Today is the second day of February. This means we are in Black People’s History Month day two. This entry is an attempt to hone perception viewing Black Art.
Vital Information Dr. William Byron Rumford's birthday is today.
February 2, 1908- June 12, 1986
Dearest Readers,
Please believe that I made this Medieval Black Plague Doctor’s mask specifically for this conversation. This hat serves two purposes. First it is a birthday hat when placed upon the bronze of Dr. Rumford. Second, the hat makes me the Medival doctor diagnosing some real sick acts and it makes me the classroom dunce because I have the balls to take action.
Also, please take a second to process things are very simple but complicated primarily because miscommunication is what we commercially exchange buying into crap. Black Lives Matter because we are the biggest consumers. Any commerce sales being successful is called business that runs in the black. I am going to try to make this as comprehensive as possible. Those reading this entry understand I am writing to please me because I am disgusted completely examining professional Art. This entire website is designed to show the ridiculous short comings in real Professional Art and how I as an educated professional am marginalized and intentional excluded.
Sincerely, ♻️CE❣️
Okay, folks together let's first understand that Carter G. Woodson initially established making Black History asking for the second week in February. The educational development and professional achievements of Black People have been so great and expansive we took over the whole month. Now, I am hyper focused using Dr. William Byron Rumford because he is the very first black person to receive a PhD on the West Coast.
His Academic achievement has great weight and deepest meaning because I personally am a product of Education. I have a MA in Art and a ridiculous amount of debt attached. Given all this chaos presented herein I am trying to figure out how to make an Art PhD. There are two problems in one. This dualism is that I cannot find any gainful employment at all pre covid-19 and somehow people barely can process that my capacity exceeds being just merely an artist. I make things all the time effortlessly. I don't really tell people I am an artist. I am an an expert using a trained eye. In fact, the term artist is so presently abused it is really is an insult for any to refer calling me that.
This bronze statue hurts my eyes specifically because the artist is not properly trained making effective strong impressive sculptural work for this powerful man. This statue is offensive to professional art primarily because the proportions are horribly off or wrong. The head was overworked on a table and placed on the presented ill fitting torso. It is beyond obvious the project was funded improperly because the artist name sticks out and pops off the plaque. I don't want to pick apart the work because no one obviously cared prior to making clay metal. What really has my head rotating ire is that somehow nobody has ever read the quote of this man's thought on the actual displayed plaque.
Personally, I had to contact this artist and our conversation was dead before it started because the artist immediately told me she calls the statue Mr. Rumford. I understand her feeling close enough to the work to make that personal connection. The problem is that this emphasizes that she doesn't really respect his hard work making a very powerful life. This artist makes copies of pleasing objects so whatever is produced seems good enough. The simple truth is if the statue was a remarkable piece of work it would be on a pedestal. Recently the city expanded the cement base around it for night lights. I don't and can't believe a thing anyone says because all the effort shows lack of any real care.
All anyone has to do is take a walk around neighborhood that was designed for black people. These homeowners know and admit openly that they have gentrified South Berkeley completely. The problem that has been exchanged in this property buying is a very subtle notion that black people cannot properly take care of assets or handle values owning anything. What is unreal is how impossible it is to secure gainful lucrative employment to do anything. Honestly, I am still trying to remove trauma from January 1, 2020 a European teenager's mother telling me I didn't know my place in Flacos a local vegan restaurant.
Here is the real problem. The artist of this bronze statue is someone who had enough money to switch careers and take up something she enjoys that is being a working artist. The problem is that she is used to a very competitive market having been a broadcaster married to a former professional athlete. When the area's local online news made a story up about this website she decided to make a public statement that stated "Get your own statue."
The problem is that no real artist would ever say that. Real artists know art is to be shared. Real artists know what the statement on the plaque means. The plaque says all should be able to move around freely. This luxury artist destroyed me as a viable being specifically because she processed my economics being poor. She does not value my degrees or expertise as a fellow black woman. She knew I was black and trashed me and my professional experience in an article that implied I was a racist. That is sum news.
The last image above is a page from a local black news paper called Berkeley Tri-City Post. This mindful paper placed an article about Holistic Well Being for Black People with a mural of a 2020 high school graduate with police in the background. This mural is downtown Oakland and is located exactly next to paint that I made demanding October as a second Black History Month. What is problematic is that people are again impressed by copying. This mural is photo realism. This skill impresses people who think they have no artistic talent. The skill doesn't make the person an artist... it simple catches others attention. This image was painted by the high school art teacher and a black woman who has a degree in communications and works in the public media like the bronze sculptor.
What the average viewer needs to process is both these women are not producing Fine Art work. They both hold commercially invested careers and their art is fame seeking using their career field in media to gain likes and recognition. What really bothers me about this mural is the side border text is begging for education. If anyone read for actual content they would understand ignorance is bliss. Personally, I cannot cater to any ignorance. I exist in it doesn't pay to be smart. I will gladly take intelligence before anyone else. It is easier to do things using a working brain that embraces all versus perpetuates fear and nasty relations for traumatized people. None can do better until we all disassemble the mean horrible patterns that reflect selfishness. Our problem is Black People have raised some really rich brats and those people think only about themselves. Sharing is caring and Black People's History is a reality that is just that, simple.
Febraury 3, 2021 I am constantly trying to understand things. And the one thing that I really excluded from this was one that William Byron Rumford wasn't an actual doctor he might be referred to as a politician. The reality is though anyone whose priority is poor black people's sexual reproductive health automatically gets termed Doctor. I am making and call him a doctor because that is why he opened and fought for his business as pharmacy. What is really emotional for me is I understand why he pushed so hard. This man came from Courtland Arizona. It currently is a ghost town and has been such for quite some time. People don't read for real content. Most read using a glance few read to understand depth and meanings. This town was founded the year before he was born and fall apart while he pursued developing his education. He knew what annihilation was first hand. Honestly, not one politician since I have lived here has really put forth care or insight realizing that Black People are few and far between barely surviving. Why? Despite being elected all the time the home owners demands supersede the marginalized. I know this last local election I was the only person who wrote my name in for the position of Mayor.
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