Events in the Oakland Area
Dear Editor,
The Native American protesters do have legitimate issues with the arts in Oakland but not all of them should be with the content of one mural.
In response to the outpouring of animosity and rage expressed at the dedication of Rocky Baird's mural on Piedmont Avenue on Saturday, April 29th I would like to note a crucial part of the City’s record in public art commissions which shows that this confrontation was inevitable. In the year 2000, Oakland's Cultural Arts Department reluctantly released the racial demographic statistics of how many public art pieces it had commissioned from approximately 1989-1999. After listing the numbers of White, African American, Latino and Asian-American artists, with the amounts of money next to each group, the bottom of the column read: Native American: Zero funding, zero number of art projects. In other words, the department to date has spent nothing (or next to nothing, comparatively) on art works produced by Native American artists. Contained in this document were both the evidence and tacit admission of negligence and of at least a decade of administrative prejudice against Native artists. The collective lack of action since these statistics were released, and an unwillingness to recognize and take corrective steps to remedy the problem, amounts to nothing less than malfeasance. Not only was this ongoing situation completely unfair to the Native American community, it also demonstrated a longstanding tradition of institutional prejudice, insensitivity and disregard for the culture of the next generation of Native Public Artists. How many native artists had been commissioned prior to 1989? My guess is probably close to zero as well.
From approximately 2000-2004, I pointed out this discrepancy (no less than four times) to the Cultural Affairs Commission during the open speakers’ forum section of the monthly meetings held at City Hall. The collective response was equal to the noise of a snore. I point this out because had the Native American community voiced even one tenth the intensity and unity it showed at Mr. Baird's mural dedication they would have had a mural of their own years ago-maybe even a Native Cultural Center/Museum. I think everyone would agree the place to put the blame is not on one artist but on the institution that never allowed Native American artists to be a part of the picture.
As a public artist, I find it horrible that the good intentions, honest hard work, diligent study and masterful practice of Mr. Baird were misconstrued as racism. The anger heaped upon the artist and Andrew Galvan the historian that Rocky consulted with, should really be laid at the feet of the Cultural Arts & Marketing Division, and Jerry Brown's Cultural Affairs Commission. These were the ongoing failures of an arts department that knew better for years, and completely dismissed its own printed evidence of racial prejudice.
The incident on Piedmont Avenue is only one part of the problem involving the Cultural Arts & Marketing Division that could have been easily rectified by even the slightest effort to improve their review protocol. Here is what a lack of consensus and the dominance of petty self-interests has led to again. A similar pending situation exists with the continued refusal of Cultural Arts & Marketing to comply with the law and print arts applications in any languages other than English. The power of the arts community will only be seen and fully appreciated when everyone is invited to the dinner table, and not merely handed a bill for the meals of others.
Dan Fontes
Public Artist
http://www.danfontes.com/
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com