A few days ago writer, teacher, and curator Bert Stabler posted to the gochgo list a link to a video document of the remarkable Piñata Factory project, which he, his public school students, and many others helped make happen. Mike Bancroft initiated the project. You especially gotta love the broad daylight stealth 'Streets & San' truck deliveries. Equal parts service work, social activism, anti-authoritarian provocation, and classroom student art project, Piñata Factory inspires. Check it out on Current.
Back in the run up to the Iraq War in late 2002, and then after Bush ordered the attack in March of 2003, I worked with a grassroots neighborhood antiwar group called the Hyde Park Committee Against War & Racism. This group had been working at a local level since the week following September 11, 2001. I and about a dozen or more others started attending meetings regularly beginning in late 2002, driven to action and togetherness by the dismay and outrage over the impending war. Together with others in the group who were somehow art-identified, one of the ways I contributed was to help make signs and posters. It seemed entirely reasonable to expect that the artists take on this responsibility. In grassroots activist groups, all competencies are made available to the needs of the group. But what we, the art people in the group, didn't do then was seriously critique and evaluate of our creations, or, for that matter anybody else's, apart from the casual gripes or plaudits when seeing a political graphic that somehow catches attention.
HPCAWR is for all practical purposes history. There is a Yahoo Groups mailing list but not much else. Nonetheless, some of us who first met and worked together then continue to find ways to occasionally share work and ideas. One of my comrades from that time is Amy Partridge, and it was with her that Laurie Jo Reynolds and I kicked off the evening's discussion last Saturday night at Mess Hall. For Amy and I, it was what we didn't do earlier: make time to focus on the operations of political graphics. In the sense of this event capping a process of creation we had begun back then, and that we always were aware of as an exercise in modeling a form of activism, it was a nice way to close a circle.
Of course, it is six years later, and the political situation is very different. The issues in our minds and hearts are more dispersed, and range across many specific causes. Our starting point for the evening was the Just Seeds Ten Years of Critical Resistance portfolio, a suite of prints all addressing prison-related issues. From there we turned attentions to graphics created for the Tamms Year Ten campaign, also on display. The twenty or so people who joined us contributed many useful and sometimes brilliant insights. We went for a solid two hours, with a nice break for pizza and socializing in between two sessions of focused conversation.
When Aaron Hughes and a crew of vets from IVAW dropped in for the second half the circle was completed in another way. The question of political graphics in relation to the Iraq War resurfaced.
Tamms Year Ten activity continues, and will until that place is shut down. Here is their news update, reposted. I'm helping with an event at Mess Hall this Saturday. See #5 below!
1. NEW ENDORSER2. TAMMS SUPERMAX REFORM BILL3. SURVEY TO REP. JULIE HAMOS4. FACEBOOK PLEA5. POLITICAL ART CRITIQUE AND DISCUSSION--Saturday, February 76. PRISONER LETTER-WRITING and WORK PARTY--Sunday, February 87. OVERVIEW OF FEBRUARY EVENTS--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--1. NEW ENDORSER--llinoisVictims.orgTamms Year Ten is honored to add IllinoisVictims.org to our list of endorsers. Thanks so much to Jennifer Bishop Jenkins, who is the National Program Director for Victims and Survivors for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Her tremendous advocacy on behalf of victims, and her work for the human rights of prisoners and against the death penalty, has inspired all of us.--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--2. TAMMS SUPERMAX REFORM BILL--this weekAs you all know, our bill had 22 co-sponsors in the Illinois House of Representatives last session, and we had 2 legislative roundtable discussions about it, but we ran out of time in the last session to get it to the floor for a vote. Now, we are amending it and getting ready to send it back out. Thank you to our bill sponsor Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) for her commitment to this issue and for so much hard work. Rep. Hamos is an amazing elected official--we are so impressed--and she is running for Attorney General in 2010!--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--3. SURVEY TO REP. JULIE HAMOS--fill it outOur bill sponsor, Rep. Julie Hamos, wants to hear from you before she goes to Governor Quinn with a list of urgent priorities. If you care about the prisoners at Tamms and in the rest of Illinois, please fill out her survey. It will take you one minute, and you can give Rep. Julie Hamos and Governor Quinn a mandate from the people to overhaul our criminal justice system and reform, convert, or close Tamms supermax. You could also mention new trials for Burge tortured, opportunities for programming and rehabilitation to current Illinois prisoners, fair and speedy reviews for C# prisoners, and abolition of the death penalty.Or, go to www.JulieHamos.org and look under the tab that says "Get Involved."