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Response Paper 3

Authorization of Public Art

Justice from Clarion Alley, San Francisco

Art is extremely powerful; it does no physical harm yet it also has the ability to send people from all ages and backgrounds a piercing message. It is this power that leads those with power, such as the upper class and the government, to censor certain art pieces, usually controversial and conflicting ones that do not fit in with their agenda. In Art & Power: An Uneasy Alliance, the article talks about how the movie Cradle Will Rock repeatedly portrays “the use of art as a tool by the politically and economically powerful” (Darton, Bercaw). Likewise, Judith Baca describes this exploitive theme of “public art…play[ing] a supportive role in developers’ agenda” in more detail by explaining how “art uses beauty as a false promise of inclusion” but instead push minorities out of their homes (Baca). For example, the United States and Rockefeller, who commissioned Rivera in New York, rejected Diego Rivera’s Man at the Crossroads for its feature of Lenin and its strong communist stance (Rochfort). Likewise, David Alfaro Siqueiros’s América Tropical was whitewashed after the owner of the private building found out that Siqueiros’s mural demonstrated America’s imperialism oppressing minorities with its depiction of an eagle watching the crucifixion of an indigenous man (Rochfort). I believe that this is where the authorization and censorship of art comes into play; art is censored when it does not fit the role of those with power. In my final paper, I will be focusing on two locations in northern California: Palo Alto and San Francisco. In the more suburban, secure homes of Palo Alto, the art is heavily controlled, with each work of public art having to receive city approval. On the other hand, in the unpredictable streets of San Francisco, often, the art is uncensored and not authorized by the government, so there is more provocative, controversial public art on display. Especially in one alleyway in San Francisco, Clarion Alley, where the street art is temporarily and the walls are constantly being painted, the artists work with the Clarion Alley Mural Project to promote justice. The authorization of art form the artists themselves, rather than from a structured government or private owner, allows artists, such as Megan Wilson to be able to fight against the upper class and government to advocate for the poor and minority groups.

Clarion Alley, San Francisco

Figure 1

Many of the artists who paint in Clarion Alley (Figure 1) are part of the Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) where they use their art to promote movements, change, and justice in the community (Clarion Alley Mural Project). “In a city that is rapidly changing to cater to the one-percent at every level,” the non-profit CAMP serves as a contrast to this with its support coming from dedicated artist and other community members (Wilson). CAMP even discourages commercialization, deterring large tour groups and real estate corporations in the Mission District from exploiting the alley for profit (Wilson). When I visited the alley two years ago, I personally felt they achieved this goal because the alley felt like it was hidden. There were a good number of tourists, but it was individual groups coming to enjoy the art in a serene manner, not huge, rowdy tour groups crowding the street. In this way, CAMP supports its artist, some who have been displaced by the increasing price of rent, by fighting against this structure and supporting a space to express their thoughts on “social, economic, and environmental justice” by advocating for new ideas and inclusiveness (Wilson). While in Palo Alto, the murals are commissioned by the city and the city council has to approve of all the public art before it is drawn, here in Clarion Alley, no one is forcing or prohibiting the artists to make their work. The work is also being constantly replaced, and every time I go to Clarion Alley, the alley looks different and there is a new panel because this influences

Tax the Rich, Clarion Alley, San Francisco
Figure 2
Capitalism Is Over! If You Want It
Figure 3

Megan Wilson, an artist on Clarion Alley in San Francisco and one of the Clarion Alley Mural Project’s core directors, has had several of her bold, vibrant murals, which focus on issues with the wealth gap, featured in the alley. Her works focuses on the idea of home and homelessness and directly reflect the goals of CAMP by explicitly calling out the issues with capitalism and the one percent. For example, in her piece Tax the Rich (Figure 2), the very title of the piece, written in bold, black letters is the center of the work. Bright colors and large, multicolored flowers surround the words, and the color scheme is focused on the complementary colors blue and orange. The flowers overlap each other and spill onto the ground, where a happy face is at the center of the flowers on the ground. Another mural that looks similar to Tax the Rich is CAPITALISM IS OVER! (Figure 3). This piece was created as part of the movement Capitalism Is Over! If You Want It, whose goal is to make known the negative consequences of capitalism (Wilson). Like Tax the Rich, the main focus of the piece is the bold black letters “Capitalism Is Over! If You Want It” against a yellow background. The bottom half of the piece is the cascade of colorful flowers that encroach on the sidewalk. The color scheme for this work is still extremely bright, but the main focus is the intense yellow. The lively, playful feelings of both murals illustrate the power of public art as this allows the murals to be accessible and applicable to all ages, even children, and seem harmless. However, the reason this mural may not be accepted in a different, more conservative community is the black, dark words at the core of each painting. These words leave no room for interpretation; the words “Tax The Rich” and “Capitalism Is Over! If You Want It” directly target the oppressive capitalist society. I believe these words and murals are also calls for action, as they are public art forms, are easily understandable, leave no room for interpretation. Ultimately, the targeting of the public is saying the people of the community have the ability to change this current imbalance in wealth.

The authorization of art can come from the artists themselves or from higher-level officials, such as the city government or private companies. Art that comes from these structured institutions are more likely to have more censored art. The U.S. government and private companies censored these ideas that criticized, threatened, and doubted America’s foundation. While art, such as that of Clarion Alley, which is controlled by the artists themselves, has the power to freely express controversial ideas and influence an audience. The authorization of art can come from many sources, but I feel this decision is influenced by the location and society where the art originated.

 

Works Cited

Baca, Judith. "Whose Monument Where? Public Art In A Many-Cultured

Society." Mapping the Terrain: New Genre Public Art. By Suzanne Lacy. Seattle, Washington: Bay, 1996. 131-38.

"Clarion Alley Mural Project." Clarion Alley Mural Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb.

  1. <http://clarionalleymuralproject.org/>.

"Clarion Alley Mural Project." Megan Wilson. Megan Wilson, n.d. Web. 07 Feb.

  1. <http://www.meganwilson.com/related/clarion.php>.

Darton, Eric, and Nancy Stearns Bercaw. "Art & Power: An Uneasy

Alliance." Cradle Will Rock: The Movie and the Moment. By Tim Robbins and Theresa Burns. New York: Newmarket, 2000.

Rochfort, Desmond. Mexican Muralists: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros. San Francisco:

Chronicle, 1998. Print.