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Cultivating the arts in rural communities of the San Joaquin valley
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Cultivating the arts in rural communities of the San Joaquin valley
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CULTIVATING THE ARTS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY by Consuelo E. Velasco A Thesis Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC, ROSKI SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF PUBLIC ART STUDIES December 2008 Copyright 2008 Consuelo E. Velasco ii Dedication To my parents, Alfred and Consuelo Velasco, my sisters, and the San Joaquin Valley. iii Acknowledgements This thesis is just the beginning of what I hope to be an impetus of rural art practices in the San Joaquin Valley and elsewhere. I appreciate all the artists, individuals, and communities that have contributed to this work in progress. This thesis was an immense challenge because there were so many interesting examples to consider, yet a minimal body of resources in existence with which to evaluate them. I would like to thank the many individuals who extended their time, resources and ideas with me. This project would not have been possible without their generosity, and although not everything was included in this document, their input will be put to good use in another form in the future. I am especially grateful to my thesis committee: Anne Bray, Jorge Pardo and Suzanne Lacy for their mentorship and encouragement throughout this endeavor. Their influence has made a lasting imprint on me, and I will undoubtedly continue to pursue this topic. Thank you to the Master of Public Art Studies program at the University of Southern California for an enriched graduate experience with qualified faculty and for providing me with the resources to conduct research abroad in Ireland. I would also like to thank former director, Caryl Levy, current director Joshua Decter and Dean Ruth Weisburg for their unfaltering support and dedication to this field. This program has shaped me and allowed me to pursue my personal and professional interests. A very special thanks to Otis College of Art and Design and the Ford Foundation for providing a unique opportunity for implementing this research by launching a iv campus-wide initiative in partnership with my community. The program, “OTIS Connects: San Joaquin Valley, A partnership with Laton, California” is a new endeavor to develop resources to support the arts to the San Joaquin Valley and will open the door to many more possibilities. 1 Last, but not least, I would like to thank my support network inclusive of my parents and family who have instilled in me the value of giving back. To my mentors, particularly my first art teacher Mr. Don Parkey, who encouraged me to pursue art and Mr. Martin Mares, who opened up a world of possibilities to me and to many young aspiring professionals from the San Joaquin Valley through the Ivy League project. Gracias to all my friends who took the time to read this thesis and give me feedback, your support and willingness to hear me discuss rural art practices has allowed me to grow and share the many interesting art programs going on in rural communities. Thank you to all the readers for reading, writers for writing, poets for poeting and artists for arting. Please enjoy and continue to cultivate the arts! 1 For more information about this initiative please visit: <http//:wikis.otis.edu/sjv>. v Table of Contents Dedication ii Acknowledgements iii List of Figures vi Abstract vii Preface: Local to Global Perspectives of the San Joaquin Valley viii Chapter 1. Introduction: Art and Rural Contexts 1 Chapter 2. Portrait of the San Joaquin Valley as Depicted Through the Arts 4 Regional Background 4 Heritage of Rural Art Practices in the Region 6 Capturing Rural Conditions During the New Deal Era 7 Documentary Photography by Dorothea Lange Farm Worker’s Theater and the Civil Rights Movement 11 Las Dos Caras del Patroncito by El Teatro Campesino Proliferation of Mural Towns as Tourist Industries 15 Exeter, a Festival of the Arts Mural Team Communication and Education Through the Arts 22 Chapter 3. Sampling the Field of Rural Art Practices from USA to Ireland 23 Creating an Ethos of Engagement through Community-Based Art 24 Guadalupe Mural Project by Judy Baca Intergenerational Collaboration and Partnership Building 32 Echo Project by Sara Foust Collective Art Practices Engaging Communities 35 Rural Vernacular by Ground Up III Community-Based Contemporary Art in Rural Contexts 42 Chapter 4. Conclusion: Cultivating the Arts in Rural Communities 43 Bibliography 46 Appendix A. Map of the San Joaquin Valley 50 vi List of Figures Figure 1: Laton, California, source: Google Earth, Digital Globe, 2008. xiii Figure 2: Laton, California (detail), source: Google Earth, Digital Globe, 2008. xiv Figure 3: Downtown Laton, California, photograph, Consuelo Velasco, 1995. xv Figure 4: Mi Casa Para Llevar, autobiographical sculpture, Consuelo Velasco, 2005. xvi Figure 5: Orange Harvest, Colleen Mitchell-Venya and Morgan McCall, 1996. 19 Figure 6: Our Town Circa 1925, James Fahnestock, 1999. 20 Figure 7: Passport to Paradise, Jeff Crozier, 2002. 21 Figure 8: Guadalupe Mural Project: The Founders of Guadalupe, 8’x’7’ acrylic on plywood, Judy Baca, 1988-89. 28 Figure 9: Guadalupe Mural Project: The Ethnic Contributions, 8’x’7’ acrylic on plywood, Judy Baca, 1988-89. 29 Figure 10: Guadalupe Mural Project: The Farmworkers of Guadalupe, 8’ x 7’ acrylic on plywood, Judy Baca, 1988-89. 30 Figure 11: Guadalupe Mural Project: The Future of Guadalupe, 8’ x 7’ acrylic on plywood, Judy Baca, 1988-89. 31 Figure 12: Seashore Reliefs, Clahan, Liscannor, Ireland, Tamás Kaszás, 2006. 39 Figure 13: Seashore Reliefs, Spanish Point Beach, Ireland, Tamás Kaszás, 2006. 40 Figure 14: Seashore Reliefs, Spanish Point Beach, Ireland (detail), Tamás Kaszás 2006. 41 vii Abstract This thesis investigates an emerging genre of “rural art practices” that explore the intersections between art and rural contexts. It also serves as a guide to cultivating the arts in the rural communities of California’s San Joaquin Valley. First, case studies of rural art practices found within the San Joaquin Valley provide a portrait of the region, revealing its rich heritage and distinguishing attributes. Next, an evaluation of selected case studies that foster the arts in rural contexts in the United States and Ireland provides a sampling of the field and resource of best practices. Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates how effective strategies and lessons learned from diverse examples of rural art practices can contribute to the development of the arts in other rural areas. viii Preface: Local to Global Perspectives of the San Joaquin Valley This research addresses the need for artistic outlets in rural communities, such as the one I grew up in, a town shaped by the significant influence of Latino, Caucasian, and Portuguese cultures, among others. Located along the southern border of Fresno County in California, Laton is an unincorporated farming community with a population that has maintained at about 1,200 for the past several years. 2 Positioned between highways 99, 198, 41 and 43, the town is not on the way to anything, and locals colloquially tell outsiders to “be sure not to blink or you could miss it.” (Figures 1 and 2) Laton has its own school district, a neighborhood activity center, library, volunteer fire station, post office, community hall, rodeo grounds, four churches, a park and a handful of local businesses. Many of these amenities, however, are limited in resources, understaffed, and consequently underutilized. (Figure 3) The nearest gas station is located twelve miles away, and excluding the two local mini marts, one has to drive fifteen miles to the next town to get groceries. Development was virtually stagnant since the first track homes were built in 1991, which to this day are still referred to by locals as “the new houses.” The middle school extension is scheduled to be the next new construction. It was previously located eight miles out of town and is expected to replace the oldest walnut orchard in the community. Like many other communities in the region, the anticipated population increase will greatly impact Laton’s rural landscape and small town character. 2 Laton, California: Population 1,236 in the 2000 U.S. Census. U.S. Census Bureau, “Census 2000: Laton, CA,” American Fact Finder, <http://factfinder.census.gov>, (accessed 8 September 2007). ix Growing up in Laton and attending the local schools from kindergarten through high school, I took advantage of just about every opportunity available to me. However, I always felt my appetite for artistic development and exposure was unfulfilled with the resources available locally. Other youth in the community seeking artistic outlets to express themselves and have a voice in the public sphere often resorted to graffiti, a sometimes illegal form of expression not valued or understood as art by most. In a town where there is not much to do after school aside from sports, work, or detention, the potential dangers in the community such as gangs, drugs, teenage pregnancies, and many others were not only local concerns, but were also found among other rural communities throughout the region as well. My pursuit of an artistic path eventually led me outside the area to seek opportunities for further development while most of my peers made do with the limited resources provided locally. (Figure 4) I eventually attended two pre-college art programs and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in art from the University of California, Santa Cruz through, which I gained exposure to a variety of artistic mediums and applications. At the end of my first year at the university, I returned to my community to establish an arts mentorship program with the goal of painting a community mural on the central train overpass, the primary target for graffiti. The mentorship program successfully operated throughout the summer and the following school year. It assisted youth in developing portfolios, learning about the history of the region through mural tours, and showcasing their work on a project website. We could not fulfill the mural project, however, due to the legal permitting implications and insurance issues imposed by the county and property owners. Through x this endeavor, I learned first hand the bureaucratic challenges of creating community- based public art. This experience fueled my determination to use the Public Art Studies Program at the University of Southern California to explore further possibilities for development of the arts in rural communities. During my research, I met Suzanne Lacy, an accomplished artist from the San Joaquin Valley, who offered me a broader perspective on the region’s critical issues. My first encounter with Lacy was at the international conference, Shifting Ground: New Perspectives on Art and Rural Culture, held in Ennis, Ireland. 