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Volunteer for Freedom 5/19/09

Filed under:Free Speech Arts Community Newsletter — posted by cdrew on May 24, 2009 @ 1:19 am

Hello Free Speech Artists’ Movement People,

Merchandise Mart Security Guards Watch C. Drew outside Artropolis

Merchandise Mart Security Guards Watch C. Drew outside Artropolis

On Mother’s Day the volunteers on the left helped to tear and cut cotton sheets into patches for the Patch Art Project.
I am back from visiting my 90 year-old mother who just celebrated her birthday (1919). May she live to be 100 or more.
She wishes us luck and fun effort in gaining full freedom for artists in Chicago.
This Sunday we will print and prepare patches for our next ART-ACTION at the coming Critical Mass ride that meets at Daley Plaza at 5:00 on May 29. We are still light on volunteers. Reply to this e-mail if you can help or just come to the American Indian Center at 1630 W. Wilson this Sunday from 3-6pm.
The City Council is considering taking even more speech rights away from Chicago’s street musicians.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1575277,CST-NWS-music15.article
We need to build bridges with the musicians who are fighting for their speech rights in Chicago. It is the same fight but they hang us separately.
In New York members of A.R.T.I.S.T. are waging a strong response to an attempt there to take their rights they won away. They have built a strong organization and are fully able to take on the enormous power and money of the New York Times and ALL their wealthy allies.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists
They are a fine example of what determined artists are capable of. You can be that powerful too. When you decide to defend your speech rights in America you have a friend in the First Amendment. When you do not care you have no more power than a mouse. The decision is yours. Roar or weep.
E-mail us a new design today for the patch art project in a 300 dpi graphic file include your website or e-mail, your name, your design’s title and we will promote your art and your contact info in the Patch Art Project. You can help win-win-win-win. Win by promoting your art. Win by fighting for your freedom to sell you art on the street. Win by creating open-air art-scenes in Chicago. Win by increasing art awareness. Win-win-win-win….
EDUCATE YOURSELF WITH THESE LINKS
http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech.htm
*We made it in the Reader.
* View the article (link below)
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/thebusiness/080724/ *Good site for artists’ rights overview *

http://www.ncac.org/action_issues/Public_Spaces.cfm
which leads you to New York’s precedent setting case - Artists win.

*East Coast Case:* BERY v. CITY OF NEW YORK, 97 F.3d 689 (2nd Cir. 1996)

http://www.ncac.org/art-law/op-bery.cfm

*West Coast Case:* Perry v. Los Angles Police Dept,, 121 F3d 1368 (9th Cir 1997)

http://www.buskersadvocates.org/saalegalCtPerryappeal.html Artist wins.

*Nevada Case:* Steven White v. City of Sparks (Nevada) Artist wins.
In /White v. City of Sparks/, painter Steven White challenged the
constitutionality of a city ordinance that required him to obtain a permit
before selling his paintings in public parks.

http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech-movement/white-v-city-of-sparks-opinion.pdf

*Florida law suit won by artist* - Celli v. City of St. Augustine, Florida - decided 2000. Since this time artists in St. Augustine have allowed the City to pass new restrictive laws without response and have lost some of their First Amendment rights. However, the court case Celli won is still a valid precedent for us to use as needed. Eternal vigilance is needed to maintain your speech rights because powerful interests are ever ready to pass new local laws that impact your rights. You need only read into the many messages of the second link below to learn how New York City artists have resisted the attempts to take their rights and, thereby, their livelihoods away. The same tricks may be used by our opposition. Whooh - look for new news from Florida. Artists there have taken the fight further and have won a second ruling. If you fight you win. If you do not they kick you around!

Weinberg v. City of Chicago (when all the National Sports Leagues joined with the City to appeal and lost when the Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal.) Weinberg - the Chicago author - won.
http://www.ahcuah.com/lawsuit/federal/weinberg1.htm

*NY Artist and Organizer* - Robert Lederman, president of A.R.T.I.S.T.,
or Artists’ Response to Illegal State Tactics – This Yahoo Groups page links to ten years of messages about all the New York City actions and court cases over the years.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/

NYC Street Artist Freedom Videos
Check out these videos about how NYC artists won our rights in NYC see:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=artistpres

The Free Speech Fight in NYC is the Same Fight in Chicago

Filed under:Free Speech Arts Community Newsletter — posted by cdrew on @ 1:16 am

Merchandise Mart Security Guards Watch Over C. Drew

Merchandise Mart Security Guards Watch Over C. Drew

This is a short note to inform you of developments in the fight by New York City artists to maintain their speech rights to sell art on the streets and in the parks.

