Day 4 - New York

This morning headed over to Jackson Square Park for a discussion lead by seven RECALLed artists. The open talks seemed to sway more toward surveillance and the monitoring of public space.

After a curator tour was led by Kendal Henry and Sara Reisman. My wall was the first stop as we had to push it down to Jackson Square for the talk. 

Oh just checked the news and then just in:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/2-reports-say-officers-shooting-of-tamir-rice-was-justified/

Met up with Karim and Azeez again who had stopped by Union Square yesterday and were very engaged in the festival.

It is hard to believe how quickly the time has passed here in NYC. There are so many people to thank for their contributions to making FADED GLORY a reality. Over the next weeks I will compile an overview of this project.

Please visit this blog from time to time to see how FADED GLORY will progress in the future.

                                  More photos to follow in the coming weeks.

 

Day 3 - New York

Just a beautiful morning on 14th Street.

My new assistant, Jenny Lando, arrived and our journey began.

Right on 6th we encountered a lovely lady that had seen the wall on Friday...but the other side. She, like so many, feels sorrow for all the shootings. I did notice that she wore a number of buttons addressing social concern and groups. "God will remember you."

Photo Jenny Lando

 

As we traveled down 14th we had many encounters as Jenny handed her camera to a complete stranger to take our photo crossing 5th Avenue.

 

We continued down 14th and met an elderly lady that was drawn to the piece because of the flowers as her sister had died on Friday.

I later encountered a very sad lady with a bunch of fresh flowers that was honoring the 8th anniversary of her Mother's passing. Her Mother's name was Fakhrie.

The day passed really fast. Jenny has a friend, Donna Dees Thomases, that lives on 14th and took a wonderful shot from her apartment of the wall. Jenny grew up in the East Village and had stories and histories to share.

We then headed back to Union Square and again stopped on the eastside near the police precinct as people were very interested about Faded Glory. There seem to be many artists out that were drawn to this piece and many doing similar work and documentation.

Photo Jenny Lando

 

We entered the park and positioned the wall in front of the Abe Lincoln statue and that seemed to be a good location as well with many visitors addressing the wall.

 

Photo Jenny Lando

 

We continued to the front of the park where several projects were happening. A really great energy. A photographer came by, Eddie Pagan. He has been photographing NYC for the past three decades focusing on social and racial issues. He really loved FADED GLORY.

There seemed to be a good bit of conversation about government's lack of transparency, honest, and truth. Too many cover ups.

 

Two guys, Jesus and Manny, stopped by as they are a team in a mentoring program and talked a good deal about how important it is to mentor and support each other and were very interested in the wall.

Jesus and Manny

There is so much information that I have collected over these days. So many notes and photos.

Some really fun ladies on 14th.

 

 

Day 2 - New York

Headed out this morning east on 14th.

We made it to Union Square where we encountered  100 police having a rally. Ironically the "To Serve and Protect" side was facing them. One guy said, "That is right on cue."

We continued around to the eastside of the park and stopped near the Union Square subway entrance.
Police cars continued to park nearby while a host of people came by and voiced their opinions about the current tone of overstep in the USA.

 

A wonderful lady, Doris, came by and continued to shake her head as she said, "So sad".  She spoke to me for some time about that element in NYC. She also mentioned that this subway entrance housed a police station and holding area. Handcuffed men continued to be taken into the subway.

 

Lewis, an artist, talked about his life during the Vietnam draft and how the country was "snowed" and bought into this war. He was not.

A most wonderful lady stopped and talked at length about her person situation and the constant looking over her shoulder and the worry for the children. She was a caregiver and is also greatly concerned about the treatment of the elderly. Also brought up in her conversation was the upcoming election and the circus atmosphere and how we have been dumbed down.

 

We then moved through the park and stopped in a shady out of the way area. By stopping we found people approached more easily and the conversations were more deeply involved.

 

Daniel came by. He had lived in rural Virginia for sometime working on a farm before returning to NYC to go back to school. He spoke of the temptation of all the money and bribes given to some police spurned from their low pay scale and the need for pay to reflect the danger of the job. We also brought up teacher pay.