--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--4. FACEBOOK PLEA--join and spread the networkHey, we are initiating a push to make a much bigger presence on Facebook. If you are a popular Facebook figure, this could be the perfect TY10 job for you. Please lend us your friends and connections--we need everyone to join us in this super drive so we can reach our goal of 2860 friends by March 9. If anyone can help to build our presence on the facebook site (adding content, video, photos), please let us know. This will help us get people to events AND eventually raise some money. We are working on becoming a CAUSE, and then all our new friends can donate to the CAUSE! This is one step in figuring out how to cover the cost of a Lobby Day trip, and the many other expenses incurred by a frugal but very active campaign. We have about 77 friends--let's see how far we can get in just a couple days if you join right now and invite your friends!Go to http://www.facebook.com and join the group Tamms Year Ten--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--5. POLITICAL ART CRITIQUE AND DISCUSSION--Saturday, February 7 at 6:30pm at Mess HallPoster Critique + Discussion of Visual Strategies for Resisting the Prison Industrial Complex with Dan S. Wang & Laurie Jo ReynoldsTamms Year Ten is hosting an open discussion of the prints in the Justseeds poster portfolio--each which critiques the "prison industrial complex." Let's talk about which images are effective for you--and use this as a basis for considering the visual and rhetorical strategies in the movement. We want to learn from the decisions made by these artists, and then we want to work with you to consider the very real representational problems we face as a movement!How do we depict the experience of long-term isolation? Or communicate the experience of long-term incarceration?What visual language will help us to imagine the abolition of prisons? To urge rehabilitation over punishment?Can commonly used motifs—fists through prison bars / broken chains / doves / barbed wire / slave ships / prison stripes—still work? Are new metaphors required?We'll be talking about prison-related issues, but we hope that this event will be of interest to all artist-activists bedeviled and/or charmed by the problem of producing movement art which translates our political passions into visual form, renders visible the (often unacknowledged) problems of the present, and/or serves as an irresistible invitation to join us in our efforts to get free. We also invite you to bring other anti-prison movement ephemera (t-shirts, posters, stickers) for discussion!--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--6. PRISONER LETTER-WRITING and WORK PARTY--Sunday, February 8 at 2pm at People's Law OfficeAt this work meeting, you can respond to letters OR fulfill satisfying work tasks OR meet in sub-committees. It is all happening at the same time at the same place. Brief meeting at the beginning and then we will find a task for you. But, it is social too, so feel free to bring food and beverage. Work party + potluck= workluck. No, you don't need to stay the whole time!--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--7. OVERVIEW OF FEBRUARY EVENTSSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 6:30pm-9pm (critique starts at 7pm--come early to see the posters)Poster Critique + Discussion of Visual Strategies for Resisting the Prison Industrial Complex with Dan S. Wang & Laurie Jo ReynoldsMess Hall, 6932 North Glenwood Ave, Chicago IL 60608(on the red line, near the Morse stop)Tamms Year Ten is hosting an open discussion of the prints in the Justseeds poster portfolio--each which critiques the "prison industrial complex." Let's talk about which images are effective for you--and use this as a basis for considering the visual and rhetorical strategies in the movement. Feel free to bring and/or enjoy food and drink.SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2pm-5pmTamms Year Ten Campaign letter-writing to prisoners and "workluck"People's Law1180 N. Milwaukee, Chicago IL 60622(at the Ashland/Division/Milwaukee intersection, on the blue line, near the Division stop, and near 90/94)Come respond to letters to current Tamms prisoners OR help with one of our work projects.SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 7pmThe Chicago Unlympic Games: Emotional Games: "Torture Breaks My Heart"No Coast1500 W 17th Street, Chicago IL, 60608(in Pilsen, a block east of Ashland)InCUBATE and person-in-residence Anne Elizabeth Moore, on behalf of the Unlympic Organizing Committee, present this special event "Torture Breaks My Heart" sponsored by Tamms Year Ten and the Campaign to End the Death Penalty featuring motivational speeches and solitary confinement games. We are highlighting the human rights abuses in Illinois as we consider the Olympic Games coming to our