CONTENTS
1) Second Open-Air-Flyer-Art Exhibition Series Rant
 
 
 
********** FLYER ART NOTES **********
 
LETTER FROM THE FIELD
Flyer Art vs the Beast
by C Drew

I’m ready. I’ve cut my "Flyer Art" this morning – 40 images from ART-ACT and our 
Screen Print Workshop for Artists - collated so every 40 persons will get a 
different image. The "Purple Line is shooting me south toward the Loop. 

Downtown, people exit leaving the seats empty around me. Off the top of my flyer 
pile, I deal art on to the empty seats. My weekly Flyer Art fun begins. The 
train stops at Jackson Street. There is a pause for several seconds before the 
doors open. When it opens the first person through the door is an African American 
man in his early forties. He swings in with a mission, grabs the Flyer Art by 
Monica Brown, "Sun Dance II", on the seat beneath the window, then turns to move 
to the other end of the car. He sits and studies the flyer’s art. This is a good 
sign. I deal another flyer to the empty seat and prepare to exit at Harrison 
Street stop.

My passing begins as I exit the train station. "Art?" My hand with the next 
piece from my pile is offered to all I can call out to. "Art?"

I wonder if any volunteers will be at Columbia College Café-Gallery. I am on 
time. Those in front of Columbia accept the art offered. Columbia College students 
are more receptive than most. Inside the Café-Gallery I pass out art to everyone 
as I stroll around hunting for volunteers I recognize. None are seen. Not yet!

Outside I pass for another fifteen minutes before walking with the "show" on 
a similar route I took before, Roosevelt University and, this time for the first 
time, the front of the Chicago Institute of Arts. My excitement grows as I think 
about passing out our community art along with the world art from our ART-ACT 
online contest to the "Art Lovers" who are visiting this "internationally 
renowned" cultural institution. Surely they will enjoy our public-art effort 
and get a slice of Chicago with their Museum experience, I think. Life is great.

Into Roosevelt University I duck to see who is around to expose to the Flyer 
Art presentation. The Lobby has a few students from a local junior high school 
class practicing a short dance routine while several chaperones stand in quiet 
conversation with each other. After stuffing a few free newspapers in the lobby, 
I give out Flyer Art to all present including the security guards behind the 
counter watching over the space. Down the staircase come the rest of the students 
on tour. The lobby is full of youth and chatter. I am weaving and swirling around 
to slide art toward whomever. The kids break into small groups. My eyes search for 
the willing individual in each group, that will accept a flyer. Often the others 
follow. "Art?, Art?, Art?…" My question targets individuals or the room as the 
children’s body language accept or rejects my offer. By now the first kids are 
comparing their images. Several come up and ask me for one before I can reach 
them. It takes only a few minutes before all have been offered this Flyer Art 
opportunity. In the end, only one-in-eight or nine refuses. I am out the door 
on my way.

The day is sunny and the chill of the morning is gone. I am sweating dressed 
in a t-shirt, a sweater and with another t-shirt over this. The outer t-shirt 
has six or more artist prints. It and the sweater come off to reveal my 
"America Bless God" design beneath. I take this chance to replenish my flyers 
in hand from my leather side-bag before my arrival at the Arts Institute.

The entire length of the sidewalk, a whole city block, before the Arts Institute, 
is lined by people standing at the curb-side holding upright 6’x3’ photographs 
spaced so car passengers can read the large type. The photographs are of fetus 
at different stages and in gruesome postures. An image of Jesus painted as a 
European is shown and the type reads "Abortion Kills His Children." Their protest 
requires a vehicle to move their images and ten to twenty volunteers to hold them. 
I can carry the Flyer Art for the same number of people in my side-bag and our only 
the cost is printing one color on white paper. 

The anti-abortion volunteers accept my Flyer Art. Some trade their full color 
literature for our one color art. Then, I spy a long line waiting in front of 
the Institute doors, waiting for it to open at 10:30 I climb to the head of the 
line to offer them "Art?" 

The first person shakes his head at me. The second looks straight ahead. 
Another smiles kindly saying "No." Down the line I go, changing the designs 
in hope of a different response. Their gazes avoid me. To a couple standing 
on the lower steps I exclaim, "They are all different." I show them the fanned 
art flyers. They are bored and not even interested. I turn to one lady at the 
bottom and ask, "So if the art is free, it isn’t worth a single glance?" She 
nods "yes" to indicate the Flyer Arts’ value is nothing to her. Acting like a 
single beast the line has rejected me and Flyer-Art. Realizing this, I laugh 
and shout with a wave, "I’m going around back where the art students are - 
you-all don’t GET-IT!"

(to be continued next week)


VOLUNTEER TASKS

1) Meet out in the café/gallery just inside Columbia College at 623 Wabash 
Avenue at 10:00 every Wednesday except when it is rainy to Flyer Art the 
public.

2) Every Wednesday evening meet at the American Indian Center in our Screen 
Print Workshop to inventory t-shirts and other desperately need tasks around 
the workshop.

3) Help build and maintain the Screen Print Workshop every 4th Saturday of 
the month.

4) Co-op policy meeting the last 20 minutes for workshop time every Sunday 
we meet.

; >(|)