Out and about in Uptown

Just a hymn for today

More than anything I'm just tired. I'm praying for the traumatized families today. #PhilandoCastile #AltonSterling #BlackLivesMatter

#AltonSterling

It is a sad, but sadly familiar day. #AltonSterling #JusticeForAlton

Alton Sterling with his family

within/without

I've spent the past 6 or 7 months explaining to people the ideas I tried to express in 30mph Zone, my April show at Gustavus Adolphus College. The conversations have ranged from 3 hours to 3 sentences, and I think I've finally found good words that include all the ideas I've been thinking about, and exclude the ideas that I'm not as interested in. It has been cool to revisit some of the ideas that earlier work was hinting at (Why I started doing cityscapes in the first place, and all the work that I created while studying in London) and editing those to fit with the new goals that I want my work to achieve. 

I've been thinking about how buildings and cities function as oases that we pass into and out of, and protect us from the inconvenience/discomfort that the natural world provides. More recently I've been reading about injustice, and thinking and writing about how this influences the way I move through these constructed environments (physical constructions and constructed systems). My coworker mentioned that my June 28 post, Identity was interesting to read and think about in relation to what my paintings are about. I've been thinking about how I can incorporate race and social justice into my practice, but without just pointing at it and that comment made me realize that my work is kind of sitting right next to inequality and systemic racism. I've been documenting my journey through this time in America as a black man. It's not terribly interesting or oppressed, but once I learn enough to document other people's  journeys, something interesting but still visually interesting could happen. 

The comment also sent me on a mental tangent a little bit and gave me a new way to think about inside/outside or within/without: within is everything that is you, and without is your surroundings, or everything else that exists. instead of the oasis being a city or a building, the ultimate oasis is ones self. I'm excited to think about identity and its relationship to environment, and how individual identities move through the physical world. 

Since I keep talking about it, take a look at the statement for 30mph Zone. I'll be posting photos from the show soon.

Aaron Rice at 7th Street Entry

Got the chance to see Aaron Rice perform two sets last night. At its most basic the music is electronic, but adds a lot of elements of soul and other genres. It was cool to hear new stuff  after at least a few months without a live performance. The show was a joint release party for Fort Wilson Riot and  Pornonono. Holidae also performed. 

Pornonono

Aaron Rice

Aaron Rice

Aaron Rice

The Art Spirit by Robert Henri

I have started reading The Art Spirit  a collection of quotes and teachings from Robert Henri (1865-1929). Henri taught at the Art Students League in New York, and had a special gift for communicating with students. He strongly believed in the relationship between art and life, and thought that everyone, not just those who create it or study it has a stake in art. I'll be sharing some quotes from the book and maybe a little bit about his life. I'll start with this quite from the opening:

Robert Henri (1865-1929

“There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom. If one could but recall his vision by some sort of sign. It was in this hope that the arts were invented. Sign-posts on the way to what may be. Sign-posts toward greater knowledge.”

— Robert Henri

Hudson Hospital and Clinic Healing Arts

Today I visited the Hudson Hospital and Clinic to see the lobby where I will be displaying some work later this year. I met with Chelsea Kelly, who runs the Healing Arts program and she shared with me a little bit about the program.

The Healing Arts program is a partnership between Hudson Hospital and the Phipps Center for the Arts. Their goal is to provide a holistic healing process by creating uplifting and low-stress environments with art. They were committed to this goal from the very beginning, and involved Integrative Spaces Specialist Carole Hyder at the blueprint level of designing the building. She carefully designed such features as the flow of the hallways, determining the 'heart' of each building on the campus, and use of the 5 key elements of Feng Shui in the hospital. You can read more about Healing Arts here, and learn more about Carol Hyder here. The program provides a relaxing atmosphere for patients, and acts as a gallery space for many local artists and the art-loving public.

My work will be on display August 17 - November 13 in the Medical Office Building Lobby. There will be a reception for all the artist exhibiting as part of the Healing Arts program on November 4. I'll make announcements for the show and exhibition closer to the date, but if you would like to receive a postcard be on my email newsletter list please sign up in the contact tab.

Identity

I just finished reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates this week. Its an incredible book that I am already planning to read again. It made me wonder how much of the thoughts in the book, and especially the artful descriptions of America's warped relationship to race resonate with me because of my race and my natural sympathy for certain social causes. I believe that what Coates writes is objectively true, but are they truths that resonate with people who don't think about racism often? 

I have spent time in the past few months thinking about my identity and what it means in relation to my work, Black Lives Matter, living in America, and daily life. These are just a few inconclusive notes on what I have to consider when thinking about myself.

