Call For Art On Black Lives Matter For City Hall

Three weeks is not a lot of time for one artist to create 7 large, pertinent, site-specific pieces of art, unless the art is already created and the artist already selected.

In order to 'maximize' this 'opportunity', may I suggest that the 'award' goes to 7 individual artists instead rather than 1, 2 or several.

One artist should not be the face of BLM on City Hall -- it needs to be a group enterprise, and everybody needs to be treated equally.

Isn't that the real underlying point here??? EQUALITY!

Once again, a City Sponsored Art Project that 'feels good' on the outside, but lacks an underlying philosophy.

This is wonderful news!

For some reason, I was under the impression the city was broke and had just come back to taxpayers--yet again--hat in hand, groveling for more money on top of the already highest local tax burden in the nation. Good to know, however, that I was completely misinformed and that we actually had an extra $2,500 in the coffers all along. It must be the result of the sound fiscal sense and marked ability to move beyond first-order thinking that absolutely pervades city leadership.

Thankfully, since we have all this newfound money lying around, I'll just go ahead and deduct $2,500 from of one of my property tax bills for the year.

I agree with Bill Saunders. Seven artists would much more interesting and would provide a more fair representation of City artists.

I agree with Bill. Seven artists equal seven voices, critical in these times to not limit to one voice for all. Also frankly this amount of money is shameful. Its not even $500 a window. If an artist wants to use vinyl, and to have an image printed on it, just the cost alone for this size window would eat up $400 per window (low end quote) leaving the artist $100 in their pocket if they are lucky. Come on New Haven, you can do better than to keep exploiting artists.

Agree with Bill and Bhu Shu.

BhuShu,

If this turns out to be another vinyl banner project, I will be so disappointed!!!!!

The paintings are hopefully sized so they can be mounted inside, behind the glass

It needs to be 'real art', not a reproduction.
Vinyl Banners are BS and only benefit the printer!!!!

BhuShu,

As you and I both know, City Sponsored Art is exploitive at it's core -- connected insiders are the ones who get the big pay days! I had hoped there would be some real vision given our new Cultural Affairs director.

A recent example of such exploitation would be Jason Bartlett's 'I Matter' project, where the photographer got 25k (that figure is from a contract I foi'd -- there may be subsequent ones). Not only a good payday, this white guy from the suburbs kept the rights to all of the photographs of our students for his future personal use.

NOW THAT IS EXPLOITATION

ps. It looks to me from the 'short timeline' associated with this project, that it is just 'hopping on the latest bandwagon', rather than putting the time, thought, and effort into making this a true representation of our artistic community.

pps. there are even more City Hall windows along Church Street -- that's even more opportunity for more voices.

ppps. We still don't know who gets to keep the art..... is the City Paying for time and materials, are they
commissioning the art outright, and keeping the end product. If any
of these paintings sell, who keeps the money, and who gets a cut....

One last thought for everybody ----

A little more about exploitation.....

What the City is asking is for artists to 'profit' of off Black Lives Matter.
The minute the exchange of money is involved, all 'good intentions' are dashed.

Open up the opportunity for the artists that want to donate their time, energy, and message to create this work, rather than luring artists in for a scant paycheck.

I don't see anybody else making money off the backs of those abused by police, why should City Hall be that arbiter?

Art starts with Heart!

I am sure there are enough well-intentioned artists out there that would jump at the opportunity. (especially if the work was their's to keep) Everybody might be surprised, and I guarantee youthat we would be getting some real and honest voices that are decidedly different from artists who fit into the 'grant chasing' category.

This is how you really build community!!!!

Bill I wholeheartedly agree with all your points. Cultural affairs should be responding to this post! Where are they?

The REAL BOTTOM LINE is that the 'ART' is 'THE PROTEST'.

The government needs to worry about 'action' in response to the protest, and get their nose out of the art.

So Simple.... this isn't much more than pandering in the absence of real police reform.

https://nyti.ms/2NMOW8O
A Public Art Project Devoted to Dismantling Racism at Every Level
With "Amends," the artists Nick Cave and Bob Faust have created a multipronged platform for self- scrutiny and, they hope, lasting change.
By Megan O'Grady July 1, 2020
It's Juneteenth and at Facility, Bob Faust and Nick Cave's art lab and studio space in Chicago, the installation of the first component of their latest community-based project, "Amends," is underway. For it, the artists have invited friends and colleagues to hand-write personal testimonials on the gallery windows, to reflect honestly on aspects of themselves that have contributed to holding our society back from equality.
The result, "Letters to the World Toward the Eradication of Racism," ranges from inspirational mantras — Margaret Mead's quote "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has" is printed in large caps across the storefront — to gut-wrenching personal confessions. "I was raised as a white supremacist," begins a letter by Michael Workman, an artist. There are admissions of complicity and silent acquiescence, regrets for words used and not used, apologies for taking easy paths or for acting out of fear of saying the wrong thing. Most of all, there are acknowledgments of vast unearned, unquestioned privilege and commitments to do better.

A detail of "Letters to the World Toward the Eradication of Racism" that includes a line from Cave: "If U Want to March About It, U Have to Talk About It."
James Prinz
"George Floyd was another tipping point for me," says Cave, for whom the beating of Rodney King nearly three decades ago was a watershed moment in his career, leading him to create his Soundsuits, ornate, full-body assemblages designed to rattle and resonate with their wearer. In a profile of the artist last fall, I described them as a "kind of race-, class- and gender-obscuring armature, one that's both