notes 24

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ART-ACT Notes 24 -- Newsletter of the "Anti-Racist T-shirt Art Contest Tour"
© 2000 by the Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center - All Rights Reserved

CONTENTS
1) Who are the Judges?
2) Judging Procedure
3) Reasons & Rewards
4) First Round Finalists Listed

FOR THE JUDGES DISCUSSION OF THE ART SEE ART-ACT NOTES 25

DEAR ARTISTS AND LIST MEMBERS,

This post is the first of three that I will write to provide details on the
discussion that resulted in a winner. This tells about the judges and lists
the nineteen finalists. A second ART-ACT will include the verbal comments of
judges with the five finalists listed. A third will announce the winner
formally to the public. You can figure out the winner from reading the
testimony of the Judges that will be in the next ART-ACT Notes.

Our Board has already resolved to host a second ART-ACT and will be posting
changes and new pages needed for this even as we proceed to our T-shirt Art
Harvest Festival where we will announce the winner. We are creating policy
as we go because that is a way to involve more people in the process. A
community process is required to live up to a "multi-cultural theme."

WHO ARE THESE ARTIST/JUDGES?

When I picked up Carlos Cortez today he was sitting in a chair out in front
of his home, a converted storefront. "It used to be a butcher shop," Carlos
stated proudly. "They survived through the great depression of the 30's," he
explained referring to the butcher shop and other small businesses that used
to dot Chicago and other American cities, "...until the large chain stores
ran them all out of business. That is how I was able to get this old
storefront for a song back in the late seventies." It took an artist like
Carlos Cortez to appreciate the small store front as a studio. The basement
became his workshop where he printed his wood cuts and other block printed
works. His heavy metal proof press was put down there long ago. Carlos
leaned heavily on his cane as he crossed the street. Carlos is 77 years
young.

He made his name printing his art for the Industrial Workers of the World -
the Wobblies - as they were called. He is a poet and a teacher and a figure
in the "community arts scene" in Chicago. "Wouldn't you rather see the young
people with a pen or a brush in their hand than a gun?" he asks those who
have trouble understanding the value of arts for kids in inner-city
communities where he lives and reaches out to others - many of them young -
through his art.

Riding up to the Chicago American Indian Center we talked about the
exhibit/contest. "I do not believe in contests period," Carlos said. "The
reason I am involved and why others should be involved is to speakout and
for exposure." I agreed with him as we drove through Chicago traffic on this
warm humid August afternoon. Carlos commented on the weather, "...as I tell
Marrianna (his wife) if you do not like the heat - wait until January and
your wish will be answered." Chicago is a city of extremes, hot and cold,
moderated a bit by Lake Michigan.

At the "Center" Anne Pyterek waited at the door with Peter, her five year
old son. Anne has been on our Board for three years now. Her art often
speaks to the roles women play in society. She is an oil painter who became
interested in screen printing and is serious enough to attend meetings and
help with volunteer mailings and data entry while going to school and
surviving as a sole head of house-hold while raising Peter. That is a lot on
one plate. Our Screen Print Workshop for Artists has operated for her as
another encouragement to keep in touch with her art.

I unlocked the door and let Carlos, Anne and Peter into the Center. Robert
was already upstairs in a studio area on the second floor painting with
oils. He would not come down until the meeting was ready to start. He is the
reason any of us are there at the Chicago American Indian Center. He is the
artist-in-residence who invited me to bring our organization, the Uptown
Multi-Cultural Art Center, here in 1990 when the first community art gallery
we built was snatched from under us. That experience pointed the "Art of the
T-shirt" as an annual exhibit series in public spaces. After working hard to
fix up other people's space only to be moved on, we decided to exhibit in
accessible community locations without having to pay rent to those spaces.
The public libraries housed our exhibits for nine of the exhibit's twelve
years.