A very excited Miriam

 

We then moved the wall to the front of the park facing 14th. This drew a lot of attention and one such group was the "DP Scholars". They were a group of 5 interviewing people for a school project. Got to spend some time with them and answer they survey.

The DP Scholars: Keiasia Holeman, Rolando Aquino, Justin Sheppard, Emani Sanders, and Edelsa Majia.

Note: when pushing a wall through Manhattan, a great assistant is a good thing.

 

 

A visitor from Illinois, Ashley, came by to talk about her experience and life. She had moved back to help with her family having gone to school in NYC.

As the rain moved in and cut the day by an hour, we made it back to 6th.

Saturday we will be rolling out of 6th and 14th again heading east all the way to Con Edison and then loop back. Hope to see you there.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Day 1 - New York

What a day.

Much was learned today in regards to both public opinion about this piece and the logistics of pushing it around 14th Street.

A special shout out to Hjordis Linn-Blanford. She brought great street wise advice, passion, and muscle to help make this happen on Day 1.

The day started with Faded Glory heading West on 14th. We were met with great public opinion and emotion. It seemed many initially wanted to know what this was about and happy to find out.

Though most of the public opinion was positive there were several people that felt differently. At Hudson and 14th two guys became very heated after reading the postcard about Faded Glory. They went on and on about how this was stupid and did not represent what was right and became very hostile when I would not engage in their rants. After about 10 minutes I asked them to take a card and there was a blogsite listed on the back where they could voice their opinions....and they wanted nothing to do with this "stupid thing" and that they were sure I was voting for Bernie Sanders. He wanted to know why the police side of the piece did not have flowers.  I expected to encounter an opposing view....which I welcome....but they were so angry and in their own heads, there was no need to try to reason with them as they continued to pace back and forth.

 

It was amazing at how many young people were drawn to this wall. Some had amazing stories regarding their personal experiences and many of these conversations went on and on.

 

The children in this photo were all very energized. The small boy in yellow was less concerned about the image and more concerned about the construction. "How much does it weigh?, What is it made out of?" and so on.

 

It was really fulfilling to give the public an image from which they could draw these emotions out.

Some of the opinions today:

"You know the good guys finish last." Ben

"To secure and protect seems to have gone missing. It seems the "suits" are very visible during the day and at night no where to be found. In all there is enough for everybody but we are all distracted."
Kevin

Kevin also wanted to talk further about surveillance and voting. He brought up a good point that is no one voted next year....what would happen.

"Thank you so much Terry." Unknown

"Pre-Giuliani 14th Street was great. The officers were all from this area and knew everyone. Then Giuliani shipped in police from Long Island and everything went crazy." Joshua Susie

"I am looking for a creative way to grieve and this piece has me thinking," Akim Funk discussing the loss of his Father.

"I live in the Bronx. If you get shot you lay there while the black guys step over you." Unknown

"White Supremacist Bastard." Spoken by three girls encountering the "To serve and protect" side of the wall. After seeing the other side they admitted being very wrong about this.

"I knew exactly what this was about when I saw it." Nicki

"I was watching two white guys fighting and ended up with a gun pulled on my and a knee to my throat when I was 15 in Long Island. She continued to talk about her mixed race family and how one side identifies as white and the other side as black. Ayanna

 

This is but a sampling of the day's conversations. The wall ended the day in Union Square. A place that has long been the site of change.

Faded Glory will hit the streets again Friday at noon from 6th Street heading East. 
 





 

An attempt at recapping Tone/Orlando.....and other quotes.

Hard to believe it has been a week now since the end of AiOP/Tone/Orlando.

I have been so busy and needed a bit of time to add additional quotes and observations to this blog and prepare to take Faded Glory to NYC for AiOP/RECALL next weekend.

I have been in the studio awakening the "blue side" of the wall  as it seemed to have gone unnoticed in Orlando due to this wall being stationary and not being able to block pedestrian flow.

In New York the plan is to keep this wall moving most to the time giving the public an encounter with whichever side is in their view.

