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Eve, Carole and Sara in front of Truly Affordable Housing created from recycled campaign signs. photo by Sara Zimmerman |
CommentsArt and Politics, Politics and Art
Published: December 12, 2006by Carole Sesko
Detainee by Hadrian Harper. Illustration depicting the horror of being detained.
Up close and personal with Truly Affordable Housing
photo by Sara Zimmerman
TAMA's last performance. Courtesy photo
Click on images for slideshow
Hi everyone! Were you one of the 1,000 people who attended TAMA’s performance the last weekend in November? It rocked! We have an unbelievable wealth of musical talent in our area. The range of skills and energy from the 51 performers was awe-inspiring and captivating throughout the four-hour production. TAMA (Truckee Alliance for the Music Arts) was started by a group of local musicians who wanted to push the level of performing arts in our region as far as possible. The group has produced 35 performances, spanning 17 years. Proceeds from the events were funneled back into the community, funding nearly $50,000 in music scholarships for local high school students, an array of musical equipment for schools and other groups, and a performing outlet for our local musicians. Sadly, this production was titled “Last Waltz.” The group may be officially going into retirement but a dream of theirs remains.
According to president Bob French, one big factor in TAMA's conception and ironically, retirement, is “the lack of a dependable performance venue. This is a factor that will continue to plague every performing arts organization in Truckee and North Tahoe communities until we collectively make the performing arts a sufficient priority, and demand from our civic and community leaders that a first class performance venue be built.”
Bravo to Bob French for speaking the truth. At Friday night's performance, which I attended, Truckee Donner Park and Recreation District board member, Peter Werbel, took the stage in an impromptu presentation to announce a “community cultural facility” in phase three of their new recreation center. The first two phases have funding, while the district is proposing a bond measure to fund the third. In view of such obvious need for this resource, I have to ask, ‘why doesn't Park and Rec. build the community cultural facility in the fully-funded phase one or two?’ Why not use the bond measure to fund the additional recreational and parks facilities? Are the priorities of the TDPRD board in line with the priorities of the community they serve?
In May 2006, the district released a Strategic Plan for a Performing Arts Theater, which was compiled at their request by a consultant team called Venue Tech. This document is a blueprint for a facility tailored to the specific needs of the Truckee and North Tahoe Community. It's a fascinating read, and I strongly urge everyone interested to obtain a copy from TDPRD and look it over. Talk to your board representatives, attend the board meetings, and let them know your thoughts on what kind of amenities Truckee needs first. Let's make a quality performing arts facility a first priority for our community. Let's give groups like TAMA a place to continue their tradition.
On to another topic: what results when you put together a huge pile of outdated campaign signs with the imaginations of three artists? Controversy!
I have to comment on the Truly Affordable Housing sculpture created by “Party of Three,” a collaborative art group formed by Eve Werner, Sara Zimmerman, and myself. This story is reminiscent of Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant, in that it has to do with one man's garbage and unexpected twists of fate. A little background information: this summer, Sara, Eve, and I started meeting regularly to critique each other’s artwork, which helped each of us to expand our thinking about our individual art processes. This led us to try an experiment, and see what would happen if we each worked on the same artwork. Are three heads better than one? We devised a rotation system, maintained a photographic record on each stage of progress, and began to form a body of artwork we titled “Collaboration.”
Well, the recycling old campaign signs idea started innocently enough. Out of genuine concern for our bulging landfills, Sara sent out an email requesting campaign sign donations after the election, and the candidates’ response was overwhelming. Once we collected 350 signs, we got together to figure out what to build with them. We tossed around ideas like a Trojan horse or a house of cards, then we came up with “A Truly Affordable House.” We sketched the basic design on scrap paper, did some math, and constructed six panels to assemble into a house. We decided to make full use of the materials donated to us, including the wooden stakes, and minimize the use of our carpentry skills. Various symbolic meanings emerged as we worked on the sculpture: for example, does the red duct tape we used make you think of government?
The resulting structure is an eye-catching, boldly-colored, simple ‘house’ that possibly could sleep four. Once it was constructed, the public and press began to interpret it. Some of those interpretations caught us off guard, since our intention was simple: to build a sculpture out of recycled materials that would cause people to think. Recycling and affordable housing are both hot topics in this town. We hoped it would spur discussion and that people would see the humor in it, as we did when we constructed it.
Is this political art? Because it is physically made of political materials, it seems to have fallen into that category. Was it designed to offend anyone or any group? No. If it is interpreted that way, please accept our sincere apologies for any misunderstanding. What does the sculpture mean? We are finding it means a lot of different things to different people.
Hadrian Harper is a local artist who intentionally works with themes of a political nature. Originally working with watercolor, oil, pen, and ink, Hadrian turned to computerized digital imagery to explore compositions and further his understanding of light and shadow through his artworks. I asked Hadrian why he makes political statements in his art. His response was, “It's a way to be heard, like poetry or other art forms. It's my way of voicing my reaction to the status quo, and be honest in expressing my reactions.” To learn more about Hadrian Harper and his artwork, visit 4digiart.com or call 775-972-4271.
A recent article in the December 2006 business periodical Art Calendar discusses cultural pressure and self-censorship. It raises questions about whether some artists produce only pretty art because they are afraid of cultural repercussions. If one doesn't express what one truly thinks, is that being true to yourself? The decision is a personal choice, of course, but it is worthy of discussion.
Looking forward to seeing you around town and hearing about your creative ideas.
~ Carole Sesko is an artist and designer with a passion for promoting creativity within our community. Contact Carole at 530-587-7750 or www.carolesesko.com.
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