Robert, increasingly over these same past twelve years, has provided the
Chicago American Indian Center with paintings from huge murals to small
paintings tucked in corners and works hung in many spaces in-between. He -
more than anyone - has maintained a visual cultural influence at the
"Center." He tutors kids at the St- Augustine's Excel Learning Center which
serves Native American families in the Uptown Chicago community. He is a
musician turned oil painter. He spent time in New York City but came to
Chicago to be close to his children. His is a quiet steady influence -
leadership by action rather then by order.

I was missing fliers with eight of the submitted images on them. They had
been left at home. For the past three weeks I have been copying them to
prepare for this judging and for heavy promotion in September at both Unity
Month and Labor and Arts Month events. Even though we are on the Internet,
we still promote our web site and exhibits locally, with gusto.

I have to go home to pick up fliers - so I hand $15 to Anne - delegating her
the job of ordering pizza. It was her suggestion at the last Board Meeting
that we feed the judges (mostly our Board). I rush out the door to get the
missing images. "Don't be later than 2:00." Carlos calls. I had to talk him
into sitting on the panel. We pushed the meeting ahead from 4:00 to 2:00 to
get Carlos. He had other obligations this day.

I made it a fast loop. I stopped at the Cambodian restaurant by my home,
ordered, hit home to pick up the missing images, snatched the Pad Tai order
and turned toward the "Center" arriving by 2:04.

As I pull up - I meet Kharl Walker sitting in his car parked in front. We
holler "Hi!", hug and head toward the door. Kharl brought his first group of
kids to exhibit in the "Art of the T-shirt" along side adult artists in
1992. We were just beginning to build the "Screen Print Workshop for
Artists" then. Kharl was working as an Art Instructor for a large non-profit
youth agency which had a school contract to work with kids at Roberto
Clemente High School. His class exhibited one year and when he moved on to
another agency - his associate exhibited her class the following year. He
has exhibited his work often in the "Art of the T-shirt." He has led many a
group of young artists through mural projects. He is an African American man
with an enthusiastic personality who has taught visual arts in community
centers around Chicago, North, South, and West. Even though he had a tight
schedule - he came out of his long time commitment to community art. Seeing
this - I am optimistic about this day.

Anne brings in the pizza. I put the pad tai on the table. Someone calls to
Robert upstairs where he is painting and we focus on business. On the floor
in the open area to our left are 43 piles of fliers - each with a different
image submitted by an artist to ART-ACT. Once we are done we will use the
fliers to promote ART-ACT at the T-shirt Art Harvest Festival September
29-30. It is at the Festival on Friday night (9/29) we will announce
publically the winner of our contest.

Kharl and I have put together a pile with each of the designs for Carlos and
Robert. Anne simplifies the process further by just reviewing the images on
the floor and picking her four. I am running between host and administrative
duties and adopt her method, grabbing up my four. Then, I grab a slice of
pizza, too. I figure - why not - I've worked a temp office job for a month
full time to donate by paying for the pizza. I will have a piece. We are a
volunteer arts group.

Tim Jackson comes through the door. I haven't seen Tim in 4-5 months. His
job is preventing him from having the free time he used to have to pursue
his web site and his artist connections. I called Kharl when Tim first said
he already had promised to be somewhere else. Tim Jackson, editorial
cartoonist, cartoonist from childhood, Streetwise (the only newspaper in
Chicago not afraid to speak for the people) cartoonist with his web site at
www.clstoons.com .

Tim goes right for the Tofu Pad Tai. He is handed a complete set of
submitted images to review. Judges are eating and writing on the backs of
their selections. This is an 18 month long contest being decided in one hour
by a room full of local Chicago artists.

After a short while Carlos begins the testimony presenting his first through
fourth choices with his reasons. Just like his woodcut images - his reasons
are short - clear and unembellished. As he concludes in walks Lydia
Janchitraponvej late as never. She is always early or at the very least - on
time for every meeting. Since some others with an opposite tendency had made
it against great odds, perhaps the universe found this as a way to balance
itself.

