Art Patch Project Debut
Art Patch Project Exhibit on Foot - Photo by C Drew
We just reached over 100 designs. The Art Patch Project exhibit is ready for its first adventure showing at the Art, Access and Action - the Critical Encounter Art and Media Summit at Columbia College, April 8-9, 2010.
CTA Bus to Michigan Avenue - destination Columbia College
Together, I and Robert Wapahi, veteran visual artist, musician, storyteller, art hauler when needed, we ride the 148 Express Bus to the Loop carrying the Art Patch Project exhibit and screen print demo to its destination.
Loosely packaged portable art-patch exhibit. Photo by C Drew
He arrived well before me at the American Indian Center. He is an early bird and I am nocturnal waking late. His solution to the exhibit is a canvas with handles folded around the exhibit panels. It worked well. Our easels of 1×2 wood is the most awkward part of our load.
Wooden Easels in painted laundry bag - moving the art! Photo by C Drew
Robert brought a huge laundry bag for the easels. At Monroe and Michigan we switched to a bus going all the way to Roosevelt Road. From therw we hoofed it against the wind. I had my leather bag, a plastic grocery bag with the T-shirts and the exhibit panels in Roberts canvas panel hauler.
I setup the exhibit at the Conaway Center and printed my first art-patch. Photo by C Drew
Net Neutrality is an issue too few people know about and less understand well. It is the key to maintaining access for the many to compete side by side big money corporations on a level playing field. Some corporations want to muscle the public out of a fast lane and maintain it for themselves like they did the airwaves with TV and radio 50 and 100 years ago. Educate each other for our freedom - each one teach one what this is about!
Wabash Avenue by C Drew
I printed all day long and gave away art-patches. My “Bicycle Love” screen is in bad shape. It needs to be remade. It was used in public many times and sometimes was not wash soon enough. Specks of old ink create a faded-speckled image. In the evening I caught the “L” Train home.
I printed all day long and gave away art-patches.
In the morning I stopped by the Screen Print Workshop to pick up different screens to print. I arrived at 10:30 to find all the activity up on the 8th floor. I met Eric Scholl one of the principal organizers and suggested I bring the exhibit up to the gathering space on the 8th floor. In 10 minutes I moved the exhibit up to the 8th floor, displayed it and found the free coffee.
Less Hate - More Love by Likalee Tamay
This day promised to be important – but how …. why…. who would I meet? I meet Karen Ford who gave a very important presentation on why we need a Federal “Shield Law” to protect citizen journalists from intimidation and imprisonment for protecting their sources. If people can’t tell you the truth you can’t report it. If the big newspapers can’t protect themselves from the government you can’t. Don’t think it’s important. What if they want your video of the peace march to identify marchers. Now you work for them. What if they want the name of the whistle blower so now nobody wants to talk.
Carlos Cortez woodcut printed by screen printing on cotton
The shield law would supplement the First Amendment right of the press – now days that is you if you’re posting your writing, photos or video on the Internet. I spent my day printing and telling others about our struggle to change the peddlers license law and how the City is charging me with a 1st class felony for eavesdropping on a policeman arresting me for selling art for $1 on State street – a misdemeanor.
A work contemplates by Carlos Cortez
Whenever you strike out to fight for freedom you discover the enemies of freedom and the methods government officials use to deny you your freedom. In my case, I set-out to test the peddlers license law. In Illinois one law that is used to protect the state and local police from evidence of abuse or wrong doing is the unconstitutional Illinois eavesdropping law. Even though the State of Illinois and City of Chicago video and audio record police officers on duty, even though the conversation of a police officer arresting you is not a private conversation worthy of protection and even though you have the need to be able to record their conversation to bring evidence to the court and the public of how well police, public servants, are doing their jobs, the State of Illinois has made it a 1st class felony for you to audio-record the policeman arresting you.
Chazzie's jazzy MLK
The Featured speaker – Greg Palast – was interviewed by Chuck Mertz from the “This is Hell” radio show on WNUR. Mr. Palast is a guerrilla journalist unafraid of speaking truth to power. His talk was frank, humorous and insightful. Of great importance was the revelation that major U.S. Corporate media refused to tell the American people about the proven illegal voter disenfranchisement in Florida and other critical states in 2000, 2004 and 2008. Our democracy is in trouble from many directions at once. We need to protect our First Amendment rights and advance our freedom. We need to fight for freedom at home!
another print of Less Hate - More Love by Likalee Tamay
At the end of his talk during the question and answer session I told Greg about my case, how I was arrested for misdemeanor violations of the peddlers license and later that evening charged with a 1st class felony for eavesdropping on my arresting officer. “This is your right to collect information on your public officials,” I told the audience. “The Tribune and the Suntimes have yet to write about this even though I am fighting for their rights, too. But it is you the police will target with this law, not the corporate media.”
Greg Palast’s response was “This man is on a cross for you - support him”
