ART-ACT Notes 15 - Newsletter of the Anti-Racist T-shirt Art Contest Tour

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ART-ACT Notes 15 -- Newsletter of the "Anti-Racist T-shirt Art Contest Tour"
© 2000 by the Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center - All Rights Reserved

Check out ART-ACT's latest submission - Laura Craighead Weaver's t-shirt art
submission "New World" at
http://www.art-teez.org/artists/lcw1.htm

She says:

"Attached is a gif of my T-shirt design. I think your project is wonderful.

http://Albiond.tripod.com/PandOhomepage.html

This URL links to a page that offers a children's book with the same theme
of your project. I created all of the oil paintings that were then
photographed, scanned and arranged in a PDF format. The story is about a
friendship between two very different animals and the focus is to promote
anti-racist ideas in a way small children can understand."

LATEST ART-ACT NEWS
SURPRISE! We previewed ART-ACT in real space. And we received press in
Streetwise which covered our surprise exhibit at ARC Gallery. Streetwise is
a
weekly newspaper sold by homeless vendors on the streets of Chicago. It
covers artists and others the regular press avoids.

The coverage of art events in Chicago by news outlets is always minimal.
However, they like to follow the moves of high profile bigots. It is also
difficult to get good coverage in our city and state for those who are
working to build an
alternative society by fighting hatred. Is this the same reality the Nazi's
exploited in
Germany to build an organization strong enough to court corporate backing in
the 1920's and 30's? It can happen here. Especially, if people are too
afraid, ashamed, or apathetic to even discuss cultural clash, ethnic issues
and engrained historically racist patterns.

This silence is all the bigot needs to organize his troops of hatred to
build a viscous circle of violence, press coverage, confrontation, press
coverage, fear, increased polarization and more hatred and more press.
We do not have the cheap trick of violence to attract the attention of the
press so, perhaps, we should find creative ways to cooperate to create press
attention for groups working against hatred. Send us any ideas for posting
in this newsletter.

Thank you Streetwise for your voice in the wilderness.

BUILDING INTERACTION
In the previous ART-ACT Notes I mentioned how we created a flier to invite
exhibit goers to respond with comments. These fliers sporting ART-ACT
submissions on one side a space for viewers of the exhibit to respond did
not work to gain written responses. They did add all the images on our
website to our exhibit and were well seen by the visitors to our exhibit at
ARC. We will continue to find ways to build discussions under the art of
ART-ACT. One way is to add links to appropriate essays on racism or
diversity already posted on the internet. We invite you to send us suggested
links to appear under ART-ACT submissions.

We continue to encourage anyone viewing the artists images to
respond to one or more images with comments on the artists work
as they see it. How does the image relate or fail to relate to our theme,
in your view. Speculate or re-phase what the artist says to you or
disagree, with reasons, with what you think the artists is saying or
let the art bring out a story of your own that needs telling.
Ask the artist questions. He/She may answer you! Make your
statements. A discussion beneath every image is our intended goal.
Then we can add links to new interesting comments in this newsletter.

Speak out and win a free t-shirt from our "Screen Print Workshop for
Artists." A free t-shirt to the twenty-first commentator on
artwork in our ART-ACT exhibit. Just click on COMMENTS
below any image in ART-ACT and send us your thoughts.

SUPPORT DIVERSITY -- FIGHT RACISM
Do you know a college professor or teacher who could use this collection of
art to excite discussion in their class room of the many issues related to
racism and diversity?

Tell them about us or send us their e-mail address and we will contact
them. Their students' written comments could be published on our site below
the
art they apply to!

Help build an Internet Community against Racism. Volunteer one hour a week.
To read about the HELP we need - Click
http://www.art-teez.org/help_ara.htm

Thanks for reading of us as we grow.

Chris Drew
< mailto:umcac@art-teez.org >
Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center
http://www.art-teez.org We dress Chicago and the
Internet in t-shirt art. Come get some! 773/561-7676