond rcsurr«t:;o n of bnd-b.asrd soci al hi' lo"'-, 10 bnng

001 mult iple readings of pl :KeSlhar mean diffCR'J\It h.ing:s to diffcrnll poople

and at diHaent limes. And rbcre is muc h ..-c can learn fro m Ihc ironicJ.Il ~·

labeled · pn m't i,·c· cultures aboul undcrs u.ooing oursd..cs as pM1 of

nJ.lure. interd cpcnd"nt ...ilh C'·CT)'"Ihing in ;t--bc:causc nalUrc ind odes

evel"}'thi ng. C'cn recheologv, cru led by humans. ...ho M C pan: o f naror".

Wh,u would it be likc. an M1 produced b~· lhe imagination and

responses of ilS ,-i<:",-en or u ...n? How can an ael i.....tc local acriviries llId

Io<;al ' alues? With .>dequatc fu rniing reso urc es. p oblic an islS might set up

so<:iJ.I and po lllicalspaccs in which cncll;ia could come together, d iJ.logue

and altern ath·a o r opposition could be co ncrclized . These mighl be secn

in rclation to the familiar -framing" nnlcgy. in wh ich what is alreadJ

there is pu t in shorp relief by the additi on of an an of call ing altemion .

"Parasitie " art for ms, like corrcelcd billboards. can r ide thc dominant

cultu re ph rs ically while challenging it pOlit ically. cruting opcnly coo­

rened t,'ru;ns thar cxpos c thc lruc ideruhics of exist ing places and SpJ." "

and the ir function in sociJ.l con trol. Another set of p<)ssibililies is arl that

aClin tc$ the conscio usness of I. place by sub tle mar kings witho ut d istu rb ­

ing: ii-a booklel gu ide.....alking tours.,o r d irect io nal signs captioning Ihe

hislorr of a house or a family. suggesr;ng the deplhs of a b ndsupc, Ihc

cluncleror a com mun ity.

An iso r should be grnnous. But utiSlScan onl~' give",-hal they

receive from thcir sourcr5. BelicYing as I do Ihat conneclion to pIa<:" is a

necessary· co mponcnl of feeling dose to people. to tM ean h, I ",·onder ....hal

... ill make il possibl" for an ists to • gin· places back to pooplc "'·00 can r>o

longer see t""m. Breause land plus prople-thcir presencc and absence--- is

..·hal maka plac c resonate. Alternali,·es "''ill have toe""'Tgc org m ical1r

fro m the M1isu' Ii,·es and expencncl."S. And Ihey ....on't unless a broader set

of oplions is b id Out by !hose ...ho are esplo rieg thest - ncw · ter ritories.

Tne an ist has to be a pan icipanl in process as ....cll as iudirecror, has10 ~li ,·e

there" in some way-phys icallr. symbol k allr . o r cmp~lh"tic.alt y.

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e c r es

, ...-.-.C,_.....-......... l-ofoiu.T_'_l)l~V_...,. .. "'_ ._,_~",l.I.

l- MMW'IIo1~ .. l-.IIllolpIu'" """ l ... "'__c..-J.,.. '_ 0(.."--f~~~a-bot.....) ..... _ ..~

............ -10....-..- .. II<JI-IoJoo-oi ..s.. '-__...--e- ,""1 ) r-"_1... _ l.oo....._tooIo-.l_~-".. ,u.:.. '''-poood_ _ ...

.......... ~ 4 '5 ' ' ,..-

..,...k.......e-.-..of__ '~.. f,.'~ ...... ..t t..w. l_~_

l-.:~ "' ot

• ~O'-!l.-li Do ..', _ _...... s...,..~... o.:nm-.""-_m-..~ , ....... '_ n.' _I~~"'''.. _

...."'_----. .....,... ,,~-tco<-CiN. ....... .._~... ,' ._

-*II'-~J. lt.._ ·AC, ......_·._J........,._(~..I.._ n.~

_ 0(.-'-"'1:-...1'_-'-"'" ,.., ~,... ,........

" .-...._." 1'....To-.· ,100l\ .. GN""....-.....-,.,,_..,1td. _ ,.",1_ .. ,...,.M-....~_I_"'.

11-...... k.L~.,10< '""-An..t ......... toe.' """-_' l1 "'~ ",17.