3 Recognized as a conceptual and performance-based artist, activist, and theorist, her works address a broad range of social justice issues in both urban and rural settings across the globe. Lacy was the keynote speaker at the conference and recognized as an integral component in a growing discussion on art in rural contexts. As I prepared my notepad and pen awaiting her presentation, I was presented with an image that could have been my neighbor’s backyard. She projected a grape crop featuring a large green tractor plowing through with a caption that read: “San Joaquin Valley of California.” Lacy began to describe the place where she grew up, the farming community of Wasco located at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County. 4 Her depiction of the Valley was not glamorous but rather an honest portrayal. The San Joaquin Valley is known for being the breadbasket of the nation, if not the world, but the rapid demographic transformation and 3 Clare County Arts Council, Shifting Ground: New Perspectives on Art and Rural Culture, October 19-21, Ennis, Ireland, 2007. 4 Wasco, California: 21,263 in the 2000 U.S. Census. U.S. Census Bureau, “Census 2000: Wasco, CA,” American Fact Finder, <http://factfinder.census.gov>, (accessed September 2008). xi growth it has undergone over the past several years has shifted its character to a more detrimental one. 5 The valley contains a plethora of roads, rails, highways, and other forms of transportation infrastructure that link rural towns to urban cities and to each other. This road and car culture, along with a dependency on big rigs and other diesel-fueled vehicles, contribute to its reputation for having some of the least healthy air in the United States. 6 The use of pesticides in agriculture is another issue that has not only affects those who cultivate and harvest the crops, but also the consumers, connecting the valley’s local conditions to global agricultural, environmental, and public health concerns. In fact, Cesar E. Chavez, the famed labor organizer who helped revolutionize the farm worker movement concluded his career fighting the use of pesticides in this Valley. The labor union he was instrumental in founding in 1962, United Farm Workers (UFW), created an entire campaign entitled “No Grapes” to highlight the atrocities associated with the use of pesticides on food. The struggle to eradicate this problem continues today. Although Suzanne Lacy’s perspective of the region was much different than mine, growing up as I did in a community with its own unique dynamic in a different generation, I did relate to her presentation. The rural context is rich with culture and 5 The San Joaquin Valley is noted as one of the fastest growing regions in the state with a 60% increase in population by 2050, from 3,326,552 to 9,455,181, among its eight counties. The Great Valley Center. State of California, Department of Finance, “Population Projections 2000-2050,” <http://www.dof.ca.gov/html/DEMOGRAP/ReportsPapers/Projections/P1/P1.php>. For more information see: The Great Valley Center, <http://www.greatvalleycenter.org>. 6 According to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, a public-private partnership set in motion by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; air quality in the San Joaquin Valley region is among the worse in the nation. For more information see: California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley: Air Quality Work Group,<http://www.sjvpartnership.org/wg_overview.php?wg_id=2>, (accessed June 2007). xii communities with real issues that concern not only a local audience, but also a national and global one. Yet, each situation is different and calls for a tailored approach that is unique to site, circumstance and public. While this thesis focuses on finding innovative ways to cultivate the arts in rural communities of the San Joaquin Valley, such as Laton, Wasco, and others, I hope it will also serve as a step forward in the development of strategies that can promote the arts in other rural regions. xiii Figure 1. Laton, California, source: Google Earth, Digital Globe, 2008. xiv Figure 2. Laton, California (detail), source: Google Earth, Digital Globe, 2008. xv Figure 3. Downtown Laton, California, photograph, Consuelo Velasco, 1995. xvi Figure 4. Mi Casa Para Llevar, autobiographical sculpture, Consuelo Velasco, 2005. 1 Chapter 1. Introduction: Art and Rural Contexts In a generation where mass media and technology are a common thread connecting individuals and communities to a global society, a genre in the arts of “rural art practices” that explores the intersections between art and rural contexts is beginning to surface. Emerging from an evolution of art in public places and the development of socially engaged projects, this practice investigates rural contexts, while drawing attention to its rich cultures, communities, and vital concerns. As rural communities are often marginalized by their position on the outskirts of urban spheres and limited by the lack of locally available resources, the need to address the deficit of outlets for the arts among them is crucial. This thesis covers several approaches to rural art practices, a term applied here to describe a broad range of art initiatives in or about the rural context. Intended as a guide to cultivating the arts in rural communities of California’s San Joaquin Valley, it examines the region’s rich heritage and distinguishing attributes, while establishing a lineage between its local developments and current art trends. An evaluation of projects and programs that foster the arts in rural contexts within the United States and Ireland provides a sampling of the field and resource of methodologies. By illustrating the key elements inspiring projects to the artistic processes guiding them, this thesis explores how effective strategies and lessons learned from diverse examples of rural art practices can contribute to the development of support for the arts in other rural areas. 2 Chapter two highlights examples of the region’s past and present initiatives of rural art practices in the San Joaquin Valley. Drawing from its rich history as depicted through the arts, it establishes a lineage between local developments and contemporary art trends. The impact of historic eras and social movements in the region is evident in examples of photography by Dorothea Lange during the New Deal era and the application of theater during the Civil Rights movement with El Teatro Campesino (Farm Workers Theater). Though seemingly not public art in the traditional sense, these socially engaged practices relate the transformative medium of people and place. The proliferation of mural towns as a means to defeat economic recession exemplifies the ways in which the arts can both promote a community’s visibility and provide creative alternatives that address local needs. Exeter a Festival of the Arts is an example of a mural team dedicated to community beautification and economic sustainability. While several creative endeavors and artists related to the San Joaquin Valley region have gone unrecognized and are not connected by a common thread, this section focuses on selected examples that highlight the contributions of individuals, collectives, and communities in cultivating the arts in rural communities. Chapter three provides a sampling of three case studies that demonstrate innovative approaches to integrating art in rural contexts. With a focus on examples found in the United States and Ireland, this chapter highlights adaptable strategies and lessons learned. By situating works in the historic contexts in which they were created, and denoting the processes employed, this section offers an overview that reveals why and how particular results were achieved. Through Judy Baca’s Guadalupe Mural project 3 that involved an entire community, to an intergenerational oral history project that facilitated collaborations with a hospital, two high schools, and the local arts agency, strategies towards an ethos of engagement are explored. The final case study, Ground Up, is an example of an international collective established by the Arts Office in County Clare, Ireland, that situates artists in various contexts to produce work throughout the rural county. The projects that evolved through this initiative reveal multiple approaches to presenting contemporary art in rural contexts, while at the same time challenging the perceptions of art. The final chapter draws upon featured case studies to identify methodologies for cultivating the arts in rural communities. As the interconnectedness of the rural context becomes more evident with globalization and the challenges of sustainability, the application of the arts in rural contexts provides platforms needed to voice critical conditions and facilitate exchange. Whereas rural communities today are better suited to connect to the world via increased access to technology, they continue to be challenged by impacts of public policy and a lack of infrastructure to support their needs. Intended as a toolbox of lessons and strategies, this project draws upon and cites examples that have overcome such challenges or devised innovation for arts in rural context. Though not a definitive survey of this expanding field, this thesis offers a framework for consideration of rural art practices as an emerging genre and promotes the development of sustainable strategies for cultivating the arts in rural communities. 