73rd and Lowe, Englewood, Chicago; August, 12th 1963.
Photo Credit: Gordon Quinn and Jerry Temamer of the Chicago Tribune.
Bernie Sanders was arrested for resisting arrest during a public-school segregation protest on
August 12th, 1963, at age 21. He was protesting in response to the Chicago school board putting black students from overcrowded schools into trailer classrooms to avoid moving them to adjacent underutilized white schools. Martin Luther King was inspired to come to Chicago in 1966, which was the first northern expansion of his protests in the south, because of the success of Chicago’s school desegregation demonstrations in 1963-1965. Senator Bernie Sanders was arrested within a summer when one hundred and fifty-nine other protestors were also arrested, but only four were fined, including Sanders. The penalty was $25, which equates to $202.73 today. He was one of the few signaled out because he acted in a position of
leadership, instigating the protests. This took place at 73rd and Lowe in Englewood, Chicago. Photo credit goes to cameramen Gordon Quinn and Jerry Temamer of Kartemquin Films.
Photo Credit: Gordon Quinn and Jerry Temamer of the Chicago Tribune.
Bernie Sanders was arrested for resisting arrest during a public-school segregation protest on
August 12th, 1963, at age 21. He was protesting in response to the Chicago school board putting black students from overcrowded schools into trailer classrooms to avoid moving them to adjacent underutilized white schools. Martin Luther King was inspired to come to Chicago in 1966, which was the first northern expansion of his protests in the south, because of the success of Chicago’s school desegregation demonstrations in 1963-1965. Senator Bernie Sanders was arrested within a summer when one hundred and fifty-nine other protestors were also arrested, but only four were fined, including Sanders. The penalty was $25, which equates to $202.73 today. He was one of the few signaled out because he acted in a position of
leadership, instigating the protests. This took place at 73rd and Lowe in Englewood, Chicago. Photo credit goes to cameramen Gordon Quinn and Jerry Temamer of Kartemquin Films.
This happening has inspired my most recent body of work. Utilizing literal gravity as a means of
gestural improvisation while consciously rendering subjects that are overtaken by the illusion of
gravity drives my compositions. When the subject teeters on and off of the edge of the frame
they are teetering on and off of the edge of awareness. Figures rise, float, glide and fall through
space as they traverse in and out of history’s memory. Some stories are never told, instead they
get lost to the void of misinformation. In a similar way, some compositions are never realized.
Having less control over the lines, shapes, and gradients within the spray-painted texture allows
me to create something truly unexpected. Wet pools of paint slide and drip in every direction as
I continue to add more wet pools of paint. Nature takes control and I have learned to trust its
decisions. Over sprays of contrasting hues create optically mixed textures enabling a push and
pull of an illusion of nonobjective atmospheric perspective. Meanwhile I allow my realistically
rendered subjects to push and pull from opacity to transparency as a reflection of their cause.
Academic rendering juxtaposed over spray paint acts as an analogy for combining the old world with the new. I aim to create a sociological reflection of moments in history when someone overcame adversity despite imminent repercussions. Reminding people of the history of success and progress from peaceful protests is important because of the countless societal issues today, along with the wash of misinformation and propaganda. The ever- present pendulum swing of progress vs. reinstitutionalization makes an impact on everyone but when the truth broaches the veil it becomes focused and clear.
Academic rendering juxtaposed over spray paint acts as an analogy for combining the old world with the new. I aim to create a sociological reflection of moments in history when someone overcame adversity despite imminent repercussions. Reminding people of the history of success and progress from peaceful protests is important because of the countless societal issues today, along with the wash of misinformation and propaganda. The ever- present pendulum swing of progress vs. reinstitutionalization makes an impact on everyone but when the truth broaches the veil it becomes focused and clear.
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