' .. ....~I_.._ ·U••_ '--r_ _· ,~..,..........·SAUt I-"'"' I11..~~""'-1-"' ~ .... .......-. _ ....__.. _,....... ..~.

_ ........ _ ..,...... .. -ll~ .. _ .0i_"' ............t ......._..-- ""-..,..".. ~...--"'-......_~_.-

,S.,•..,.__........~ ...... ........._;".."..........,'. n....- T-....t . ....__

".'kIno ~I.o. " 11Mt_ ......_·~ .."-- '-...e.-..- ......-~l>r""<:oIif<onyc.l<s<oI A.., ,,, Com.. O.u..t. _ " , " "

l L n.. ,,.lt__. -...-.... ..~lllll .. u..""-L lr 'JO,, ""'.. ,. ~..,..d<I.--..bot ..;""lo .-- """- ""'-<I C""" ).I U .....".I:,.,-.""r...101..........."" A,. u4 .. C<IoI c.a. d Mo (".. .fi t. o.kl _ """"-

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W HOU MO N UMlN T WHf U ! )'U'~IC ...~T I N '" I'1"'N 1' . CU l TU~fD SOC IU1' f" d" b F. IJ. U

Using Ih~ I~rm ·public art " in an J.ud i~nc.. of man)' eulrc res bring~ d iffef"

~n l inugn 10 mind in ~J.cb of us. P....hJ.J!S SOI1l<' of us envisiUT> I h~ frnc:Of1

:and SUN" of (h~ lulian Rcnais.u.nc~ ox ChriSlo 's umbrd lu. ..·hil.. otn..rs

see the murels o f Los T.-..s G~ or t~ ri"1.11SUKI pJ.inlinp and 1001'ms

o fNui,'~ peoples. Sc mec ee SJ.id IhJ. l lhe purpose of a monurmm is 10

bring rhe pul imc 'ht present 10 il1$pi~ lh, fuw~. Monum~nts ma,' be

Iih In..~ fonn«! from dw mud of a p1J.c.. into tn.. bu ildin, blocks of

a ~in)'; Ihnr putpOSt' nur be to in>·C'StigJ.l~ and reveal rhe 1IH1l'I(>t'} ron­

reined in I"" ground bencuh a "pcblic site, ~ marking o ur puugn as:a

PNPI~ and r....,·ifloning of6ciJ.1hislory, As anim e~:ali n5 In.. mon urmrou

of tftc nmnil's. the ullinuu: question for u. 10 consider is. 'l\TJu.1s!W1"...

ehoou 10~a1i1~ in ou r lim~ ?

0...... t~ p,m I"'~my ~-~J.n as:a public :anis!. 1hJ.~ been strvck b~'

how our com mon Iq;x y in pub lic an i. dtri"ed from tht ·can nOft ·in·tht·

puk ~ impulse, ""hieh .::auSC$ us to dras oullh~ rusty n nnon. from~I

...·an. po lish lh~m up, and pl~e them in t"" puk for children .0 era,,·1over

II Sund:ay picnics. The pul'J'OS' ...·as 10 evoke a rime pas' in ...hich Iht

~.pl~ndid triumphs- and ~!>(ruggln of ou r fo,~f:alhtrs~ sh ifted tbe tour$('

of hisl0t')'. These Oipos itions ...·ero:meant . 0 inspire an awe ofour , reat

nation's po ....er 10 essen its miliary ill and prC" ail ove- eeemies, Running

ou' handsover ih",poli. hrd bronze, e slu, ed in , he5(: viceceies aod became

eelisred in . h..se (':a uSC$. N ever mind if for us as peopleof colo r Ih~y were

nOI o ur forefalhe rs.or even if rhc triumphs "'I'r~ ofl..n o'·cr ou ro...n propl~.

!to more conremporarj-exampl.. of displar ing (J,nllOns in tho: puk

occu rred during rhe promenade o f mililary' weapons on Ihe Mall in ~'uh ­

ingron. D.C., immrdiatdr afl~r Armrin d ..darrd victory in rhe Gulf

War. In an el<hibi' io n prcp:arcdfor American families in Ihe adjoinin g

Smilhsonian lnstiw tion Hall of Scien", a gnndfalhcrlr "oi('~ (sound ing

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remn kably like Ronald Reagan) ,oothed uS into belin ·jng the war was a

bloodless. computc rized science demonstration of gigant ic proport ions.