4 Chapter 2. Portrait of the San Joaquin Valley as Depicted Through the Arts Regional Background The San Joaquin Valley lies within the basin of the Central Valley of California and contains a cornucopia of crops, industries, amenities, and cultures. Spanning from the San Joaquin Delta in the north to the Grape Vine in the south, it is an eight county expanse that suffers from some of the worse socioeconomic and environmental conditions in the state, while also having a global impact on some fronts. (Appendix A) The Valley is one of the largest agriculture producing regions in the nation, supplying one-quarter of the country’s consumable goods and distributing throughout the world, and, as such, its issues can have global implications. 1 Air quality in the Valley is among the worst in the nation, causing high rates of asthma in children and elderly. 2 The vast economic disparities in the region are reflected in the heightened unemployment rates, lack of economic diversity, and obligation of individuals to take on multiple jobs to support their families. 3 This depressed economy is 1 Richard Gonzales and John McChesney, California’s Central Valley on National Public Radio, <http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/nov/central_valley/ >, 11-14 November 2002. (Accessed August 2008) 2 The Associated Press, “Seeking Relief Where the Air Quality is the Dirtiest,” <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/us/izsmog.html>, (accessed August 2007). Also see: The Great Valley Center, Assessing the Region Via Indicators: The Environment, (2000-05), a study showing that youth in Central California are more susceptible to the effects of poor air quality as lung development continues into late teen years. 3 The 2000 Census identified the San Joaquin Valley as having five of the poorest cities in the state, ranked in per capita income: Orange Cove ($7,087), Mendota ($6,967), Huron ($9,425), and San Joaquin ($6,607). 5 anticipated to have a greater impact on rural communities where resources, accessibility to jobs, and social services are particularly limited. The San Joaquin Valley is also experiencing a dramatic change with unprecedented population growth. It is one of the fastest growing regions in the state with a projected 60% population increase by 2050. 4 It consequently faces many challenges in terms of socioeconomic development and infrastructure capacity. Youth currently make up the largest demographic and are arguably the most impacted by rapid population increase, particularly in the realm of public education. Rural schools typically lack funding and struggle to provide an equitable educational experience; additionally, they are challenged to meet strict federal standards imposed by laws such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Mandates for heightened standards without increased federal funding often results in rural school districts redirecting resources to core subjects at the expense of electives and opportunities such as the arts. 5 This trend is problematic in any environment because it takes away the creative outlets that often inspire students. These policies are particularly detrimental to rural communities that are unable to compensate and offer external art programs for youth as metropolitan areas are often able to do. This lack of opportunities in education inhibits students from developing expressive skills and fails to reach and inspire future generations of artists. 4 State of California, Department of Finance, "Population Projections for California and Its Counties 2000-2050," http://www.dof.ca.gov/html/DEMOGRAP/ReportsPapers/Projections/P1/P1.php (July 2007). 5 Larry Rowe (former principal of Laton High School), in discussion with the author, April 23, 2007. 6 Heritage of Rural Art Practices in the Region The San Joaquin Valley is the subject and site of countless creative expressions, artistic practices, and historic social movements. Yet many of these endeavors go unrecognized or remain disconnected by a shared discourse. By highlighting examples of rural art practices in the San Joaquin Valley from the New Deal era to the present, this section establishes a lineage between local developments and contemporary art trends. The featured artists and works discussed in this chapter offer innovative approaches to engaging rural communities using the artistic mediums of photography, theater, and murals. Dorothea Lange is recognized for her socially engaged approach to photography in capturing rural conditions during the New Deal era in the first case study. In the second case study, El Teatro Campesino demonstrates the use of theater as a tool to educate and motivate action during the labor struggle of the Civil Rights Movement. The methods utilized by the third case study, a dedicated mural team by the name of Exeter A Festival of the Arts, shows how murals can lead to civic pride and economic vitality. To give an accurate depiction of why and how particular results were achieved, I provide background on historical context, project overview, methodologies, and learning outcomes. Each case study provides a window into the Valley’s history and distinguishing attributes and relates a rich heritage of rural art practices in the region over time. The methodologies utilized reveal the ways in which artists, collectives, and communities can devise creative solutions to address local needs, and create vital outlets for expression. 7 Capturing Rural Conditions During the New Deal Era Documentary Photography by Dorothea Lange San Joaquin Valley, CA 1935-1939 For she came to realize how deeply her commitment was to people – not just to beautiful or famous people, not just to people who paid her to portray them, but to imperfect people whose actuality was most likely to be realized in the physical and social circumstances in which they were spending their lives. 6 George P. Elliot Background: At the depths of the Great Depression following the stock market crash of 1929 and downward spiral of the economy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched a massive relief effort concerned with all facets of American life coined as the “New Deal.” The Roosevelt administration was characterized by its ceaseless optimism as it created a series of “alphabet agencies” and programs that sought to support all sectors of society and people, including artists. 7 Though not officially associated with the designated art patronage programs of the New Deal era, Dorothea Lange, an established portrait photographer, found her niche in documentary photography through several New Deal social service agencies, including the California State Emergency Relief 6 George P. Elliot, Dorothea Lange (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, NY, 1966), 7. 7 Belisario R. Contreras, Tradition and Innovation in New Deal Art (Toronto: Associated UP, Inc., 1983), 17. 8 Administration (SERA), the Resettlement Administration, and the Farm Security Administration (FSA). 8 Lange’s ability to capture subjects imbued new responsibility in her employment with the federal government. Rather than striving to portray beauty, the achieving result sought to provide a window of truth into the worlds of the disenfranchised people, particularly those living among migrant labor camps throughout the San Joaquin Valley and other rural regions. This opportunity was instigated by Lange’s own inclination to photograph people affected by the depression, those who went from stability in society to the bread lines in the streets. 9 At a 1934 exhibition, her images of the destitute resonated with Paul Taylor, a professor of economics from the University of California, Berkeley, who recognized a sensibility in Lange’s work that communicated beyond the facts. He notes, When I first saw Dorothea’s street photographs, I thought they were worthwhile. As an economics professor at Berkeley, I was working on a way to improve conditions for migrant workers. Dorothea’s photographs were powerful, so emotional. I invited her to come along with me when I went to visit a farming community hit hard by the Depression. 10 8 One of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s greatest contributions to the arts was the establishment of an arts patronage programs that supported the livelihood of artists during the Great Depression. Specific art programs evolved during this era include the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP, Dec. 1933-June 1934), Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP, Oct. 1934-Jule 1943), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA, July 1935-June 1938), which later became the Works Progress Administration/Federal Art Project (WPA/FAP, Sept. 1935-May 1943). For more information see: Marlene Park and Gerald E. Markowitz, “New Deal for Public Art,” in Critical Issues in Public Art: Content, Context, and Controversy edited by Harriet F. Senie and Sally Webster, (Washington: Smithsonian P., 1998). Also see Francis V. O’Conor, Art for the Millions: Essays from the 1930’s by Artists and Administrators of the WPA Federal Art Project (Connecticut: NY Graphic Society LTD, 1973), 137. 