Race and Class: The Artists’ Take
To Listen: Get Adobe Flash Player, or download an mp3 at the bottom of the post.
Mobility, by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare. Image courtesy of James
Cohan Gallery, NY. [Yinka Shonibare / James Cohan Gallery]
The awful aftermath of Hurricane Katrina inspired us to do a series of shows exploring the problems and nuances of race and class in America. Our first show, with economist Marcellus Andrews and author Leon Wynter, was followed by shows with economist and public intellectual Glen Loury, Manhattan Institute Fellow John McWhorter, one show where we tried to sort out the difference in impact between race and class, and then most recently, a show parsing through racial disparities in health care.
Now that we’ve explored the black/white gap and the rich/poor gap with some economists, legal scholars, and even doctors, we’d like to try a different approach, based on this great suggestion from listener WhiteBeetle:
I would love to hear a program that is a response from the artistic community. We know from history that the arts/artists can not only be leaders but often provide foreshadowing/ forewarning of things to come. The arts [are] a wonderful place to see responses to our world – both positive and negative, as well as find ideas and inspirations and hope. (Think Harlem Renaissance.) And of course, the arts can provide very tangible access to history – something many of usby choice, accident or conspiracydo not have a very good handle on! (Think Harlem Renaissance.)
WhiteBeetle
Couldn’t have said it better outselves. We’re assembling a group of contemporary artists whose work deals explicitly with race, to talk about their own work and about this country’s current state of affairs. WhiteBeetle has been kind enough to recommend some theater artists from the northwest, but please let us know if there are other contemporary artists you’d like to hear speak on the subject of race in America, and what you’d like to hear them talk about.
Hi guys. Thanks for the guest suggestions thus far. I just want to mention one or two things…
Not that I truly believe that there’s a difference between so-called “high culture” and “low culture,” but I just thought I’d let you know that most of the artists I’ve spoken with so far are working in the “high art” genres: painting, sculpture, photography, video, theater, performance, or literature. I’m trying to find artists who aren’t necessarily in the mainstream but who are making interesting and provocative statements through their work. In part this is because we’re talking about doing one show entirely about hip-hop and it’s place in American culture (and it’s relationship to the market, and to criminality, and to questions of authenticity in black culture) so I’ll probably use most of these suggestions in working on that show. Also, we’re talking about doing another show with at least one prominent black comedian. I can’t really say who because we haven’t booked him yet, but let’s just say there are few cultural critics dealing with race whose work is as sharp and provocative as his. Goodness knows it would be cool to do a show with Dave Chappelle. There will be posts up about both of these shows in the near future.
Scroll down and you’ll see that last week scottbenbow linked to an exhibition held last year at the International Center for Photography in New York, organized by The Center for Art and Visual Culture at UMBC in Baltimore, Maryland. The show, which examines whiteness as a cultural construct that is as complex, nuanced, and stereotype-able as blackness, is called White: Whiteness and Race in Contemporary Art.
If you want to see and hear more, Newsweek Magazine created an online version of the exhibition, with narration by curator Maurice Berger. (Scroll down until you see the link “White in America”). Maurice Berger, as it turns out, is a fantastic talker and a truly interesting guy, with a very unique perspective on things and very real experience dealing with racism and with the art world (sometimes at the same time). We’re going to see if we can convince him to come on the show. Thanks for the lead, Scott.
Also, Mr. Berger mentioned that he recently moderated a digital discussion about multiculturalism sponsored by the Georgia O’Keefe Museum as part of their Online Symposium about the 1980s. If you’re interested, you can follow that conversation here.
Franklin Sirmans
-
Independent curator based in NYC
Visual arts lecturer at Princeton University.
