pushing paint charlotte laurance
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preface In writing this book I have obtained new insight into the way we react to things as humans. Throughout the process of interviewing my fascinating subjects, I have learned a copious amount of ways to access my resilience as a young, creative person. I believe I am now able to better understand how important it is to have a creative outlet and take advantage of all the opportunities you are given to create. In more than one instance, I noticed the irony in exploring the topic of the resilient creative because I too ran into many moments where I had to access my perseverance. Despite an extensive amount of scheduling complications and a lack of availability, I was able to cultivate something I believe conveyed the message I was trying to uncover. Additionally I was fortunate enough to discover a newfound passion for documentary. I came to the conclusion that I could have easily allowed this project to slip away from me and realized that without the selection of my topic it just may have. I found myself highly motivated to generate something I was proud solely because of the stories and anecdotes I explored during this process. I had initially gone into this project interested in profiling an interesting artist in the city of San Francisco. I love the city and it seemed to be very accessible, but watched it morph into to an examination of the character that an artist in San Francisco must encompass. I hope readers of this book are able to realize the value that lies within our creativity. We are in the midst of a time where we must find peaceful ways to communicate our dissension and none of that can be possible without a resilient mindset.
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table of contents intro an artful alley
six nine
demand for displacement
thirteen
painting a future
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works cited
twenty one
author bio
twenty three 5
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introduction Vibrant murals and mosaics line the streets, paving paths to quirky pottery shops and quaint art studios. After a short walk through the Sunset district, you will find yourself at Three Fish Studios, the sole embodiment and proud member of an art scene that has had its share of obstacles. Annie Galvin and Eric Rewitzer, owners of their studio, work to keep their craft alive and continue to bring in customers day after day. Their resiliency and combative attitudes contribute to keeping the art scene alive in San Francisco. Annie and Eric are just two of the revolutionary artists in the city who are fueled by a resilient attitude. San Francisco has always had a very strong presence of impactful art. In Picturing Chinatown: Art and Orientalism in San Francisco, the author prefaces his book by reflecting on some revolutionary artists dating back all the way to 1911. He discusses the Chinese Revolutionary Artists’ Club, a group that formed in Chinatown during the time that the Immigration Act was passed in the United States. The group, led by Yun Gee, created paintings in order to express their political views on the discrimination they were facing. Lee writes, “Furthermore, it describes Yun Gee’s efforts to link the two spheres, modernist art, and revolutionary politics, suggesting both the historical basis for that effort and the immense difficulties involved in maintaining it” ( 6). After conducting all my research, I learned that this idea of rWesilience was instilled into the artist’s’ mind early on. Even early creatives were able to understand the connection between art and current issues, and how essential this connection is to voicing your opinion. Flash forward to today, and a socially and economically diverse city puts all of its characters out on display for the world to see, making it an artistic hub for tourists around the world. Sadly, with an expected population growth to come in 2018 the artist is in danger of being displaced. High prices for studio and gallery space in areas like the Mission District are minimizing the availability of spaces for artists to display and create their work. According to Annie Galvin, “It is a very expensive city to live in and a lot of artists are getting pushed out because studio space is expensive.” With gentrification and technological interest on the rise, the artist must get creative in all senses of the word. Organizations of artists are banding together in order to help one another kickstart a career in a city that presents many obstacles, while others are simply using their art to convey a message. Fortunately, the art scene in SF is resilient and has formed a strong community of art consumers and artists that will combat the effects of overpopulation and gentrification. 7
an artful alley