Lydia is an artist who has exhibited her hand painted t-shirts in "Art of
the T-shirt" exhibits for 10 years. She has always been a steady volunteer,
too. She is southwestern Native American. Her husband is from Thailand. She
moved from the Uptown Chicago area to a suburb close to where a violent
racist man began a murder rampage shooting at any one not looking caucasion,
killing and wounding many along his way. At times she wonders if her son is
safe. Lydia has encouraged "ART-ACT" from its beginning. We gave her
instructions and continued with testimony.

JUDGING PROCEDURE

In this first round the artist judges each selected four images. This much
Robert Wapahi suggested at a Board Meeting earlier in the month. How to
proceed after that was left to be discovered. The judges, all community
artists, write the reasons why they had selected each piece on the back of
each of the designs chosen and give verbal testimony stating their reasons.
They are encouraged to order the designs as with their first choice on top
to their last on the bottom. The next round was completed by following
Anne's suggestion that we eliminate all those nominated just once and any
entered by artists on our Board or acting as judges.

That left five to chose from. But as we looked at the five - three had been
selected twice and two had been selected four times each. Someone - possibly
Robert or Lydia or Carlos - asked which of the two had been 1st selections
by the judges vs. 3rd or 4th selections. Finally, one work was chosen by the
fact that it was selected higher in the order the judges assigned to each of
their picks.

In this first contest we did not need to split hairs for the group to agree
on a winner. We can refine our process with everyone's input for the next
contest with a deadline of August 1, 2002. You have time to critique our
process add your thoughts.

REASONS AND REWARDS

My sense is most of the artists are involved first for the theme and the
opportunity to make a statement. We only have one prize and I hope that we
can involve artists in a friendly community process that makes them feel
good about the contest. There is the real possibility that if we continue to
work at promoting the exhibit and the art - that some of the artists will
receive further interest and opportunities.

The reason for all this is not to find a winner. To find a winner is just an
excuse to get as many artists involved in this important work. The real
opportunities truly lie in an international show that continues to grow and
the long term promotion it can provide an artist. Some of you will get some
contracts from others interested by your designs. We will refer people who
ask to you. You are part of a growing network. We do not require license
agreements from entrants or winners. We only ask for a non-exclusive license
agreement with artists who wish us to sell their prints. This means that you
are free to pursue any other offer that comes your way. You retain all
rights to all designs always.

We are going to promote this event with mailers made with the ART-ACT art.
The mailers (fliers that can be mailed back) invite people to write their
comments for inclusion on our website under the art works they write about.
In other words - we will use your art to create community involvement. One
goal is to build interest in a curriculum for different age groups to use
the art to get people to open up on the subject of racism and intolerance.
Standard fees for artists can be expected whenever a commercial opportunity
presents itself for any who participate. This show is just beginning. You
never know where your art will go! Keep doing your art.

A person working for the Chicago Commission on Human Rights has asked about
using one of the designs for a possible run of t-shirts. I told them that
paying the artist a license fee for its one time use is appropriate. I will
be promoting your art by featuring the contest entries at our "T-shirt Art
Harvest Festival" on September 29-30. This event is included in the listing
of events for Chicago's "Unity Month" that is printed and distributed around
Chicago during September. Your art work will continue to be seen as long as
you wish it to be.

COMING SOON

We will publish the testimony of judges and announce the top five designs
selected. Below are all the designs selected by judges as finalists.

MADE THE FIRST FINALIST LIST

Jeffrey Szeto - Unity
Jeffrey Szeto - The Human Race
Willie Nelson - Increase the Peace
Rui Bernardini Azenha - Tolerance between Cultures
Pat Apt - All the Same Under the Skin
Carlos N. Molina - DWB - Driving While Black or Brown
Shannon Burns - Precious in His Sight
Jason Bowman - Death to Racism
Katrina Joyner - Mother's Child
Charlene Teters - Mis-Education
Francis Yellow - Oppressors Bite the Dust
Robert Wapahi - Not Enough
Tim Jackson - Media Take
Kaminelana Cheatem - Black, Red and Proud
Ellen Papciak-Rose - One World
Carlos Cortez - Chicago Sings in Many Voices
Jesanmichael - Ourface
Mat Heugly - Untitled
Andrey Gubin - Why

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