Al and I came around the curve in rural Mississippi on the freeway north through Illinois headed to Minneapolis, Minnesota. We were tired and happy to have had a successful showing at the Bogalusa Voter's League. We had documented the entire adventure to put on a second show in the Twin Cities. The year was 1980. The month February, Black History Month.

The Spartanettes at Alvin Carter's old high school had raffled off a painting Alvin sent down there to raise the money to bring him home. They funded what foundations had refused to support in a series of proposals Alvin had submitted. They brought a native son home to exhibit his provocative surrealistic images portraying contemporary African American themes to their high school for Black History Month.

After little success with grants Alvin turned to one of his high school teachers still teaching at that school. She organized the Spartanettes. He turned to me because he knew I was available, had the spirit to buck the grain, could return with the documentation with an artists touch to throw down with his return show and maybe also to rub it into the crackers' faces because I am Caucasian. The time was 2:35 am. We were pressing 65 miles per hour. Did I say, we just came around a curve and we saw the semi-trailer's running tail lights.

Al held the wheel with his right hand at twelve o'clock. That familiar sight - the trailers running lights - in a flash the familiar twisted into a frightening realization. The truck - directly in front of us, which we were approaching at 65 miles per hour, was not moving.

It was parked in the outside lane of a major freeway at 2:35 am with its running lights on! My eyes must have widened. I whispered "wow" and Al jerked the wheel right then left. We swung into the inside lane, missing by a few feet a fiery fate, then we reeled back across to the outside lane averting barely the threat of rolling the van. Centering down the highway we did not slow down to wonder why. We rode on out of Mississippi back home to Minnesota, to bring an art show back from Bogalusa Louisiana - alive - able to tell about it. (Continued Next Week)


SECOND SEGMENT OF C. COLUMN

The second part of C. Column is notes on building our website. Many who visit us are building websites also or are thinking about it. I will mention our successes and our failures. We are mostly trying simple ideas and testing them. A website grows slowly with continuous change if it is to keep a growing audience. Regularity is important. Our art center hosts a "Website Design and Promotion" Special Interest Group every 1st Saturday.

One of the goals of our website is to involve visitors and readers in building our content. Your content. We want to showcase your comments on the pages with the art but received little response. Instead of abandoning the idea of interactions - we are expanding the opportunities. Readers can also contribute URL's of significant articles and essays on Racism and Diversity. We ask you for links to sites that are related to subjects of the submitted art pieces.

We will add links as well. To understand our motives in building this website - realize that we intend to make this a permanent segment of our site. When this ART-ACT contest is over we will either start another with new prizes or find some way to continue to build stimulating content on Diversity and Racism. Why. Because that is a big part of the theme of our mission for the Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center by simple definition.

To develop a website your content depends on - first and foremost - who you are and what your goals are.

If you can bring enough art together - eyes can open and minds can change. We need more of that.

If you give us links that fit under our ART-ACT art - I will add them with your comments to this newsletter.

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

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