9 In reference to “White Angel Bread Line,” 1933, photograph by Lange captured prior to employment as a photographer for Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. 10 Julie Danneberg, Women, Women Artists of the West: Five Portraits in Creativity and Courage (Golden, Colorado: Fulcrum Publishing, 2002). 9 Promoted by Taylor, who was responsible for gathering evidence of the devastated rural conditions, Lange’s work became a driving force in drawing attention to the extreme conditions in rural areas during the Great Depression. Pairing with researched data, Lange’s photography drew attention to the plight of migrant workers and pressured the federal government to take action. Project: Among the themes captured in her work for the FSA were the substandard living conditions of migrant workers in the San Joaquin Valley. (See: 17-year-old agriculture worker sacking potatoes. Edison, Kern County, CA, Dorothea Lange, Farm Security Administration). 11 Lange documented the makeshift shacks occupied by individuals who during the day performed strenuous work under the intense valley sun. (See: Auto Camp Housing for Citrus Workers, Tulare County, CA, Dorothea Lange, Farm Security Administration). 12 Lange’s work for SERA also involved an investigation around why there was such a large flood of migrants coming to California. Through her conversations with migrants, she learned that many families moved to the San Joaquin Valley as a result of the Dust Bowl, the legendary drought in the Midwest that devastated millions of acres of farmland displacing many families. (See: Couple from Oklahoma, resettled in California, Dorothea Lange, Farm Security Administration). 13 11 The History of Place, “Dorothea Lange: Migrant Farm Families, <http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/index.html>, (Accessed August 2008). 12 Ibid. 10 Methodologies: Lange’s keen aesthetic was recognized for its intimate sensibility as she often observed her subjects for long periods and told her own story to strangers before ever taking a picture. 14 She did not exploit her subjects by using flash or other emphasizing photo techniques, rather, her images focused on direct depiction and natural beauty. She had a strong awareness of her surroundings, which proved useful whenever she found herself unwelcome. Instead of leaving, she tried to understand the relationship between herself and others. Her ability to relate to suffering and to empathize with the people she photographed was in part due to her experiences as a child contracting polio before a vaccine was available and being abandoned by her father. Rather than handicaps, these experiences fueled her drive towards success in her professional career. Learning Outcomes: The federal government’s recognition of art and artists as a valid cause to support during the most meager times in American history instigated the emergence of unprecedented creativity during the Great Depression. Documentary photography by Dorothea Lange and others was not only utilized as a sociological tool but also recognized for its artistic merit and importance in chronicling history. Lange’s approach to photography set a precedent for socially engaged work sensitive to the relationship among artist, people, and site. The practice of acknowledging her subjects, offering her 13 Ibid. 14 George P. Elliot, Dorothea Lange (New Jersey: Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1996). 11 own experience before taking a picture, and giving a transparent explanation as to what the photographs were intended for became critical to the accurate representation of people and place. This socially engaged process enabled her work to authentically represent the lives and struggles of the people she encountered. Farm Worker’s Theater and the Civil Rights Movement Las Dos Caras del Patroncito by El Teatro Campesino Delano, CA 1965 I had to introduce basic concepts. I was working with farmers, some of whom could not read scripts, so we had to use improvisation, which made presentations very lively. 15 Luis Valdez Background: The social upheaval brought about during the Civil Rights movement marked a collective consciousness and action against social inequities that swept across the nation. Among the many considerations of “justice for all” were the lives of the people embedded in the agriculture industry, living and working under some of the most strenuous conditions imaginable. The farm labor struggle, led by César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and many others allied with the United Farm Workers Union (UFW), was among the many movements for civil rights. This movement consolidated in the fields of the 15 Carl Heyward, “El Teatro Campesino: An Interview with Luis Valdez,” in The Citizen Artist: 20 Years of Art in the Public Arena by Linda Frye Burnham and Steven Durland, (Gardiner: Critical P., 1998), 106. 12 San Joaquin Valley with nonviolent determination to organize workers and overcome substandard working conditions. Artists, academics, and organizers were drawn to the San Joaquin Valley and enlisted to help organize farm workers, educate the public, and promote the cause of the UFW. Returning valley resident and actor, Luis Valdez, was inspired by the determination of Chávez to organize farm workers and proposed establishing a theater company focusing on farm worker issues. Although there were no funds and little time for rehearsal, Valdez joined forces with Felipe Cantu and Agustín Lira, strikers who were already entertaining the picket lines through music and song. 16 The collective attracted new participants while becoming an effective tool for educating audiences and motivating action. Project: “Las Dos Caras del Patroncito,” (Two Faces of the Boss), was the inaugural acto, an act or short skit, created in response to the inhumane treatment and intimidation tactics imposed by the growers during the notorious grape strike of the mid 1960’s. 17 This skit captivated its audience with humor and irony by relating common issues farm workers experienced daily working in the unregulated farms: PATRONCITO (Boss): …Yes, sirree, I sure love my Mexicans, boy! 16 Max Benavides, “Chavez and El Teatro Campesino,” in The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement by Susan Ferriss and Ricardo Sandoval, (Orlando: Paradigm Productions, Inc., 1997), 111. 17 Luis Valdez, Early Works: Actos, Bernabe, Pensamiento Serpentino (San Juan Bautista: First Arte Público Press, 1994), 17. 13 FARMWORKER: (Puts his arm around PATRONCITO) Oh, patron (boss). PATRONCITO: (Pushing Away.) I love ‘em about ten feet away from me boy. Why, there ain’t another grower in this whole damn valley that treats you like I do. Some growers got Filipinos, others got Arabs, me I prefer Mexicans. That’s why I came down here to visit you, here in the field. I’m an important man, boy! Bank of America, University of California, Safeway stores, I got a hand in all of ‘em. But look. I don’t even have my shoes shined. 18 The apparent message presented in the dichotomy of “El Patroncito,” the boss, and the farm worker exemplifies the oppression experienced by workers. Though the boss is obviously demeaning the farm worker by referring to him as “boy,” he also suggests that the farm worker is better off not being in the farmer’s position: PATRONCITO: Damn right! You sure as hell aint’ got my problems, I’ll tell you that. Taxes, insurance, supporting all them bums on welfare. You don’t have to worry about none of that. Like housing, don’t I let you live in my labor camp, nice, rent-free cabins, air-conditioned? FARMWORKER: Sí señor, ayer se cayó la puerta. PATRONCITO: What was that? English. FARMWORKER: Yesterday the door fell off, señor. And there’s rats también. Y los escusados, the restrooms, ay señor fuchi! (Holds fingers to his nose.) 19 The realities of migrant worker’s living conditions are painted differently by the boss and the farm worker, whose dichotomies are evident in this scene. In the end, the boss glorifies his worker’s lifestyle by stating that he would rather be a farm worker and would give up the car, house, hill, and wife in exchange for rides to work, low-wages, and free housing. In taking on the farm workers role, the farmer realizes their grim lifestyle and in his final plea ironically calls for the support of Chávez and the union. 18 Ibid, 19. 19 Ibid, 20-21. 14 Methodology: El Teatro Campesino is recognized for its agitprop style of theater, a methodology that utilizes agitation and propaganda to express and educate. Their rasquache aesthetic, a Chicano sensibility of overturning the underdog or “flipping dichotomies,” coined by Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, spoke to the shades of diversity within the audiences they reached (Ybarra-Frausto 155). 