Young American men with adro it reflexes Irained by a "ideo- game cultu re

demonstra ted our ,uperiority as a nat ion over Saddam Hu ssein thro ugh

video-screen strategic air ,tr ikes.

From the triumphant bronze general on horseback- the public',

view of which is the und erside of galloping hoo" es--to its more contem ­

porary corporate versions, we find eumples of pub lic art in the ",""icc of

dominance. By their daily presence in our Ii,-c<, thesc artl'rorh intend to

persuad... us of the justice of the acts they represent_The power of the

corpo rale sponsor is embodi,x1 in the sculpture stanJing in from of the

towering office building. Th"sc grand work" like their military predeces­

sors i" the parks, inspire a SCnSe of awe by their scale and th" import ance

of the artist. H ere, pub lic art is unashamed in its intention to mediate

between the public anJ th" developer. In a ~ th in gs.go down better with

public art' mentality, the bitter pills of development arc deli"ered to the

public . whilepercent -for-art bills have heralded developers' cr..-ation of

amenable public places as a po,itive side effect of ~ g rowth: every inch of

urban . pace is swallowed by skyscrapers anJ priv..tizeJ into the so-nlled

public space of shopping mall. and corporate plazas_Thes e d",-dopments

predetermine the public, ' elffting out the homeless, "e "dors, adolescents.

ur ban poo r, and peopl e of colo r. Planters, benches, and o ther "pu blic

amenilie, ' arc suspect as potential hazard, or public loitering place, . Re­

cent attempts in Los Angeles to pass law, to SlOp or scyerely restrict push ­

cart v endcdorcs from selling clore" !",ra,, palcras. and raspado, mad...

aeti,-ists of nonaggressive merchants who had silently appropriatM public

space' in largely b tino sections of our city. Vend"dnrc" 10' ed hy the

people for offering nOt only popular produ cts but familiar reminders of

their homeland. , provide a Latino presence in public spaces. Any loss of

botAnica" mn-cadM. vendedoTts, and things lamiliar reinforces segrega­

tion, as ethnic people disappear io .. nother corner of the city.

Los Angeles prn,-ides clear and abundant example5of d"'clopment

as a tool to colonize and displace ethnic eommunitic"S. [nfamou, develop ­

mentS abound in public record, if not consciousocss--Dodger Stadium,

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which disp laced a historic Mexican com munity ; Bunker H ill, now home

to a premier ..rts ceru er, which d ispl..ced ..nother: and rhc less w!'lldocu­

mented histo ry of how lour major frreways intersected in th,-middle of

Easl Los Angelcs", Ch icano communities. O ne of thc most catastrophic

consequent es of ..n endless real estate boo m was the concreting of the

entire Los Angel..., Ri"er, on which the cit )" w~s founded . The river, as the

earrh's an ctics-thus ..tro phied and hardcncd-c-created .. gi..nt sur across

the land which serve<.! to further divide an alrcady divided city. It is thi,

mctap hor that inspircd m)" own half-mile-long mural on the histo r), of

ethnic p...oplcs painted in the Los Angel..., riv...r conduit. Just as young

C hicanos tatt oo hall ie scars on their bodies. the G.....M Wall o! Los Angel" ,

is a tanoo on .. snr where the river once ran.' In it reappear the disap-

pc..rcxl stories of ethnic populations that m..ke up the l..bor force whiclt

built Our city, state, ..nd n..tion.

Public ..rt oft...n plays a supp orti "" role in deve!o!",rs' ..gend..s. In

ma"y inst..nces, ..n uses be..uty as a Ialsc promi se of indusion. Be::\llly

ameliorates the erasur... of ... thnic presence, scn-ing the transformation into

a homugcniz"d ,·isual ,·ultu re: give theon some thing be..utiful to stand in

for the los, 01thcir right to .. public presence. Two New ¥ork-b..sed

art ists were selected to dttor..te the lobby of the new skyscrapu of First

Interstate Bank in downto wn Los Angeles. To represent multicultur..lism

in Los Angeles, they chose ..ngels from the Basilica of Santa M..ri.. degli

Angeli ne..r Assisi, Ita ly. They then tacked ethnic emblem, onro the

European ..ngels, "borrowing~ the pre-Columbian Iearhcrcd serpent

Q uetzalcoatl from the An ees, the erowneJ mahogan y headpie<:c from

Nigerian masks, and the eagle's wings from our Native peoples as "em ­

blems of a '-ariety of cultures." These symbob replaced the real voices of

people of colo r in a city torn by the greatest civil diso rder in th... United

States in decade, . At the dedication, which took place .honly afu r the

rebellion (the Los Angeles riots of 1992), black and Latino children un­

"eiled the angels in an elaborate ribbon-cutting cercmony_Hailed by the

d"'"c!oper' as a great symbol of "unity," these anifecrs stood in for the

real peop le in a city terrified of tbe majority of its cirizens. Tragically, th e