If you want to know what freedom looks like study A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists Response To Illegal State Tactics) actions to defend their rights. You will not find any reports of their fight in any national media or anywhere else but on their yahoo groups pages.
If you want to be part of our future leadership to gain our speech rights in Chicago you need to follow their actions, read their letters and study their tactics. Their fight is our fight. This is a national issue. If they should ever fail, free speech for artists in this nation will have no place to look to for comparison.
Here is a link to their yahoo groups page.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/
Here is a link to Robert Lederman’s latest message.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/message/1518
The BID’s Mr. Lederman refers to are the Business Improvement Districts that represent the wishes of the corporate interests - the major landowners who attempt to write all the rules. They feel they own the streets and parks which belong to the public. Let me give you an example of this in Chicago. The photo above is from my Art-Action printing and giving away patch-art in front of the Merchandise Mart on Saturday during Artropolis - the major annual weekend art convention hosted by the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. One of the two security guards for the “Mart” pictured in the background trying to figure out what to do about me said when I first began to setup, “I don’t think the company is going to let you do that.”
Naturally, he was referring to the Merchandise Mart, his employer. I said, “I’m on the public sidewalk. Your company does not own the public sidewalk. Call the police if you wish.”
My point is if you know who calls the police, you know who writes the laws that take your rights away. The owners of the Merchandise Mart and the others who own buildings in the Loop represent our “BIDs” in Chicago. With this knowledge you are ready to read Mr. Lederman’s letters to NYC artists and understand how their fight is the same as our fight.
A.R.T.I.S.T. members came out in a heavy rain to defend their speech rights. We have some building to do in Chicago to gain our speech rights. Let’s start by making the Patch Art Project fun for artists and the public while promoting the artists who contribute to designs to be printed and given away in public.
We need more of you to take our Sunday workshop more seriously and we need to build a solid core leadership through this summer’s actions. Expect another letter - hopefully this week - detailing my Artropolis experience. Thanks to all who helped distribute fliers and patches this last weekend.
Enjoy.

c drew

Critical Mass 101

Filed under:Free Speech Arts Community Newsletter — posted by cdrew on @ 1:12 am

Jenaba, Poala and Will at Critical Mass April 2009

Jenaba, Poala and Will at Critical Mass April 2009

The Free Speech Artists’ Movement hit the streets during Critical Mass for the April 24th ride with volunteers performing the Patch Art Project to organize region-wide awareness that artists do not have their full speech rights to sell their art in Chicago.

Pictured are Jeneba, Will and Paola. Likalee Tamay took this photo for us. See more photos on our blog at c-drew.com/blog. We intend to ride in every Critical Mass this season passing out fliers and patches and collecting e-mail addresses of those who are friendly to the cause of free-speech and artists’ rights. These are our “New Age Freedom Rides” to gain our rights and make Chicago more friendly to artists.
On our rides we do not have to worry about angry mobs or violent bigots. Yet, we are working for basic rights that are denied us. The fact that our quest is fun at this point in our movement should not lead us to think it is less important. Speech is the foundation of democracy and the fact that Chicago is a corrupted democracy in the way it operates is related to the low quality of our freedom of speech experienced in this City.
Our next Patch Art Project is Artropolis. Artists - join us at the Merchandise Mart to give away patch-art this coming weekend. Who wants to print and give art away during Artopolis - Chicago’s most expensive and expansive annual art event in which most local artists can not afford to participate. Much of the public can’t afford to even attend Artropolis. Of those who find a way into it, the art they see is likely priced beyond their means in order to pay for the high cost of a booth and because so many local artists are excluded. It is exclusive not inclusive. Have some fun. Join us on the street. Let’s create an art scene outside. Ha-ha….
EDUCATE YOURSELF WITH THESE LINKS
http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech.htm
*We made it in the Reader.
* View the article (link below)
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/thebusiness/080724/ *Good site for artists’ rights overview *

http://www.ncac.org/action_issues/Public_Spaces.cfm
which leads you to New York’s precedent setting case - Artists win.