20 By performing everywhere—from the backs of flat bed trucks in the fields and union halls to academic settings and eventually Broadway— their message transcended culture and class to communicate the issue at hand. Their collective approach to creation involved input from all participants towards the creation of an acto that was eventually translated through improvisation on stage. When an actor forgot his or her lines or took a scene beyond the script, the collective would adapt accordingly. Many other mediums of expression were embedded within El Teatro Campesino’s performances, including song, storytelling, and poetry. The message passed on was not always clear-cut but interpreted in undertones, inside jokes, and puns directed to both Spanish and English speaking audiences. El Teatro Campesino used simple costumes and props made of paper-mâché and cardboard boxes, among other found objects, to deliver their message on a minimal budget. Finally, the actors in El Teatro Campesino were union members who were themselves on strike and eager to generate the support of their communities. 20 Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, "Rasquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility," in Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, 1965-1985, (Arizona: U of Arizona P, 1991). 15 Learning Outcomes: Theater is a great source of education and entertainment as seen in the example of El Teatro Campesino. Having fewer resources led to greater creativity as demonstrated in the rasquache style of costumes, props, and even the language used to communicate to its diverse audiences. Through a collective process of creation, the talents and stories of many were woven into plays. El Teatro Campesino brought in all its cultural assets to innovate, create, and educate its audiences. Building on the strengths and everyday experiences of its participants, it created a unique culture of adaptation, improvisation, and education through theater. Proliferation of Mural Towns as Tourist Industries Exeter, a Festival of the Arts Mural Team Exeter, CA 1996-Present The city painted the first one and that’s what started us out with the idea in the first place. Then after that one was done we had a mural team and it was up to the mural team to decide where we went from there. 21 Seldon Kempton Background: Located off Highway 99 headed east towards the Sequoia National Park, the City of Exeter is a mural town that converted blank walls of its historic downtown into a mural 21 Seldon Kempton (Exeter A Festival of the Arts president) in discussions with the author, December 28, 2006. 16 gallery. Exeter A Festival of the Arts, is a volunteer mural team dedicated to the economic survival and beautification of the city. Established as a means to defeat economic recession by creating a tourist industry, the mural team has commissioned twenty-three murals since 1996 featuring a range of themes, from commemorating local history and remembering the way things were to highlighting its cherished attributes and local culture. The idea of creating a mural town was motivated by the loss of a cherished brick building in the historic downtown, which was the result of a fire. 22 After the city purchased the remains of the structure and agreed to restore it, community members suggested a mural to cover its tarnished façade. The city approved the idea and hired two local artists, Colleen Mitchell-Venya and Morgan McCall, to research the process of mural painting. This investigation led to the discovery of an article in an art magazine soliciting consultant services for developing a mural tourism industry. The example was set by the City of Chemainus in Vancouver, B. C., Canada, which developed a mural town to revitalize its local economy devastated by the exhaustion of its lumber industry. The mural town bolstered the downtown revitalization project operated by its Festivals of Mural Society. 23 Exeter emulated that project and raised enough funds to hire the 22 Ibid. 23 The Festival of Murals Society of Chemainus, Vancouver, B.C. was a mural project established in 1983 as a means to reenergize the devastated local economy after the closing of its 120-year-old lumber mill. Twenty-two years later, the town evolved into a thriving tourist industry, attracting between 400,000 and 500,000 visitors annually to what the city calls the “world’s largest outdoor gallery of 36 murals.” Riverside Arts Council, Private Mural Project Recommendations for the City of Riverside (Riverside: Riverside County Arts Council, 2005). 17 consultant that developed the plan for Chemainus to evaluate the possibility of establishing a mural town in their community. Project: The consultant created a plan for Exeter with direct guidelines from logistical details such as legal processes and permits to hiring professional artists and deciding themes. Depictions of the cultural heritage and lifestyle of the people and places were recommended as primary mural topics. The city of Exeter sponsored the first mural, entitled Orange Harvest, painted by the two local artists, Colleen Mitchell-Venya and Morgan McCall in 1996. It depicted a bountiful orange orchard full of seasonal activity. (Figure 5) Exeter Circa 1925, a later mural, captured a classic depiction of the community in sepia tones. (Figure 6) The memory of a once standing archway leading to the Sequoia National Park is featured in “Passport to Paradise,” completed in 2002. This mural emphasizes one of the valley’s prized destinations, a national park with the largest redwood trees in the world. (Figure 7) Methodology: The mural team maintains a balance of facilitating projects and fundraising with the goal of creating or repairing one mural each year. The process of establishing a new mural is first brought to the Chamber of Commerce, which helps to identify prospective sites and approaches to facilitating a discussion with the property owner. The building owner then grants the Chamber an easement on the property for fifteen years, allowing 18 the chamber permission to paint on the building and to protect the mural from being destroyed within that period. The average cost of each mural is $12 to $15 per square foot with projects ranging from $4,000 to $30,000. 24 The Chamber of Commerce and mural team are jointly responsible for maintaining the artistic merit of the mural. The mural team oversees the artist selection process and provides input for the mural concept. Learning Outcomes: Creating appreciation and support for the arts is a team effort. The artists and community members of Exeter were open to creating a local identity through murals that not only instilled civic pride and solidarity but also increased economic development in the community. The assistance of a professional consultant propelled the two local artists who were determined to paint a mural and establish a mural town tourist industry. The tools gathered in this evaluation allowed the mural team to develop a plan tailored to the community that entailed a step-by-step outline on how to replicate the process, which was reflected in the resulting outdoor gallery in their historic downtown. 24 Ibid. 19 Figure 5. Orange Harvest, Colleen Mitchell-Venya and Morgan McCall, 1996. 25 25 Consuelo Velasco, photograph of Orange Harvest, Colleen Mitchell-Venya and Morgan McCall, Exeter, CA, 28 December 2006. 20 Figure 6. Our Town Circa 1925, James Fahnestock, 1999. 26 26 Consuelo Velasco, photograph of Our Town Circa 1925, James Fahnestock, Exeter, CA, 28 December 2006. 21 Figure 7. Passport to Paradise, Jeff Crozier, 2002. 27 27 Consuelo Velasco, photograph of Passport to Paradise, Jeff Crozier, Exeter, CA, 28 December 2006. 22 Communication and Education through the Arts Art is a vital tool for representation, education, and exchange as demonstrated in the examples presented. Dorothea Lange’s socially engaged documentary photography captured the devastated conditions of rural America during the challenging times of the Great Depression. El Teatro Campesino educated its audience through theater to get its message across and influence social change. Exeter’s murals provided a platform to celebrate and share the community’s rich history and unique attributes, as well as served as an effective tool to boost its local economy. These examples grew out of the troubled times and became outlets for expression as well as strategies for instilling a sense of hope. Today’s San Joaquin Valley faces a new set of challenges, calling for the development of sustainable solutions to support the arts in its underserved rural communities. Case studies of rural arts projects discussed in the next chapter provide solutions relevant to these emerging challenges. 23 Chapter 3. Sampling the Field of Rural Art Practices from USA to Ireland Art in rural contexts is not a new phenomenon but has begun to engage the public in innovative and challenging ways. Instigated by a number of circumstances and through the concerted efforts and interaction of several constituents both willing and improvised, these examples endeavored to capture rural realities while reflecting their pertinence to local, national, and global concerns. Loosely defined as publicly accessible socially engaged art, in or about the rural context, these rural art practices are as diverse as the places themselves and according to the artistic mediums, subjects, and processes utilized. The examples featured in this chapter demonstrate a vast array of approaches to facilitating art in rural contexts and the variations of outcomes accordingly. Each case study outlines the major components and steps involved in the process of implementing diverse art projects, from community-based murals and collaborative publications to collective art practices that engage diverse audiences. While the dynamic of rural regions varies from coastal communities in California to the rolling green landscapes of Ireland, the selected case studies featured in this section provide lessons and strategies for creating outlets for the arts in rural communities. Creating an Ethos of Engagement through Community-Based Art Guadalupe Mural Project by Judy Baca 24 Guadalupe, CA (Population 5,479 in 1990) 28 1987-89 I respect both the local issues and their international ramifications. I want to build associations, relationships. I was taught to make family and to honor the family and that’s what I do with the site, I make it family. I try to create order within that family to develop some kind of community in order to approach the issue or the site and to become makers and problem-solvers together. 