$500,000 spent on this single work was more than the whole city budg et

,

10 fund publ;" mu r.als by ~Ihnic aniSls who ""ork within Los Angelcs's

diverse Ch in~. African Amerinn. Kcre..n. T1u.i. C hiano, and Ccmral

Anwncm neighborhoods.

No single ,y., of public~e ,,00 the an du ! ocrup;cs it will " 'or k

in a metropolis of multipk p"np<"'ti , -C'S. While compt"tirion for public

spsce boro....s d~r. cuilunl communi tif:S <:211 for ; 1 10 be usa! in dnmui­

nil) differenl ....ays. Wlu l comes ;nlO qU<:$lion is the '-cry differ""15n1S;­

bililics o f order and beauty W I opcr..re in d iffmml cul tures. When

Chriseo, forenmpk, look~ fo r the firsl (i~ at El Tqon Pass. he $;I""

poteeti..!. H e sa...· the polcnti.lJ10 create beau ty with .l pcrsoO<lI ,-i5ion

imposed on thO' WulK~a bcau~' (lui 61his ind ividu al cision of yellow

u mb rellas IIutt eri ng in the wind , marc hing up ,h..sides of rolli ng hills.

The b od became his n on . , a Inckdrop for his ~rsoruJ ..es,het ic.

Native peuple might took .lI the same bndsc~~ ...ilh ~ v~ry diff~r_

er n idea o f beauty, a be ~Ufr without impo sition. 'J:h"y ';'ight.tt a p"'rf~et

order cKe mplill ed in nature itself. imcg",1 to a spiritual lif,' grou nd (x! in

pl~c.. N atu re is notro be lam pered with; hence, a pbm take n r('quires ~n

o ffering in return, Riehled Ray W hilman, a Yaqui artist, said . ~Scienti fi ·

call)' eoh"si"~1 am the atom s, molecules, blood, and d usr o f my ances­

tc rs-c-noe as hismry, but as a co ntinuing pocop le, \X'e d~scribe our culture

as I circle,by ....hich "'~ m..an dUI it is an im"K"at~ whol.,.-, \1ainu ining

a relations hip " 'it h t"" dus t of 0"'''' s ecesrors rcqu ircs a g~ncr.ationa l

relationship ""ith tJ1., land and. a respectful treatment of O1h"r lif.. fou nd

on the land.

Or perhaps N an ,'e peoples cou ld nee think of this area witho ut

«'Calling Fort Tejon, one of the fin t CaJifomiaInd ian r~rnrioll'< aub­

lished ~r this site in the, Tduchapi Mou nu .ins. pbc~ thn-e 10 ~ prot.....t ~

Ind ians rounded up fro m various neighboring areas, most o f "'hOR col­

lura have been entirely datro~·cd . In C hristo's and the N~l i\'e ,isions " 'e

Iu "e [wo diff.".~nt aenheric sensibilities, as d i,·crtcnt as the ninereene h­

cent ury English nunicurM gard en is from the rugged natu",1 N c.... Mcxi­

can landscape of thc s"ngre de CriSlo Mo umains.

Perhaps a I",s benign implicatio n of C hrism's id~a is th~1 bndsc apoc

un tou ched by man is ~undevelopcJ land .~ This is a co ntinuation of the

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co ncep t of - man m'er nature· on ",hich lhis co umev " 'as fo unded a heri·. .tage of thought tlut has b rought u. clear-cutti ng in firs t gro"'1:h forests and

concrete conduits th..u kill riv~ as an scceprab le method of flood control.