As always with public art, the work is at the disposal of several elements: people, weather, the powers that be. The difference in Orlando being that the festival was permitted which makes it easier for the artist/art to survive some of the above elements. This also gives an artist an opportunity to create a much more vast work....at least that has been my experience.

Then there is New York.

New York is less forgiving as permits are not pulled and all art is thrown out there for public consumption. Always very exciting, I have had entire projects disappear over night in NYC never to have been seen by anyone. Again a different animal.

Part of the history of this piece will be to compare the Orlando experience with the New York experience and just how people receive the work.

Orlando was a really good experience. I did like the idea of the piece moving to a new location everyday and just how different each location was though they were no more than 6 or 7 blocks apart. That is what I feel made Magnolia the perfect Avenue for this type show.

In general I would say the greatest number of responses to my wall were of amazement that it was there calling attention to something on the minds of many in particular people of color.

I was thanked on numerous occasions for addressing this issue that seems to hide in contemporary culture and never welcomed on any level. Much needs to be done and I feel my responsibility with Faded Glory is to confront people with this ongoing problem.

A group visiting from Tampa collectively stated that as each generation dies off - there might be a better chance for civil right,s equal rights. Perhaps they are right. I certainly hope so.

Then there was the talk of living in bubbles. Urban bubbles. Suburban bubbles. County bubbles. When one ventures outside of their preferred bubble...that is when things get confusing and uncomfortable.

I will say for the most part, the people visiting Faded Glory were polite. I would witness many come up, take a card, read it and put it back. Only once did I engage with a lady that had a very strong opinion that I welcomed though it did conflict completely with my own view. I do feel just maybe the uncomfortableness of such encounters and conversations are what just might correct this ongoing problem in the USA.

Such diverse public opinions can be expected each time. Again...public art.




 

Day 4 at Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center

Each day of this exhibition my "wall" has been in a different location.

Today's location was in front of the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center.

 

People who ventured down to this part of  downtown were well aware of the festival.

I have found that the materials I use need to be presented on the printed matter. When I would explain that I use collected cemetery flowers the mood immediately took on a more profound sense of loss.

Detail

It is always nice to interact with those with different opinions or perhaps a different take on the same opinion.

I did have a conversation with a white lady that had two black children. I explained to her my take on the piece and she was immediately defensive. She said, "And what about the white cops getting killed? I think all lives matter." Part of public art is to put your work out there for public opinion.
I told her I did understand her take on this but that is not the focus of my work and that I feel a police being shot is sadly an occupational hazard. She seemed put off by this.  I never know when people encounter my work just where they stand....though throughout this showing....there seemed to be a pattern...though there were some surprises.

The Blue Wall

 

 

I did find that presenting both sides of the wall while not obstructing the flow of sidewalk traffic made me favor the target side more. When presented in New York I will better focus on presenting both sides equally.

 

Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center

 

 

 It is vital as artists to be ever present when addressing issues that completely mold our vision.

It is hard to believe this part of Faded Glory is over. It has been a great experience. I will continue to process this show and take that knowledge and Faded Glory to New York in two weeks.

With deepest gratitude to Ed Woodham, The Orlando AiOP Team, Virginia Sowell, Antonio Hernandez and Melindo Rabanales for making this happen.

To be continued.....

 

Day 3/Orlando at Church and Magnolia

A very interesting day today.

As we were setting up a guy, Rob, came by immediately and hung out for some time.

Rob has been incarcerated for several years and had a wealth of knowledge in regards to the treatment of prisoners and the mishandling of many people he was in direct contact with. He is currently out of jail and putting his life back together.

The Blue Wall

 

All day people funneled through asking questions.

 

 

I talked to many transplants from other parts of the country who were delighted to see something calling attention to this civil rights problem.

 

 

There are always those who take a "card", read it and return it to the holder.

Regardless of public opinion .....it is important to keep it out there and the conversation going.

 

I was delighted to receive a visit from the Margarita Breton Garcia family.

 

 

Came back and was too tired to do the blog...so this one is a day late.

Today, Sunday, is the last day and the wall will be located at Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center.