29 Judy Baca Background: The Guadalupe Mural Project was initiated in 1987 as part of a redevelopment effort intended to uplift the blighted LeRoy Park in Guadalupe, California, a rural community located at the northern tip of Santa Barbara County. The mural was prompted by the initiative of a local community group, El Comité Cívico Mexicano de Guadalupe, who assumed responsibility for the revitalization of the park with the hope of rehabilitating it as a civic space. Its members wanted to restore the reputation of the park as a place where the community could celebrate cultural events and family activities while providing a positive venue for youth. 30 They also wanted a mural to represent the community’s rich history and cultural diversity. After lobbying for support to refurbish the park from the Santa Barbara County Parks Department, the mural project was adopted by the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. Shortly following this agreement, Los 28 Guadalupe, CA. US Census Beaurau, 1990. 29 Judy Baca, interview by Frances K. Pohl on July 10, 1994, in “Judith F. Baca: Community and Culture in the United States,” Women’s Studies, 25 no. 3, (1996): 219-220. 30 Erika Doss, “Raising Community Consciousness with Public Art: The Guadalupe Mural Project,” in Spirit Poles and Flying Pigs: Public Art and Cultural Democracy in American Cities (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995), 159. 25 Angeles based artist Judy Baca was invited by the Arts Commission to “simply paint a mural” for the community of Guadalupe. 31 Project: Baca’s signature community engaged process was applied to this project, resulting in a four-panel mural that depicts the past, present, and future of Guadalupe. The first panel is based on the founders of Guadalupe, incorporating historic references to the local landscape and resemblances of the town’s early inhabitants. (Figure 12) The second panel features Guadalupe’s unique cultural diversity, alluding to the various waves of immigrants including Mexican, Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese, Filipino, and Anglo. (Figure 13) Panel three focuses on the people involved in the agriculture industry, picking and packing during cauliflower season. (Figure 14) In this scene, Baca’s goal was “to convey the beauty of farm workers while at the same time revealing the harsh conditions including the low wages, health problems, sub-standard living conditions.” 32 In the fourth panel Baca represents the community’s hopes and dreams for the future, including its wish for a soccer field and low-income housing. (Figure 15) These images were embedded in the wings of a female angel that was modeled after a tombstone found in the local graveyard. References and other stories Baca gathered were also incorporated in the mural, serving as a marker of the town’s people and history. 31 Ibid. 32 Frances Pohl, Judith F. Baca: Sites and Insights, 1974-1992 (Montgomery Gallery, 1993). 26 Methodology: Baca began this endeavor by visually reading the placayasos (visual symbols and street writing) of the town and meeting its residents, an approach gathered through extensive experience working on murals in diverse communities throughout Los Angeles. 33 She visited the community several times to understand its social networks and its physical dynamic. After exploring the ins and outs of the community, including the park, church city hall, local businesses, and fields, Baca was offered an abandoned auditorium, where she set up a headquarters. While public leaders and active community members were her first line of support, she sought input from everyone she could engage throughout the community. She hired local youth to collect resources, including yearbooks, photographs, and other memorabilia to inform the subject of the mural. She engaged with locals at every opportunity, including lunch hour at the local restaurant. She took Polaroids and offered duplicates in exchange for stories, which sometimes led to families offering to share their own albums. After months of research and a six-week residency, she called a town meeting at which community members shared their history and hopes for the mural. Learning Outcomes: While murals are often initiated as a means to eliminate blight, instill civic pride, and stimulate economic vitality, they are also mediums used to build solidarity, educate the public, and communicate values and aspirations. Through extensive research and by 33 Reference to “placayasos” in Douglas Kahn and Diane Neumaier, Cultures in Contention (Seattle: Real Comet Press, 1985), 65. 27 involving the community in the process, the Guadalupe Mural project became a treasured symbol of civic identity and a reflection of local history. Baca’s socially engaged process allowed her to learn about the community’s diverse cultures and its struggles and, thus, to depict its story with accuracy. By recruiting youth to gather material, she not only provided a positive outlet that fulfilled a great need but also created a gateway for youth to engage with other generations in the community. The extended welcome for community members to provide input was ultimately reflected in a mural representing the history, diversity, hopes, and dreams of the Guadalupe community. During the 10-year commemoration, Baca was invited back to Guadalupe and recognized for painting the community’s achieved goals. 34 34 Judy Baca, in discussion with author, June 24, 2007. 28 Figure 8. Guadalupe Mural Project: The Founders of Guadalupe, 8’x7’ acrylic on plywood, Judy Baca, 1990. 35 35 Guadalupe Mural Project: The Founders of Guadalupe, 8’x7, acrylic on plywood, Judy Baca, 1990. Image courtesy of the Social and Public Art Resource Center. 29 Figure 9. Guadalupe Mural Project: The Ethnic Contributions, 8’x’7’ acrylic on plywood, Judy Baca, 1990. 36 36 Guadalupe Mural Project: The Ethnic Contributions. Ibid. 30 Figure 10. Guadalupe Mural Project: The Farmworkers of Guadalupe, 8’ x 7’ acrylic on plywood, Judy Baca, 1990. 37 37 Guadalupe Mural Project: The Farmworkers of Guadalupe. Ibid. 31 Figure 11. Guadalupe Mural Project: The Future of Guadalupe, 8’ x 7’ acrylic on plywood, Judy Baca, 1990. 38 38 Guadalupe Mural Project: The Future of Guadalupe. Ibid. 32 Intergenerational Publications and Partnership Building The Echo Project by Sara Foust Ennistymon, Ireland 2003-4 I found a teacher at a very young age who encouraged me. Its all down to her really because she showed me that she saw a talent in my work and from that point on I saw it in there myself and that made a big difference to me. 39 Sara Foust Background: Ireland’s active and well-supported environment for artists allows many unique art opportunities to come to fruition. 40 After relocating to rural County Clare in Ireland from the United States, Sara Foust was presented with an opportunity to actualize a project working with elderly people and teenagers collecting oral histories. This opportunity was made possible through partnerships with the Scoil Mhuire and Christian Brothers Secondary Schools, the Ennistymon Community Hospital and Day Center, and the Arts Office of Clare County Council. The project involved students in their transitional year, an intermission period taken prior to graduating secondary school meant to “promote personal, social, educational and vocational development of pupils and to prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative and responsible members of 39 Sara Foust, in discussion with the author, October 19, 2006. 40 In reference to progressive policies supporting artists in Ireland such as the Taxes Consolidation Act of 1997 that allows artists to sell original creative work tax-free. These policies have attracted many artists to the country while instilling a greater sense of support for the creative industry. Ibid. 33 society.” 41 It entailed a series of workshops that provided the youth with technical skills involved in documenting oral histories. Students conducted over thirty interviews over the course of several visits to the Ennistymon Community Hospital and Day Center. 42 Project: The Way I Remember It: Stories and Photos from the ECHO Project is a collaborative publication that grew out of the first strand of the ECHO Project. The impetus for the project was to get teenagers involved and interested in the lessons and stories of the fleeting generation of elders in the community. It was inspired by the Foxfire book series that documents oral histories and celebrates the local culture of rural Appalachia in the United States. This methodology of learning from the local was one in which Foust strove to emulate in the ECHO Project. The artist worked within the schools and arranged visits to the hospital where the interviews and special projects took place. Methodologies: The Arts Office of Clare County Council facilitated the partnerships among the Scoil Mhuire School, Christian Brothers Secondary School, and the Ennistymon Community Hospital Day Center program, acting as a liaison and providing administrative support throughout the project. The artists began the project by introducing documentation techniques in workshops to prepare the students for 41 For more information on this country-wide policy see the Department of Education and Science, Ireland. <www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?category10856>. 