damali ayo
Nayland Blake
Rob Pruitt
-
Artist
Runs art program at Project Row Houses in Houston, TX
free viagra
buy viagra online
generic viagra
how does viagra work
cheap viagra
buy viagra
buy viagra online inurl
viagra 6 free samples
viagra online
viagra for women
viagra side effects
female viagra
natural viagra
online viagra
cheapest viagra prices
herbal viagra
alternative to viagra
buy generic viagra
purchase viagra online
free viagra without prescription
viagra attorneys
free viagra samples before buying
buy generic viagra cheap
viagra uk
generic viagra online
try viagra for free
generic viagra from india
fda approves viagra
free viagra sample
what is better viagra or levitra
discount generic viagra online
viagra cialis levitra
viagra dosage
viagra cheap
viagra on line
best price for viagra
free sample pack of viagra
viagra generic
viagra without prescription
discount viagra
gay viagra
mail order viagra
viagra inurl
generic viagra online paypal
generic viagra overnight
generic viagra online pharmacy
generic viagra uk
buy cheap viagra online uk
suppliers of viagra
how long does viagra last
viagra sex
generic viagra soft tabs
generic viagra 100mg
buy viagra onli
generic viagra online without prescription
viagra energy drink
cheapest uk supplier viagra
viagra cialis
generic viagra safe
viagra professional
viagra sales
viagra free trial pack
viagra lawyers
over the counter viagra
best price for generic viagra
viagra jokes
buying viagra
viagra samples
viagra sample
cialis
generic cialis
cheapest cialis
buy cialis online
buying generic cialis
cialis for order
what are the side effects of cialis
buy generic cialis
what is the generic name for cialis
cheap cialis
cialis online
buy cialis
cialis side effects
how long does cialis last
cialis forum
cialis lawyer ohio
cialis attorneys
cialis attorney columbus
cialis injury lawyer ohio
cialis injury attorney ohio
cialis injury lawyer columbus
prices cialis
cialis lawyers
viagra cialis levitra
cialis lawyer columbus
online generic cialis
daily cialis
cialis injury attorney columbus
cialis attorney ohio
cialis cost
cialis professional
cialis super active
how does cialis work
what does cialis look like
cialis drug
viagra cialis
cialis to buy new zealand
cialis without prescription
free cialis
cialis soft tabs
discount cialis
cialis generic
generic cialis from india
cheap cialis sale online
cialis daily
cialis reviews
cialis generico
how can i take cialis
cheap cialis si
cialis vs viagra
levitra
generic levitra
levitra attorneys
what is better viagra or levitra
viagra cialis levitra
levitra side effects
buy levitra
levitra online
levitra dangers
how does levitra work
levitra lawyers
what is the difference between levitra and viagra
levitra versus viagra
which works better viagra or levitra
buy levitra and overnight shipping
levitra vs viagra
canidan pharmacies levitra
how long does levitra last
viagra cialis levitra
levitra acheter
comprare levitra
levitra ohne rezept
levitra 20mg
levitra senza ricetta
cheapest generic levitra
levitra compra
cheap levitra
levitra overnight
levitra generika
levitra kaufen
November 9th, 2005 at 7:01 pm
contemporary artists whose work deals explicitly with race
Here are two.
1. Mr Mos Def : (actor/musician) TopDog-Underdog, Monster Ball, Black on Both Sides and member of the BlackStar Duo. Might be the coolest man alive.
2. Dave Chappelle. (comedian) The heir to the throne of Richard Pryor.
Either one of these fine people would make an INCREDIBLE show.
November 9th, 2005 at 10:38 pm
The Mighty Mos also released a song/video called “Dollar Day in New Orleans (Katrina Clap)”
Here’s a link to the video (requires flash
http://www.presstheissue.org/index2.html
Here’s a link to the mp3
http://presstheissue.org/music/MosDef-Dollar_Day_for_New_Oreleans…Katrina_Klap.mp3
November 9th, 2005 at 10:38 pm
flash 8 not flash smiley.
November 10th, 2005 at 2:04 pm
Talib Kweli would be great. Mos Def’s partner but possibly more accessible.
http://www.talibkweli.com/
November 11th, 2005 at 6:56 pm
The International Center for Photography in midtown Manhattan mounted a show earlier this year called “White: Whiteness and Race in Contemporary Art.” You might want to interview the curator or one of the artists. Here’s a link– http://museum.icp.org/museum/exhibitions/white/intro2.html
November 14th, 2005 at 7:58 pm
During your last show on Paris Burning, the gentleman Chris was interviewing said something very telling. He said that you knew you were entering that part of the city when you began seeing graffiti. Graffiti art would be cool to explore. When I lived in New Orleans I saw some incredible graffiti in the 9th Ward. I wonder how it has changed since Katrina. I once took pictures of the graffiti in Roxbury and compared it to the graffiti in the burbs, it was quite different. A couple of artists you might want to check out in New Orleans, http://www.howlin-wolf.com/artists.htm Lionel started out as a graffiti artist in the 9th Ward, now he has a studio. You see Frenchy all over town, painting events as they happen – I wonder if he painted Katrina events. I’m sure these guys could give some artistic insight.
