- See more at: http://blogtimenow.com/blogging/automatically-redirect-blogger-blog-another-blog-website/#sthash.Q6qPkwFC.dpuf Protest Over Controversial Art Piece Fizzles | Bronx News Networkbronx

Friday, July 31, 2009

Protest Over Controversial Art Piece Fizzles

When Bronx artist Melissa Calderon created a giant gold-painted bamboo earring, with the word "Spic" in huge letters across it, she never thought it would generate so much attention.

But her piece, now part of the Bronx Museum of Art's Living and Dreaming exhibition, which concludes the competitive Artist in the Marketplace Program (with its focus on issues of identity, culture, gender and race) drew anonymous protests from the community over the use of the word "Spic."

According to fliers that had been posted around the museum, a rally had been set for yesterday at noon, while Calderon was away teaching an arts program in Maine. The fliers called the artwork racist.

After hearing about the event, Calderon had awaited the date nervously for two weeks, her friends said. But when the time came to gather in front of the Bronx Museum of Art at 1040 Grand Concourse, no one but her two artist friends showed up.

"I came to support my friend who I thought was being isolated as a racist, which couldn't be further from the truth," said Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, Calderon's friend and an artist who has also shown work at the museum.

Calderon's work, mentioned in Time Out New York this week, was meant to resemble a popular style earring that made it big within the Latino community--often as more of a status symbol, and costing over hundreds of dollars if authentically engraved with a person's name.

Edwin Gonzalez, a fellow artist who leads tours for children at the museum who was also there, said he believed the word doesn't hold the same meaning anymore. In some cases, he said, younger generations may not even use the word, and in other circumstances, those more attune to art might not have misunderstood the concept.

"I can appreciate the humor in Melissa's piece because I kinda have that similar sense of humor and sensibility," Gonzalez said. "To me, it was obvious it was a joke, when you look at it, it's just this big earring; whose going to take that seriously?"

And while the two may have been slightly relieved they wouldn't have to bear the brunt of claims against Calderon, both agreed a bigger discussion was to be had about what the word means.

"Because of the nature of what we do (as artists) we are kind of on the outside looking in--even though we have inside information about being Latino--so it's like we have two different views," Raimuni-Ortiz said. "For something like this to be called out, I wanted to see who it was doing it, but also have a conversation about why they were [upset]."

What do you think about the word "Spic"? Should it be used it in artwork? Let us know in the comments thread.

1 comment:

  1. Of course the word "Spic" was fine to use.
    FIRST of all it was a Latin artist that created it so if it were a non-Latino who did it- that would be an entirely different situation.
    SECONDLY, anyone who is of Latino ethnicity like myself I completely understand the humor in the piece... Latinas in the 80's living in the metropolitan areas (as well as other ethnic groups I would like to note) wore these expensive earrings cuz it was a cool trend at the time.
    Of course with all the resurgence in 80's culture, what this earring represents to the generation that were in diapers back then and the generation that was telling us what to do cannot possibly understand the tongue n cheek humor that Ms. Calderon's piece represents to the generation that wore them or not.
    LASTLY, although I have not been to the Bronx Museum to view the work, I have seen it in the artist's apt during one of her soirees and when I laid eyes on it, I smiled and thought, "oh yeah, I get it" and told Ms. Calderon that this piece was dope (eighties vernacular that most likely changed in meaning to those not from that time...it's the equivalent to groovy or that's hot.)
    BUT I would like to see HOW THE EXHIBITION WAS CURATED (I intend to) and if there was any information regarding the piece being offered or displayed. This cannot be another elephant dung on the Black Madonna incident (google it)!!!

    ReplyDelete

Bronx News Network reserves the right to remove comments that include personal attacks, name calling, foul language, commercial advertisements, spam, or any language that might be considered threatening, libelous or inciting hate.

User comments are reviewed by BxNN staff and may be included or excluded at our discretion.

If what you have to say is unrelated to this particular post, please visit our readers' forum.