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A tradition of expressive art in San Francisco dates back to the forties and fifties with the introduction of institutions such as galleries and museums. Over the years these institutions have become much more popular with the number or art galleries in San Francisco reaching 164 in 2015. The introduction of these galleries allows for the sense of history and sophistication to be very prominent throughout the city. However, as I learned from my interviewee Eric Rewitzer, galleries are a wonderful institution but they also take at least fifty percent of all your sales. Not only are your sales compromised, but your freedom on what you can sell to who is also out of your control. With the expansion of artists using the gallery model, there is a serious threat of a once vibrant and almost youthful art culture, reverting back to a more sophisticated one. For some, especially those who create commercial works, this may be the ideal direction they want to take their art in, but for those who are self-supporting artists, there is a real fear of losing the culture that drives the work that they make. When a city grows, obviously its cultural identity does as well. However, through all the change that has been thrown at the city, from the Earthquake of 1906 to the Summer of Love movement, creatives in the city have always been able to adapt. Lining the streets with murals to combat these changing times, and creating art campaigns to challenge tough political situations, the artist will always fight back. W
San Francisco exemplifies this resilient spirit perfectly with programs like the Clarion Alley Mural Project. Clarion Alley can be found in the mission district. Artists have been creating murals and showing off their street art here since 1992. The Murals consist of large quantities of abstract and landscape pieces, but most prominently, pieces that demonstrate a provocative message. With slogans like “tax the right,” “housing is a human right,” and “capitalism is over if you want it,” artists are banding together for a common cause. For centuries, art has been used to deal with tough times that individuals, or even a whole city or nation face. San Francisco uses its vibrant murals to convey a sense of community, when its community may be in danger. Exemplified by the murals at Clarion Alley, San Francisco has also been a place where people can take 9
from larger issues, because of its infectious and comforting culture. In turn, it has become a home for some of the most powerful creatives that the nation has to offer. While today a lot of murals and works of public art focus on the issues I have mentioned, such as gentrification, San Francisco has always been a safe haven for all issues. For instance, this tradition was truly made popular in the 1960s with the Mission’s Chicano Mural Project, instituted by the Latin Americans, who illustrated their hopes and struggles which were part of the larger Civil Rights Movement. Teresa Acosta, an author from UC Berkeley, explains this experience in an article entitled, “Arriba.” She writes, “Around the state, most of the artists, some formally trained and others self-taught, worked in collaboration with community volunteers, often teenagers who were recruited for specific projects, to fashion the murals, to affirm cultural identity and challenge racism.” The Chicano Mural Project is yet another example of the early efforts that have more than carried on into today’s society, to use art as a means for expressing concern regarding political injustices. Unfortunately, for some, the reality of current day issues can be too overbearing to be mitigated with the use of art.
Depicted on the right: Chicano Mural in Claion Alley 10
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demand for displacement
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David Brenkus has lived in a rent-controlled apartment, which he began renting in 1982, for 34 years in Duboce Triangle, located in the center of San Francisco. He makes his living as a cabinetmaker. His building has just been bought, and he is now being evicted. While living in his apartment, David’s rent was $735 a month, for two bedrooms. The high rent control in San Francisco has hurt him in the long run and will force him to run into to complications when trying to enter the modern housing market after living in the same location for 34 years. It is more than likely that he will also find complications trying to keep up his craft while dealing with the process of finding new housing and combatting the costs. After speaking with Eric Rewitzer about the topic of displacement, I learned that this is a very common occurrence in neighborhoods all around San Francisco. According to Rewitzer, “The mission is expensive and you know those buildings are being transitioned to higher rent paying clients, and that is really hard to see people getting displaced cause the landlord wants to make money.” David is a perfect example of this occurrence and how the housing market in San Francisco poses a great obstacle for artists. New threats of overpopulation and gentrification threaten to push local artists into regions with lower price points because the landlord’s ultimate goal is to make money. Essentially, for some, the only option is to vacate their properties in areas like San Francisco and try to keep up their craft elsewhere. Unfortunately, with lower price points can come a possibility for lower cultural identity. Artists are forced to make a trade-off between pursuing a career in the area they want to be surrounded by, or pursuing an alternate career in order to keep themselves afloat. Aside from artists being kicked out of their homes, another problem arises as well. Spaces that were previously being occupied for studios, galleries, and showrooms, are being replaced by housing. San Francisco, a city with a population estimated to be over 870,000 in 2017, needs more space for more people. When the demand for living area becomes more dominant over the demand for artist space we see the displacement of the artist one again. The truth is that the tech boom has forced an overbearing gentrification on the city of San Francisco. The tech boom, or “dot come bubble” saw a