Photos and info from Path's of Resistance

As promised, here are photos and info from my most recent show with ECA (Eugene Contemporary Art), Path's of Resistance.

Show Overview

Show Overview

Path’s of Resistance is 9 new works of art focusing on race issues and water. Thinking about water objectively can be difficult since it’s easy to take for granted. Access to water, an elemental component to sustaining life, has given rise to increasing levels of desperation and competition. As control over it becomes further embattled in the fight for commodification and consumption, an increasing atmosphere of tension emerges. It is within this atmosphere that race relations become stretched thin revealing the ways in which water issues effect different races in various ways. The pieces shown here examine a few of the water issues facing the African American, Mexican American, and Caucasian communities.

State of Oregon vs. Gary Harrington, 2015

State of Oregon vs. Gary Harrington, 2015

blue barrel, borosilicate glass, hooks, mixed media paint on table

Using a common blue rain barrel, this piece highlights issues of public and private access to water. While large corporations remove millions of gallons of water from the local river’s in Oregon, it is simultaneously

large corporations remove millions of gallons of water from the local river’s in Oregon, it is simultaneously illegal to collect rain water for personal use. This fact shocked and alarmed many people when an article about Oregon native Gary Harrington doing precisely that, surfaced on the net. While Mr. Harrington was imprisoned for collecting excess amounts of water, his struggle did succeed in illuminating a strange and unfortunate law that technically makes it illegal to collect rain water in blue barrels.

moving on...

California Measure AB-1, 2015

California Measure AB-1, 2015

mixed media paint on canvas, wood, faucet hardware, borosilicate glass

Predicting this year’s extreme drought conditions California State Assembly representatives voted 74-0 enact a law prohibiting home owner associations from fining their residents for failing to water their lawns.

Glendora residents Michael and Laura Korte, concerned about the drought like many other Californians, opted against watering their lawn in an effort to conserve water. However, on the same day that the state government announced that those who over-water their lawns will face a $500 fine, the Korte household received a notice from Glendora’s city government requiring them to green up their lawn in 60 days or else face penalties. This piece highlights issues of their struggle.

continuing on...

Why not, perhaps, use water cannons?, 2015

Why not, perhaps, use water cannons?, 2015

burlap sacks, shelf, fire hose, borosilicate glass

When CNN anchor Rosemary Church casually mentioned using fire hoses on the rioting crowd in Ferguson MO, instant backlash emerged over the seemingly racist remark. The history of civil rights protests and the use of the fire hose have cemented it firmly in the public opinion as a strong symbol of racism against African Americans. So much so that a potentially effective tool of crowd management is not even considered an option due to racial insensitivity.

The burlap sack, another symbol of racism and slavery hang above the fire hose, now shelved and barely dribbling, as a symbol of solidarity and rising above racism.

follow along...

Thank you McKinney PD for keeping us safe. 2015

Thank You McKinney PD for keeping us safe, 2015

mixed media paint and tile on wood, with hooks and towels

When out of control Texas police officer Eric Casebolt slammed a young African-American’s face into the dirt he had inadvertently participated in a decades old battle of swimming pools and race relations. Sharing the public swimming pool is an emotional and enduring issue that places children in the center of controversy and paranoia. Historical accounts tell us of locker room violence to young African Americans after public pools were de-segregated half a century ago. The story of Officer Casebolt and his actions seem to echo the past and remind us that racial tensions at the swimming pool still exist.

tally-ho...

Whites only/Blacks only no. 2, 2015

Whites Only/Blacks only no. 2, 2015

mixed media paint on wood, with faucet hardware and borosilicate glass

The segregation of public water fountains makes clear the dehumanizing effect of Jim Crow laws. Forcing a person to drink from different sources based upon their race not only elucidates a lack of respect but a pathologically destructive attitude towards African Americans. The Whites only/Blacks only pieces question access to drinking water in our modern society where it is against the law to refuse a drink of water to anyone, despite racist motivations.

further down the rabbit hole...

Cabeza Prieta 1, 2015

Cabeza Prieta 1, 2015

spray paint, water jugs, flannel shirt, mixed media on canvas, faucet hardware, concrete blocks

(installation view)

Cabeza Prieta 1-3

Cabeza Prieta 1-3

The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge is a perilous wasteland, where many travelers have lost their lives in pursuit of the American dream. These pieces highlight the challenges of collecting and carrying enough water. Whether traveling on foot or by ATV water is the most important factor to survival in the desert.

With the help of NGO’s a small number of outposts and water stations are built to help travelers survive the long journey through the desert. Clandestine and often illegal well pumps also provide an increasing number of travelers limited access to water. These stations often become impromptu camps, meeting points or life- saving oasis from the unrelenting heat.

Repeated warning signs written in Spanish dot the border proclaiming: "Don't put your life in danger. There is no water, distances are very long, the area is very hot and dry, there is no rescue." They also illustrated that the usual destination, U.S. Interstate 8, is a hundred kilometers (62 miles) away, by the shortest possible path.

ATV tracks dug deep into the desert landscape are indicative of drug and human trafficking as well as black jugs. They spray paint their jugs black in order to avoid overhead detection by border patrol agents.