42 Sara Foust, The Way I Remember it: Stories and Photos from the ECHO PROJECT,” Ennistymond: Arts Office of County Clare Council, 2004. 34 conducting interviews. Each student was assigned to a group and required to take on a specific role, such as interviewer, photographer, or recorder. The interviewer’s task was to develop questions and to adapt to the direction of the conversation. Photographer were expected to capture their subjects in a variety of ways, such as taking close-ups to denote expression or getting the full context of the surrounding people and setting. The recorders job was the easiest of all, making sure the device was properly functioning and in a position to gather the best sound possible directly. All participants took part in the grueling task of transcribing so as to allow each student to reflect on the experience. To bridge the transition to the interview stages, Foust devised a field experiment where the youth tested its techniques on locals in the streets. The exercise served to ease those students into interviews who felt intimidated about working with strangers from a generation with which they assumed they would have nothing in common. This reluctance prompted Foust to visit the hospital, meet with prospective participants, and learn about their backgrounds and interests. Foust found that many of the backgrounds and hobbies of the elderly participants were similar to those of the youth. This liaison was helpful in matching the groups and carefully constructing the interview chemistry. Learning Outcomes: A little encouragement goes a long way. Foust demonstrates first hand the influence of an encouraging teacher as she extended such support to the students with whom she worked. Though she encountered struggles in her process, especially in the transition stages of working with the groups separately and leading them into 35 collaboration, she tailored the process to fit the elements with which she was working. When youth thought they had nothing in common with the elderly participants, she explored their stories to find similarities and to pair the youth accordingly. Not all participants were interested in the arts as a professional career but they still learned through this experience that the arts contain many valuable tools for education, communication, and the preservation of histories. By joining two groups who would otherwise not have much contact with each other, the project helped the participant gain valuable insight about their interconnected lives and histories. The ECHO Project is an example of how partnerships can lead to learning experiences that bridge communities and of the value of collecting and sharing oral histories through various mediums of art. Collective Art Practices Engaging Communities Rural Vernacular by Ground Up III County Clare, Ireland 2006 The rural, far from the empty landscape of tourist brochures, is a contested zone in which a complex matrix of perspectives is at work. Socio-economic change, climate change and ecological realities demand a radical re-thinking of the rural; a new discourse needs to be developed by cultural practitioners and grassroots participants in the rural dynamic. 43 Fiona Woods Background: 43 Fiona Woods, Curator’s Statement, Shifting Ground, Art in Rural Context official website, <http://www.shiftingground.net/02_projects_about.htm>, (Accessed June 24, 2008). 36 In 2004, the Arts Office of County Claire, Ireland initiated an opportunity for artists to explore the vast culture of the rural county. Focused on fostering a new type of engagement in the arts, this program challenged perceptions of art and rural culture through the dynamic works created by its participants. Local, national, and international artists were situated in live-in and institutional residencies throughout the county and partnered with locals, who acted as liaisons between the artists and the community, creating a shared learning environment. Though projects were actualized individually, the collective came together for a shared learning experience and feedback on the development of its work. Projects: “Rural Vernacular” is a collection of projects developed by participating artists of the third strand of the Ground Up collective. The projects are informed by the individual aesthetic of each artist and by community they encountered. Tamás Kazarás, an artist from Hungary who typically involves activism in his work, found himself challenged by a new environment. He explored different terrains, including the coastline, where he found several plastic particles of discarded objects. The colorful waste set against the natural beauty of the ocean inspired his temporary public artworks sited along the shoreline. (Figures 17-20) His process involved walking the beaches and collecting plastic objects to incorporate in his sculpture series. The composition of each utilized themes, including color, to draw attention to the issue of offshore dumping. 37 Methodologies: Introducing diversity to the community and placing artists in various contexts facilitates new perspectives on local rural culture. The method of pairing artists with local residents is an effective strategy utilized to overcome the “outsider coming in scenario,” or what is commonly referred to as “the parachute artist.” 44 The shared learning environment serves as a springboard for ideas, and enables the crossing of boundaries of language and culture to consider ideas of contemporary art. In these discussions, the participants raised issues encountered and lessons learned through the experience. The international symposium on art and rural culture that was presented in conjunction with the Ground Up program introduced the artists and works to a broader audience. 45 This venue, in turn, created new platforms for discourse inviting local to international constituents to encounter and reflect on the issues raised by the projects. Learning Outcomes: Introducing new forms of art to a community can be challenging especially in rural communities that do not have the benefit of major art institutions or other creative venues typically found in urban settings. Through this unique collective, diverse artists 44 In reference to artists or organizations that work in a new community on a short-term basis. For more info see Craig Zelizer, Integrating Community Arts and Conflict Resolution: Lessons and Challenges fro the Field in Community Arts Network, <http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2007/06/integrating_com.php>, June 2007 (accessed September 2008) 45 Clare County Arts Council. Shifting Ground: New Perspectives on Art and Rural Culture (October 19-21, Ennis, Ireland) 2007. 38 were able to apply their artistic aesthetic and explore their unique perspective in relation to a new environment. By infusing the local culture with a new dynamic, the Ground Up project allowed new perspectives on art and rural culture to be developed and shared through various artistic mediums and practices. By keeping an open door to participation and inviting a broader audience to experience and reflect on the projects, this initiative not only encouraged innovation but also challenged perceptions of the capacity of art. 39 Figure 12. Seashore Reliefs, Clahan, Liscannor, Ireland, Tamás Kaszás, 2006. 46 46 Consuelo Velasco, photograph, Seashore Reliefs, Clahan, Liscannor, Ireland, 20 October 2006. 40 Figure 13. Seashore Reliefs, Spanish Point Beach, Ireland, Tamás Kaszás, 2006. 47 47 Consuelo Velasco, photograph, Seashore Reliefs, Spanish Point Beach, Ireland, 20 October 2006. 41 Figure 14. Seashore Reliefs, Spanish Point Beach, Ireland (detail), Tamás Kaszás, 2006. 48 48 Ibid. 42 Community-Based Contemporary Art in Rural Contexts The case studies featured in this section are examples of effective strategies that address some of the great challenges and needs for art in rural communities today. Judy Baca’s approach to involving the community in the process of creating a mural about its history and hopes for the future proved to be effective in facilitating civic pride and community ownership. Through the ECHO Project, Sara Foust reveals that elderly people have much to offer the younger generations; their wisdom risks being lost if not captured and shared. By bridging these communities and providing the tools necessary to capture oral history, this project created a method for successfully engaging two different communities in a collaborative multimedia project. The Ground Up initiative is a progressive approach to challenging the notion of art and bridging contemporary art with rural culture. 