These ideas find their !Urnl..! in the !.atemodcrnin and postm odcmisl

cu lts of t"" exalted indi,-idu..J, in which personal ,·i.ion and origilUlit~· are

highly valued. As a soliW}' creator the ~niSl ..alues sel f-n:prcssion and

· ar tistic freedom" (or scpa"'tenas rather rhan conf'lC'C1M ncss ). H " is

thcrci'or\' rn ponsiblc only to himself ruher than 10 a shared vision. failing

10reconcile the individual to the ...hole,

When Ihe naWre of EITejo n Pass-a place kno"'n 10 locals for its

high ...i nd5-.lS""n~ its~lf d uring Chri'ilo 's pro;«t and up rooted an

umbrella plamM in th~ gro und, cau sing the t ragic death of a woman ....ho

had come to sec the ...·ork.. Christo said, - My pro;« t imiu ,es real life.• J

coul d n't help mus ing on ...·hat a differem projcet it wou ld ha"c been had

the be autiful yellow umbrellas marched lhrou gh Skid Row, where l os

Angeles's I ~ O,OOO ho meless lie in (he rain . An can nn lon ger b~ (ied 10 lhe

no nfun ctionaliSl state, relcgarcd by an "art ro r an's ukc~ tyranny. Wou ld

it nOI havc been more beautifu l ro shel ter pcopl ~ in need of shelter, a ges­

ture and Slatement about our fai lure as a society 10 provide e"cn Ihe mon

basic need s to thc poor' ~'h}' is it not pos sible for public an to do more

than - imiut..- lif~ ? Public an could be insq>4r4bl~ fro m the dailv life of

Ihe people for wh ich it is created. Developed to live harmo niously in

public space, it could h~,-.. a function wilhin the co mmunity and ",'en

provide a \'~nue fo r their '·oices.

Per the Maican sensib ility, an imponant manifestation o f public

art is :o. ...-o rk br MexKan arrist Da"id Alfaro S'quci ros on l os Angeles'.

historic O lvera Strtt'1-. This 1933 mu n l, pa.intcd O\'cr for ncar l}' sin}' years

br city fathITs because o f its pomayal of rhe plight o f Mrnc.anos and.

Chic~ in Cali fornia, is cuTl'"ntly in ralO"'l ion. Siquei ros d"pieted as

the cent ral figure. a mn rizo shooting at the AmericUl "~gle and ~ cru cified

Chic~nolMe:<iC:lno. \\7},ile this mural is beco ming mM>ro- tied, with mil­

lions of dollars providM by the Get t )' Found ation for its p lesctYatio n :o. oo

re-presentation to Ihe public, it i. important 10 recognize that Ute same

imag", wou ld mon likdy be ccn$<lrc<! if painted today on Los Angeles 's

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j udith F. 8 M"

st ree!>. T he <ubj".;! matter is as relevant now, SiKlY ye ars later, as il was

th en. Moralsdcp iClillg the domination of and rcsislanet' by Los Angeles's

Latinos or ot her pop ulations o f color provoke the same official resistance

as they did in 1':133. Desp ite these struggles, murals ha ve be cn l he on ly

inte rventio ns in pu blic spaces t h.at articulate the presence of ethnicity.

Architecture and city plannin g have done little to accom modate commun i­

ties of color in our cit)'.

As co mpetition fo r pu blic ' pate has grown, pu blic art pol icies ha'-c

beco me calcified and increasingly burcaun ;lI ;c. Art that is sanctioned has

l05t the po litical bite of the sevent ies 1n"", I•. Nevertheless, a rich. legacy of

mur als has been produ ced since Ama ;u Tropic,'[ was painted on O lvera

Strc ~'1 b)' the maeStrO. Thousands of public mur als in places wher e people

li, '( and work ha"e become tangib le pu blic monuments to the shared

expe rience of commu nities o f color. Chicano mu rals ha"e pro ,·ided the

leadership and the fo rm for other com muni tjg to assen th eir presence and

anicu lue their issues. Tod ay, wor ks app car that speak of children cau ght

" in the em " fire of gang war fare in the barrios of Sylmar, the hidden prob -

lem of AIDS in the South-Central Afncan American co mmu nity, and the

struggles of immigration and assimilation in the Ko rean community. Thcs e

murals have becomc monu mcnts th at serve as a co mmunity 's memory.