*East Coast Case:* BERY v. CITY OF NEW YORK, 97 F.3d 689 (2nd Cir. 1996)

http://www.ncac.org/art-law/op-bery.cfm

*West Coast Case:* Perry v. Los Angles Police Dept,, 121 F3d 1368 (9th Cir 1997)

http://www.buskersadvocates.org/saalegalCtPerryappeal.html Artist wins.

*Nevada Case:* Steven White v. City of Sparks (Nevada) Artist wins.
In /White v. City of Sparks/, painter Steven White challenged the
constitutionality of a city ordinance that required him to obtain a permit
before selling his paintings in public parks.

http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech-movement/white-v-city-of-sparks-opinion.pdf

*Florida law suit won by artist* - Celli v. City of St. Augustine, Florida - decided 2000. Since this time artists in St. Augustine have allowed the City to pass new restrictive laws without response and have lost some of their First Amendment rights. However, the court case Celli won is still a valid precedent for us to use as needed. Eternal vigilance is needed to maintain your speech rights because powerful interests are ever ready to pass new local laws that impact your rights. You need only read into the many messages of the second link below to learn how New York City artists have resisted the attempts to take their rights and, thereby, their livelihoods away. The same tricks may be used by our opposition.

Weinberg v. City of Chicago (when all the National Sports Leagues joined with the City to appeal and lost when the Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal.) Weinberg - the Chicago author - won.
http://www.ahcuah.com/lawsuit/federal/weinberg1.htm

*NY Artist and Organizer* - Robert Lederman, president of A.R.T.I.S.T.,
or Artists’ Response to Illegal State Tactics – This Yahoo Groups page links to ten years of messages about all the New York City actions and court cases over the years.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/

NYC Street Artist Freedom Videos
Check out these videos about how NYC artists won our rights in NYC see:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=artistpres

Critical Mass and Artropolis - Art Actions Coming at Cha-ha-hah! 4/22/09

Filed under:Free Speech Arts Community Newsletter — posted by cdrew on @ 1:08 am

Sundance II by Monica Brown

Sundance II by Monica Brown

I had fun printing Monica Brown’s design entitled Sundance II at our Workshop Sunday.

Volunteers will be wearing Free Speech Artists’ Movement t-shirts and skirts (for the ladies) at the Critical Mass ride on Friday, 4/24. They are passing out patch-art and collecting contact info from those expressing support for artists’ speech rights in Chicago. This is our push to encourage new volunteers to join us. We have lots of work to do from printing patch-art to passing out free patch-art. Our screens of patch-art are growing in number. The volunteers we sign up from this event will be needed to print them for future events. The artists we meet will be invited to submit their art for patch-art designs.

We expect to get a sizable list of petition signatures and will need a volunteer to put input their names and contact information into a spreadsheet file.

The next weekend Artropolis and May Day activities will be exploding around us. As the weather permits I will be printing patches all weekend outside Artropolis. Do you want to help? Volunteers to print in public at Artropolis and other events are requested. We have kits for volunteers who have studied at our workshop and new comers can help support them. This Sunday, 4/26, from 3-6pm we will be planning those art-actions. Get in on the excitement of making change in Chicago using the art as our method. Email me at umcac@art-teez.org with “Volunteer” in the subject line if you can help.

My blog post explains the need for those of you who care to be leaders in this Free Speech Artists’ Movement. What I can do is limited. Those of us who hone our speech into art have been marginalized from Chicago’s public spaces by design. Now we are using our designs to gain our speech rights back. Get involved. Have fun. Earn your speech rights. You deserve them. Slowly and surely we will create the awareness needed to prevail. Put the public back in the public space of Chicago.
EDUCATE YOURSELF WITH THESE LINKS
http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech.htm
*We made it in the Reader.
* View the article (link below)
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/thebusiness/080724/ *Good site for artists’ rights overview *

http://www.ncac.org/action_issues/Public_Spaces.cfm
which leads you to New York’s precedent setting case - Artists win.