43 Chapter 4. Conclusion: Strategies for Cultivating the Art in Rural Communities The case studies featured in this thesis are just a few of the many rural art practices that I discovered in my research. Chapter two represents three major eras in the history of the San Joaquin Valley, drawing upon innovative strategies established locally and placing them along the trajectory of rural art practices. Dorothea Lange’s socially engaged photography, El Teatro Campesino’s agitprop approach to educating through theater, and Exeter’s establishment of a mural town to build its civic identity and stimulate local economy, contribute to the palette of adaptable strategies. Case studies featured in section two are of exemplary projects found outside the region. Judy Baca’s Guadalupe mural project relates the benefit of community engagement throughout the creative process, the ECHO project by Sara Foust provides methodologies for engaging diverse communities in collaboration using multimedia, and Ground Up is a unique collective that creates many opportunities for artists to respond to rural issues and culture. Parallels are found within the methodologies utilized by each revealing the adaptability of these strategies towards further development in the field. From Lange’s socially engaged photography to Baca’s community involved mural, engagement and exchange are revealed as helpful tools for gaining the trust of rural residents. Lange earned her subjects trust by engaging in a conversation with them and sharing her intensions and own story before taking a picture. This relationship is reflected in Lange’s photography, as she was able to capture a unique intimacy with rural residents even in their most vulnerable situations. Similarly, in the research phase of the 44 Guadalupe Mural project, Baca offered duplicates of Polaroid pictures to individuals who were willing to have their picture taken and tell their stories. These gestures allowed individuals to realize they, too, have a story and to participate in the preservation of history. Art is revealed as an effective form of education as demonstrated by El Teatro Campesino’s application of agitprop theater and Fousts’s community-based process involved in the ECHO Project. With little financial means and a strong will to propagate issues experienced by farm workers, El Teatro Campesino sought to educate diverse audiences through the medium of theater. Not only did the El Teatro Campesino’s art teach and empower the farm workers and motivate them to join forces with the United Farm Workers union, but it also informed the general public by reaching diverse audiences, from academic settings to Broadway. In an alternative educational opportunity, Foust brought together youth and the elderly to experience and learn from each other through multimedia. While technical training was taught in class, joint projects that involved youth and elderly drew out the embedded knowledge of participants through oral history. I draw upon the example of Exeter’s mural team and the Ground Up collective to reveal how the arts can facilitate the creation of a civic identity and stimulate the arts and cultural economy in rural communities. Exeter is now a destination for the arts with the draw of its mural collection that depicts local and regional history. The efforts of the Arts Office of Clare County Council to introduce diverse artists and practices to the community is also a result of cultivating partnerships and building possibilities for the 45 arts in rural contexts. By establishing a direct connection between the artist, partnering venues and community liaisons, this initiative provided a unique opportunity for artistic innovation in response to the local rural culture. As revealed by the examples of rural art practices presented in this thesis, the rural context has become increasingly recognized as interconnected and influential to both local and global challenges. At this juncture in the arts, we find a renaissance of rural art taking place in rural communities and regions throughout the world. The lack of cohesive art policy and programs supporting the arts in rural communities creates the need to develop innovative solutions that provide creative outlets and opportunities. By building upon the effective strategies and lessons learned, this field can continue to grow and benefit many rural communities and regions. 46 Bibliography The Associated Press. “Seeking Relief Where the Air Quality is the Dirtiest.” <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/us/izsmog.html>. (Accessed 12 August 2007). Baca, Judy. “Judith F. Baca: Community and Culture in the United States.” Interview by Frances K. Pohl on July 10, 1994. Women’s Studies, 25 no. 3 (1996): 219-220. Bedsworth, Louise Wells. Clearing the Air in the San Jaoquin Valley: Developing an Action Plan for Regulators, Legislators, and the Public. Cambridge: UCS Publications, 2004. Benavides, Max. “Chavez and El Teatro Campesino.” In The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement, by Susan Ferriss and Ricardo Sandoval. Orlando: Paradigm Productions, Inc., 1997. California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley: Air Quality Work Group. <http://www.sjvpartnership.org/wg_overview.php?wg_id=2>. (Accessed June 2007). Clare County Arts Council. Shifting Ground: New Perspectives on Art and Rural Culture (October 19-21, Ennis, Ireland), 2007. Contreras, Belisario R. Tradition and Innovation in New Deal Art. Toronto: Associated University Presses, Inc., 1983. Danneberg, Julie. Women Artists of the West: Five Portraits in Creativity and Courage. Golden, Colorado: Fulcrum Publishing, 2002. Department of Education and Science, Ireland. <www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?category10856>. (August 2008) Doss, Erika. “Raising Community Consciousness with Public Art: The Guadalupe Mural Project.” In Spirit Poles and Flying Pigs: Public Art and Cultural Democracy in American Cities. Washington: Smithsonian Institution P., 1995. Elliot, George P. Dorothea Lange. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, NY, 1966. Foust, Sara. 2006. Interview by Consuelo Velasco. October 22. Ennistymond, Ireland. 47 Sara Foust Ed. The Way I Remember it: Stories and Photos from the ECHO PROJECT. Ennistymond: Arts Office of Claire County Council, 2004. Gonzales, Richard, and John McChesney. California’s Central Valley. National Public Radio, November 2002 <http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/nov/central_valley/ >. (Accessed July 2008). Great Valley Center. State of California, Department of Finance. “Population Projections 2000-2050.” <http://www.dof.ca.gov/html/DEMOGRAP/ReportsPapers/Projections/P1/P1.ph p>. (Accessed July 2008) Heyward, Carl. “El Teatro Campesino: An Interview with Luis Valdez” In The Citizen Artist: 20 Years of Art in the Public Arena by Lynda Fry Burnham and Steven Durland. Gardiner: Critical P., 1998. The History of Place, Dorothea Lange. <http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/index.html>. (Accessed August 2008). Kahn, Douglas, and Diane Neumaier. Cultures in Contention. Seattle: Real Comet Press, 1985). Kempton, Seldon. 2006. Interview by Consuelo Velasco. December 28. Exeter, CA. Markowitz, Gerald E. and Marlene Park. “New Deal for Public Art.” In Critical Issues in Public Art: Content, Context, and Controversy edited by Harriet F, Senie and Sally Weber. Washington: Smithsonian P., 1998. O’Conor, Francis V. Art for the Millions: Essays from the 1930’s by Artists and Administrators of the WPA Federal Art Project. Connecticut: NY Graphic Society LTD, 1973. Pohl, Frances. Judith F. Baca: Sites and Insights, 1974-1992. Montgomery Gallery, 1993. Riverside Arts Council. Private Mural Project Recommendations for the City of Riverside. Riverside: Riverside County Arts Council, 2005. Rowe, Larry. 2007. Interview by Consuelo Velasco. April 23. 48 State of California, Department of Finance, "Population Projections for California and Its Counties 2000-2050." <http://www.dof.ca.gov/html/DEMOGRAP/ReportsPapers/Projections/P1/P1.ph p>. (Accessed July 2007). U.S. Census Bureau. “Census 2000: Laton, CA.” American Fact Finder. <http://factfinder.census.gov>. (Accessed September 2008). U.S. Census Bureau. “Census 2000: Wasco, CA.” American Fact Finder. <http://factfinder.census.gov>. (Accessed September 2008). Valdez, Luis. Early Works: Actos, Bernabe, Pensamiento Serpentino. San Juan Bautista: First Arte Público Press, 1994. Woods, Fiona.”Shifting Ground, Art in Rural Context.” <http://www.shiftingground.net/02_projects_about.htm>. (Accessed June 2008). Ybarra-Frausto, Tomás. "Rasquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility." In Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, 1965-1985. Arizona: U of Arizona P, 1991. Zelizer, Craig. Integrating Community Arts and Conflict Resolution: Lessons and Challenges fro the Field in Community Arts Network Reading Room, June 2007. <http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2007/06/integrating_co m.php>. (Accessed September 2008). 49 APPENDIX A Figure 3. Map of the San Joaquin Valley. Courtesy of the Fresno County of Governments
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Velasco, Consuelo E.
(author)
Core Title
Cultivating the arts in rural communities of the San Joaquin valley
School
School of Fine Arts
Degree
Master of Public Art Studies
Degree Program
Public Art Studies
Publication Date
12/11/2008
Defense Date
09/12/2008
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
community arts,Murals,OAI-PMH Harvest,Photography,public art,rural,San Joaquin Valley,Theater
Place Name
California
(states),
Ireland
(countries),
USA
(countries),
valleys: San Joaquin
(geographic subject)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Bray, Anne (
committee chair
), Decter, Joshua (
committee member
), Lacy, Suzanne (
committee member
)
Creator Email
cvelasco@otis.edu,valleygirl559@gmail.com
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m1910
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UC185917
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etd-Velasco-2440 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-145041 (legacy record id),usctheses-m1910 (legacy record id)
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etd-Velasco-2440.pdf
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145041
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Thesis
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Velasco, Consuelo E.
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texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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Repository Name
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Repository Location
Los Angeles, California
Repository Email
cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
community arts
public art