The gene ... tio ns who grew up ill neighborhoo ds where the land ­

scape was dotted b y the mural mO'·ement ha,'e been influ enced by these

works. With few a,'enues open 10 traini llg and art produn;on, ethnic

teenagers ha,·e created the graffiti art thaI has beco me another method of

resisting priva ti 7.~x1 public space. As the first ,·isual an for m ent irely dc vel­

oped by youth cul ture, it has become the focus of increasingly severe

reprisal, by authorit ies who spend filly-I";I;o million dolla" annuall y in the

County of Los Angeles 10 abate ",,·hal they refer 10 as the ·skin cance r of

soc iety.' (I is no accident that the proliferation o f graffiti is concurrent

with the reduction o f all youth re,rcat ion and artS pro grams in the scho ols.

Working with co mmu ni ties in producing public artworks has put

me into cont..ct ,,·ith many of these youths. O n o ne occasion, I was called

10 a local high school after havin g conv inced o ne of the you ng G rear Wall

prod uctio n team memb ers Ihat he should retUm to schoo!. T he urgent

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message fro m the boy in the principal's offi ce said, " I need vou to come

here r ight ..war becau se I'm go ing to gCt th rown ou t of schoo l again."

My d eal with the bo r, formub led over a lo ng mcntorship, was that he

would not qu it school again withou t lalking to me first. I ar rived to lind

the principal !OWl-ring over the )'oung ,holo, who was holding his head in

a dcfiant manner I had seen o,·cr and o,·er in mr wo rk with the gangs.

This stance. reminiscenr of a w ..rr ior, called uncerem oniously ~holdi n g

your mug,· is abo ut main taining dignily in ad"erse circumst:lnC CS_The

principa l was complctelr frustrated.• You"·e wrinen on the schoo l's walls

and )' O ll simply do not have respect for olher pwple's prope rtr _Tell me,

would you do this in r ou r own house?" I co uldn't help bu t smile at h is

admonit ion, despite the seriousness o f the sitllat ion . Th is boy was an

important graffiti art ist in his commu nit),. I had visited his hous e and seen

the walls of his mom. where e '- cr~' irlCh was co\'e red with his int ricatc

wri t ings. Two different not ions o f beaUI) and ordcr werc operating , a.

" ·ell as a dispute abo ut o wnersh ip of the school. T he boy's opinion was

that he had aesthetically impro, ed the property, not destroy ed it.

Ar this l i", e the condi tions of ou r communities are wors e than those

that precipitated the civil rights act ivism of the sixtie' ;",d se'·cnties. Fifty­

twOpercent o f all African American chi ldren and fon y- two percent of all

L.t ino child ren arc living in povertv. Dropout rat cS exceed high school

grad uat ion rates in these co mmunit ies. W hat. then, is the role of a socially

respo nsible p ub lic ..rtis t? A s the wealthy and poo e arc increasingly polar­

i7-cd in our socicty, h ce-to-face urban confrontatio ns occu r, oflen with

catast roph ic consequences. C an pub lic art avo id co ming down on the side

of wealth and do minance in that confronta lion? H ow can we as anists

avoid becomi ng accom plices to colo nization? If we chose nm to loo k at

triumphs 0"'" nations and neighborhoods as victories and ..dvaneement' .

what monument s could we build? Ho w can we create a pu blic memorr

for .. manv-cullUnxi meiety? \Vhose stor y shall we tell?

Of grntest interest to me is the inven tion o f system s of "voice

giving" for those left without pu blic vcnues in which to speak. Socially

responsible artists from marg inalized com mun it ies hHe a pa n icular re­

sponsibility to aniculatc the cond itio ns of Iheir people and to provide

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~~I~l rS LS fo r ~h~ngc, since perceptions of us ~s indi,-idu~ls are t ied 10 the

con ditions of ou r communities in ~ r~ci~lly unroph iSl i~ue<1 soc iety. We

canner e$COOp" that respo nsibility enn when we choose 10 lry: we are m~de

of the "blood and du st " of our anen ton in ~ comin uing hiSlory. Being a

c~lalySl for change will change us ~IS(>.