• My skin is brown.
• I grew up in a largely white suburb of the Twin Cities.
• Most of my friends growing up where white.
• My parents emigrated to the United States from the Caribbean island of Antigua shortly before I was born.
• I haven't had to think deeply about race until fairly recently.
• I was taught at home by my mom.
• I've chosen to express myself through oil painting, historically a bastion of the old white man.
• I dress in a style that would be described as "hipster" and is very different from the stereotypical image that comes to mind when you think "thug" or even "young black man".
• My ancestors where most likely slaves, but did not help to build this country as they where brought to the Caribbean.
• I feel a strong responsibility to make work related to race to make this country a better place for those who, unlike me, feel the societally imposed disadvantages of their race on a daily basis.
•  I really want to reject this perceived responsibility. I don't want to be pigeonholed into being a  political artist just because of the color of my skin. Why can't I just be a black artist who gains success for painting really nice flowers or something equally vapid?
• I studied at a private liberal arts school, and was not involved in any black student organizations (to be clear I shirked almost all student organizations. I was too busy painting and practicing.)
• I catch myself defaulting to whiteness when thinking about a generic person or group of people because of the environments in which I spend my time.

I consider myself an outsider in many ways, but not necessarily an uncomfortable or complaining way. Just in the way that every human is not defined by their skin and labels are inherently flawed. Having brown skin immediately marks me as other in a fundamental way in this country, but a way that isn't always acknowledged. Then my mannerisms may preclude the assumptions that some people jump to. Being of direct Caribbean decent means that I am not African-American in the sense that I don't have the generational history and culture of living as a black person in the United States. Living in the suburbs and being homeschooled precluded my gaining knowledge about and assuming some of the culture and ways of being that I most likely would have as a person of color in a multicultural public school setting.

All this means that I'm coming to a lot of these issues of race and justice from a very sterile environment, and have to learn to be angry about a lot of these injustices which frankly, have been going on and intentionally evolving since the founding of this country. At the same time there is some sort of anger already there, even though it hasn't been put there by first hand experiences of injustice. I do know that my identity is not up to me in many encounters and first impressions, and I won't always get to choose my role asa person of color in this nation. This makes me worried and extra careful as I move through life.

I would love for you to share how you think about your identity, and whether it matches what people see when they look at you.

Leonardo Drew

I'm intrigued by what Leonardo Drew makes. Here is a snippet from an Art21 segment about him. check out the full segment, or watch the full episode about investigation here: http://www.art21.org/videos/segment-leonardo-drew-in-investigation

A few tips on dancing

I am aware that some don't feel comfortable dancing in public or private for various reasons. As somebody who cannot dance in the artistic or noteworthy sense of the word, but who has learned the skills to not look out of place in a dance type setting, I thought it would be prudent to share some suggestions. Here are a few tips, and I hope some are helpful.

1. Everyone is watching. Even if this is not the case, you should still act as such.
2. Nobody cares. (unless you are stunningly bad at dancing)
3. Never lose yourself in the music. Dancing is a serious activity that requires focus and intentionality.
4. If you are of legal drinking age, I suggest you consume at least one alcoholic beverage before the dancing commences. This will allow you to ignore the crippling self consciousness.
5. The only thing you must really be good at is keeping simple time. If you are someone who has trouble clapping on beat, then maybe you should be doing something else.
6. Very few people win friends or admirers with their dance moves. If you aren't sure you are one of those people who can, you probably aren't. 
7. The key to successful dancing is to sort of look like you know what you are doing in a semi-darkened room without doing anything to ruin this illusion.
8. Dancing isn't about fun. It is about tricking a roomful of your friends and strangers into thinking this is something you have done before, and are comfortable with. DON'T LET THEM KNOW THE TRUTH!
9. The most basic step is to move your feet from side to side on the beat, and move your arms in a slight running motion. Other motions can be added to this basic step, but should never cause you to be off the beat.
10. If you want to be hip (cool/trendy) leave your feet stationary, and dance with only your head and torso. Lean forward slightly, and lead with your head as if you are peering into a store window. Bob your head forward to the music, while keeping your hands at your sides. (This should be done while wearing a black turtleneck sweater and tight black jeans. Your friends should be dressed similarly.)
11. Watch other people and see what they do. Borrow dance moves that you think you can execute without looking foolish. This will be your best chance to add new moves to your repertoire.
12. Finally, if you reach a point where you can execute all these steps with minimal error, then you should try having fun while you dance.

Happy dancing!

What are your tips for good dancing? Share in the comments.

My friend Tiana works for the city of Minneapolis as an environmental inspector <-- not her real title, but those are the two words that I remember that describe what she does. Her department was doing a project today at the Hennepin History Museum to plant native  plants that bees like. I helped out, and it was nice to be outside, and the result was really beautiful. The project was completed in partnership with Beez Kneez a network of beekeepers. Afterward we got to go on the roof and see the two bee hives that they own and got to learn a little bit about hives.

I went out drawing with Beatrice in downtown Minneapolis the other day. We also ate some food but not here. 

I finally got to see David Rathman's work at the Weinstein Gallery

I'm working on a few in-depth posts that I will post once I get a little more time to sit and write, and also the ideas to write something complete. In the meantime I'll keep the short posts and photos coming. Tried to go to the Weinstein today, but it was closed. Then we tried to go see the National Parks movie showing at the IMAX at the Science Museum, but apparently that's closed on Mondays too! I went pants shopping instead, and came out with a few fine finds. I think  I feel a rant about pants makers coming on, and and maybe a completely different and equally fervent rant about H&M and their unethical store layouts. I have some strong words to share about both subjects.

this is the garden I'm watering while I house sit in Minneapolis