town. Competitors and spectators will be offered the opportunity to send Valentines to prisoners and legislators.FRIDAY to SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13-15Screenings and discussions of the San Francisco 8 featuring "Legacy of Torture: The War against the Black Liberation Movement"Eight former Black community activists – Black Panthers and others – were arrested January 23, 2007 in California, New York, and Florida on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Similar charges were thrown out after it was revealed that police used torture to extract confessions when some of these same men were arrested in New Orleans in 1973. From February 13 to 15, several activities in Chicago will feature their case. One of the accused, Francisco Torres; one of the attorneys, Soffiyah Elijah; and a member of the support team, Claude Marks, will bring the documentary Legacy of Torture and talk about the case in the context of the FBI’s infamous COINTELPRO program.Friday February 13* 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Hull House* 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. DePaul University, Student Center/main building, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave.Saturday February 14* 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Center for Inner City Studies, 700 E. Oakwood Blvd., sponsored by Black People Against Police Torture, co-sponsored by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, with Cliff Kelley as moderator* 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Batey Urbano, 2620 W. Division, sponsored by National Boricua Human Rights Network and Tamms Year Ten: 6:00 to 7:00 SF8 presentation, to be introduced by one brief speaker from each of the two sponsors; 7:00 to 9:00 Crime Against Humanity play followed by Q&A to include SF8 speakers.Sunday February 15* 12:00 noon Mess Hall, 6932 N. Glenwood, brunch* 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Trinity United Church of Christ, 400 W. 95th St.WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 6:30-8:00pm“Space Ghost” (26 min, 2007) by Laurie Jo Reynolds + release party for Stateville Speaks Loyola EditionCrown Center Auditorium, Loyola University, Lakeshore CampusHow could an avant-garde video comparing the lives of astronauts and prisoners address the condition of long-term incarceration? Come find out. Also, learn about current prison conditions in Illinois, and hear from Loyola students about producing the January edition of Stateville Speaks, a publication written in collaboration with Illinois prisoners._________________________________
In the age of global warming the Australian Open is emerging as possibly the world's most grueling athletic elimination tournament. Not only do the finalists have to play seven rounds in all, but the temperatures are ungodly. This year, on-court temps reached upwards of 130 F. Factor in the jet lag on top of the wacky scheduling, and we're talking about a two-week long endurance contest. No wonder many of the top players arrive up to four and five weeks before the tournament, and before then train in hot weather places. The conditions make the mental part of the game that much more important, and revealing.
I watched Serena Williams play Svetlana Kuznetsova in a quarterfinal. Kuznetsova had Serena, but choked. She was within three points of the match when Serena came back to take the second set and then the third. Kuznetsova went soft, moderating both pace and angle on her shots. Serena sensed the crack and wrenched it open. The ESPN commentators made much of Kuznetsova's mental weakness. Bud Collins went as far as saying that Kuznetsova felt the pressure around her neck. By contrast, the commentators also made much of Serena's mastery of her nerves, and her renowned ability to step up her game exactly when the pressure increases. At one point one of the commentators described how Serena sometimes focuses her mind before play by closing her eyes and slowly pacing the backcourt, blindly, for up to a minute.
Those comments made me wonder, is the war of nerves partly why tennis and golf are the traditional sports of the wealthy white elite? That the two popular sports (as opposed to obscure, ie polo, etc) most associated with nerves also happen to be the two that white people have traditionally dominated? It makes sense if you consider that the strength of nerves is a highly valued, highly rewarded characteristic in the world of the power elite, and that the power elite is (or was) basically white in make-up (think Carnegie and Frick).
So, to see a Tiger Woods absolutely dominate a field of 95% white competitors in a sport/game that rewards ultra-high pressure performance--and for him to do it with those break-left/break-right/break-left putts on crucial holes--um, is it a stretch to say that he helped prepare American people for a pressure-loving Obama? I mean, did those amazing performances--which, incredibly, at some point a few years ago began to feel almost routine--to actually have enough confidence in a black politician to vote him into the land's highest office?
It might be. It might not be.