*East Coast Case:* BERY v. CITY OF NEW YORK, 97 F.3d 689 (2nd Cir. 1996)

http://www.ncac.org/art-law/op-bery.cfm

*West Coast Case:* Perry v. Los Angles Police Dept,, 121 F3d 1368 (9th Cir 1997)

http://www.buskersadvocates.org/saalegalCtPerryappeal.html Artist wins.

*Nevada Case:* Steven White v. City of Sparks (Nevada) Artist wins.
In /White v. City of Sparks/, painter Steven White challenged the
constitutionality of a city ordinance that required him to obtain a permit
before selling his paintings in public parks.

http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech-movement/white-v-city-of-sparks-opinion.pdf

*Florida law suit won by artist* - Celli v. City of St. Augustine, Florida - decided 2000. Since this time artists in St. Augustine have allowed the City to pass new restrictive laws without response and have lost some of their First Amendment rights. However, the court case Celli won is still a valid precedent for us to use as needed. Eternal vigilance is needed to maintain your speech rights because powerful interests are ever ready to pass new local laws that impact your rights. You need only read into the many messages of the second link below to learn how New York City artists have resisted the attempts to take their rights and, thereby, their livelihoods away. The same tricks may be used by our opposition.

Weinberg v. City of Chicago (when all the National Sports Leagues joined with the City to appeal and lost when the Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal.) Weinberg - the Chicago author - won.
http://www.ahcuah.com/lawsuit/federal/weinberg1.htm

*NY Artist and Organizer* - Robert Lederman, president of A.R.T.I.S.T.,
or Artists’ Response to Illegal State Tactics – This Yahoo Groups page links to ten years of messages about all the New York City actions and court cases over the years.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/

NYC Street Artist Freedom Videos
Check out these videos about how NYC artists won our rights in NYC see:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=artistpres

Reader Article Announced 4/13/09

Filed under:Free Speech Arts Community Newsletter — posted by cdrew on @ 12:08 am

C Drew Printing in Front of Artropolis

C Drew Printing in Front of Artropolis

We made it in the Reader. View the article (link below)
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/thebusiness/080724/
Act now for artists’ jobs and freedom. Link to our on-line petition.
http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech-movement/expand-creative-chicago-petition.htm
Deanna Isaacs of the reader told the truth eloquently. You can’t find artists working in Chicago in the public, yet. You will not see artists in public until we do something about it. Luckily, you can do something.
PETITION – PETITION – PETITION.
LINK – LINK – LINK.
LEARN & WRITE.
Our response was great for our first email. It is good to build slowly and firmly. Follow our/your free speech artist movement activity at
http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech.htm
and on my blog at
http://www.c-drew.com
If you are pressed for time or unsure about your ability to converse on your first amendment rights – read my blog. In my real stories about selling on the street in Chicago I will write about my opinions of how our laws work and how the authorities try to play us. Please comment on my blog posts. I will point you to places to follow up if you wish to form a solid personal knowledge on your speech rights in Chicago and America. I also explain how these laws affect real artists trying to make it in Chicago. I know you care, so it is my job to learn how to organize those on this list in a way that fits your particular every-day struggle. You can help me by letting me know how you might like to help or by giving us a suggestion, friendly critiques or complements by e-mail. We can talk!
Help build the discussion and our list of supporters to change Chicago. Everyone on this list knows one person who would benefit from artists being able to sell their work in art scenes that are maintained and promoted collectively by artists regularly gathering in open-air art scenes where they do and sell their work in public.
Send this letter with a short introduction to a friend and ask them to sign our on-line petition.
http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech-movement/expand-creative-chicago-petition.htm

Volunteer Opportunities Section

Educate yourself on First Amendment and the way our courts have interpreted it.
Keep a copy of our petition on you and invite friends to sign it.
http://art-teez.org/free-speech-movement/petition-to-sue-chicago.pdf
Write to or on any blog about your opinions of the meaning of freedom, your speech rights in the public way, or open-air artists’ markets (art scenes) and include a link to us. Send us an email telling us you did it so we can link back to those sites which support us.
Add an on-line activity that volunteers can do to support our cause so we can include it in our next email to our network.
RESPOND * RESPOND * RESPOND * THANK YOU
Sincerely,
Chris Drew
Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center
Free Speech Artists’ Movement


image: detail of installation by Bronwyn Lace