We an evaluate o urselves by the processes with which we choose

to tn.:Lke MI, nOI simply by the ul objects we ere-ne. Is Ihe artwork the

rnull of a pri"ate <let in a pu blic sp:ace? Focus ing on Ihe ob ject d~oid of

the creative pnxcss used 10 achieve i, hu bankrupted f u rocemrK mod·

eruisr and postmod ....niSl tr~d it ions. An p rOCC"scs"juSl ll an ob jects. nu)·

be euln..~l1y specific, and ..ith no single aesthftic. ~ diH'O'e socift~, ....ill

gencnte '-O'rJ' di ff....em forms o f public an,

'to' ho is tb.c public no '" that it has ~lunged color? H o..· do people of

.-ariow elhnic and class groups usc public spacc?~at idas do " 'e ....ant

10 pUce in public memor)'?W~ doc:s an btgin and end? Anisu I",xe the

un ique wil it)' to eranscend designaled sphcrcs of aeti,i~-. Wlw represen LS

something deeper andm~ hopefu l ~boutlhc fUlU",of our tthnicall}' .md

c1ass..cJivided e iees u e eolbbonlions th,lt move ....,11 ~-ond Ihe artist md

archi rect to tb.cm i$l and tb.c historian, scientist, en,-rronmenulin. or weial

service provid.".. Sueh colbbor~llolU arc mandated by tbe seriousness of

the tasks al h~nd. They bring a n nge of prople mID oon...en.nwm abo ut

!hcir ,-ision s for their neighborhoods o r IMi r m rion s.. Find ing ~ pl~u for

those ideas in monumenu thai are~onst rncled of the soil and spirit of the

people is the mon chal lenging task for pu blic m isls in rhis time.

","OTlS

l.n.. ...... _#41 0{L.. A_t</<>- r-«I .... . __ """ to,- • .. _..1 r ,.-10. 1 " , .....,....._..1~ • • _ Mood -.i<l<i_ _-.-"'>·~ _............ .....-do.L""..... """"",. ,li' j..- .... 01<:_.',~ r- ... ,..."....... <1....-. ...._ ..... .... ,_J.",L.""_~ ftl~_ -.. _ ..... .... ""~ 1Iooo! .-...I m-I.

".

O ver the plll decade. thos.co f us interested In ~ scriws and ehallenjting

public an have hnrd onen of the benefits of colLabou tion bet ween ,m;"ls

and architecu . The con'-entioru.! wisdom is thlt artists bring ~ fresh. unen­

cumbered sense o f design to arehitecll,'nl proj C'ClJ.. and th.1t the pcculi~ri .

t ics of the ~nist's ~O-CC1:I1er somehow enl l\"C'n the othc.....i$c conventloml.

corpon tt'..,.... environmenu m:hitecu eomC' up wllh 100 much of the time.

The anist is llsumcd to be Ircer Ihan Ihe a.., hitec l. aed Ireedom is assumed

10 be ~n. The m:hilCCI is regarded II ~ relari...e technician by comparison.

eonstr~i ned u he o r she is b,. the I ai, fiscal. and m~tcria l Iimitat ioM of

the rrade . Thc idea is thlt ll artists and architccu ·collaboratc· m:hitec­

rere ...·ilI be m2de more hu man, or ~t kut mo.., ~rt-l lkc. An-likeness is

assu med 10 be more hu mane.

Con"entionaI wisdom aside. rrue col1abor~tion among anuu and

arehi lC'Cls nrely h.1PPCIU. Gin n tb.c51C'rcot)'pical "·~rs in ..·hi<ch wc see

each other. iI'S no "'·onder. \t'hn passes to.la~· for colb bo rn ion tends in

f...,t to be ~ frustr;l.Iing procCS$ of compromi se ~nd concession. Th c archi­

tCCI U almD5t .aI"·a)·s in ch.1rge. and ~ni.ts.. who are paid "Cf")' liulc fo r their

scn -ices, often mus. fight for recognitio n as members of ~ "design ICam.·

M()n·o.....r, in ou r s<Xiety thc cond it io"" arc no t usually ufe for coIlabon ­

ticn 10 occ ur. '[be loss of professiom l identi l)' ISat st.llte. and in corporate

America, professional ;dentit)' i . oft"n .all o ne has. Gi\"en rhis ter ritorial

~ntagoni sm and the burcaucratic hu.les of the public sector (wh ich is

usually rhc dcs ign~ted - d ient - in a pu blic an /archit ecturc project), many

anis ts have simpl}' gi'-en up ~nd gune back to thc studio.

Per haps the most typ ical misunderst and ing u ch itcclSha"C' abou t an­

im i. th~t the r want to bu ild -art- into theproj«t. orthat lher w~nt tc makc

Ihe architecture ilself; that is, that an;srs Want10pIa)' at being ~ rch iICCLS .

Ther" is somc truth to this. Perhaps the mus t typ ical misunderst ~nding

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