Oh yea, don’t forget about DJ Spooky for the hip-hop show. I love Mos Def and Talib but it would be great if you could also speak to a hip hop artist from Cash Money Records. They are an empire in New Orleans and they rule the 9th Ward. If you want a raw perspective from the artists that are truly influencing the black youth in New Orleans, look no further.
November 16th, 2005 at 12:14 am
There’s a great soul/funk singer from New Orleans named Theryl “The Houseman” DeClouet; he has played for years with the group Galactic from NOLA. If you could track him down, I’m sure he’d have some interesting insights on the situation in New Orleans (and in many other similar cities aound the country).
November 17th, 2005 at 3:16 am
Open Source Media: O ill named-venture
Neo-con blogging network Pajamas Media has remade itself this week with a reported $3.5 million in seed capital and a new, astonishingly poorly-chosen name, Open Source Media. Why is the name a bust? Why isn’t it? Problem #1: it sounds a lot like, and…
November 22nd, 2005 at 1:29 pm
How about Zadie Smith? (For that matter, a whole show with her, on race in the US, her take on 7/7 and Paris would be interesting.)
November 28th, 2005 at 8:23 pm
The conversation tonight seems to concentrate mainly on visual art, and art that makes has overt political commentary. As a composer, I must ask what is the role of music—specifically music without words, so-called “absolute musicâ€?–in reacting to human tragedies such as Katrina or 9/11? Can abstract tones make as much of a statement and be as meaningful as visual art that can make direct references to issues of race or class? Is music in this way less useful or less important than visual art? I would argue not—take for instance the power of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,â€? which the American conductor Leonard Slatkin conducted at one of the “Promsâ€? concerts in London immediately after 9/11—he reported later that he was crying all throughout the piece while conducting it. So I ask how necessary is it to make a definite political reference in a piece of art, and where does music fit into this whole picture.
November 28th, 2005 at 8:27 pm
A fly in the ointment: How about racist race music? The white separatist girl group composed of two sisters, known as “Prussian Blue” (and their repulsive mother, too, I imagine, since “A child is born with no state of mind, blind to the ways of mankind…” -Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, 1982) has been on Technorati’s top ten for awhile. Also, Sista Souljah, and bits and pieces of other white power and black power records over the years… I’ve read that white racist pop is selling alarmingly well to young people. I’ve heard some ugly expressions of racial discord, to put it gently, in several hiphop tunes in the last decade. It’s real, even if it’s not pleasant. Peace.
November 28th, 2005 at 8:38 pm
Still, the music you’re referring to, I take it, has words–that certainly has its place, but I’m talking about music without words: can that lead to any sort of understanding between different races or classes? Can it bond people in some way–is it, in fact, a universal language? I think you could also ask these questions of abstract art, that which isn’t representational in some way–can it too bring people together?
November 28th, 2005 at 8:38 pm
Totally fascinating show! I *love* the performance art piece about asking for reparation for slavery, that’s just beautiful. It makes me want to hear more about these sort of politically-motivated bits of public art, and reminds me of these flash mobs that have been taking over cities (people arranging to appear for a few seconds in one place, and then dispersing) and things that read as pranks. I’ve only seen bits and pieces about these things, but I can easily imagine how art, pranks and political protest can pretty easily blur together.
And on the music side; I’ve been completely fascinated of late by the mash-ups that are so easy to get a hold of now that mp3 files are so easily downloadable (within the broadband revolution). I have a great Kanye West mash-up in response to Katrina. I see you’re thinking about hip-hop as its own show and I’m really looking forward to it, since the whole concept of the mash-up seems like a natural extension of rap music in its original form.
November 28th, 2005 at 8:46 pm
Somerville: Certainly, music and the arts seem to have done much more to bring people together than describe or create their separation.
November 28th, 2005 at 8:51 pm
Rochelle: Mashup rulez! Remix the universe! If ya don’t like ketchup, try mustard on it! Yeah! Heck, everything in our physical reality is a remix or mashup–the periodic table of chemical elements is cut and pasted into–well–ketchup and mustard!
November 29th, 2005 at 6:02 pm
http://www.ourmedia.org/node/53964