rapid increase of technological activity in jobs and research from 1995-2001. With technology on the rise, the need for housing is much more pressing than the need for artist space. As our society becomes more advanced, more tech jobs are available, but not only does the aspect of technology create artists displacement, it also threatens the very production of art. As time has gone on, digitized forms of art have become more popular. The accessibility and aesthetic have become increasingly popular and threatens to take the place of nondigitized works Technology can also potentially hinder the way art is accessed, and eventually marginalize its; creative value. I spoke to artist John Littleboy about this issue. John creates paintings, greeting cards, mugs and other small pieces for his company Artiphany. He explained to me that one of the struggles he has faced has been competing with the tech industry. He said, “The internet blurs things. It can potentially completely change the regional distinctions that cities like San Francisco have.” Littleboy explicates how the introduction to the can directly affect the way consumers access art. When a piece of work becomes accessible to everyone 13
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it inherently begins to lose value. While the internet obviously allows us to access works in ways we were previously never exposed to, it may not be one hundred percent beneficial to the San Franciscan art scene as a whole. Compromise of cultural value is the last thing that San Francisco needs when considering the everyday obstacles that their typical artist faces.
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painting a future
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The journey of the artist in San Francisco is anything but smooth. Facing adversaries such as gentrification and displacement, one has to be patient and persevere if they want to make a name for themselves. That’s where we really see the resiliency kick in. I have been able to gather from examining multiple perspectives and conducting research, that when people are faced with misfortune, their instinct is to combat it. This really shines through with the artist. The mission district, being a very populous area in the city, often struggles with gentrification. A local artist there, Josue Rojas is combatting the effects of gentrification through his work. His campaign, “!Géntromancer!” includes a broadsheet with a wide variety of students, teachers, and poets responding to the theme of gentrification. Contributors include everyone from young students in San Francisco’s juvenile justice system to San Francisco’s poet laureates. Rojas demonstrates just one way of how the creative community uses their passion for countering gentrification. Similarly, Eric Rewitzer, established printmaker, published a print following the astonishing results that came out of the recent election. This print depicts the California Bear holding the state in its’ arms. Time Magazine writer Katy Steinmetz interviewed Rewitzer and he said, “What happened after the election is I felt I have to stand up. I can’t take for granted that this is the way good people think everywhere.” Clearly, all over the city creatives are using their talents to tap into uncharted waters and boldly speak out against political issues. Additionally, Eric and Annie have also joined a cause to rally together the creative community. They are part of an
organization called Artspan, consisting of around 11 hundred artists, who are all at different points in their career. The goal of the organization is to support artists and culminate a community of people for the artist to rely on as they are trying to establish themselves. This community allows for artists to be notified when there are open spaces, that can be used for shows and galleries, allows for artists to create websites through the Artspan platform, and allows for them to meet tons of artists to collaborate with. The organization essentially allows for all artists to showcase their work without the interruptions of factors that will hinder their ability to do so. On their website, Artspan advertises in their mission statement, “We are guided by the belief that artists play a vital role in society and that broad public engagement with their work is essential to defining a new cultural environment for our changing city.” They perfectly illustrate the ideal mindset that all the artists I spoke with possess. Artspan, as well as the entirety of the art community in San Francisco, understands the importance in acknowledging the everchanging circumstances of the city’s environment and then finding creative ways to attack them. Many make the claim that the art scene is a lost cause. Individuals often argue that the community is no match for the tech world and it will soon be run out of business. An article entitled, “The Arts Are Struggling to Survive in San Francisco. Here’s Why.” explicates this viewpoint when they write,”Besides the necessity of a day job amenable to the artist lifestyle, most of the reasons the arts are dying in San Francisco are about real estate prices. But beyond that, it’s the changing economic 17
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scape, the changing nature of work and quality-of-life laws that go hand in hand with gentrification, that will take it down� (Spencer). This mindset of negativity towards the survival of the art scene in San Francisco can be heavily contrasted with the actual opinion of the artist. As my interviewees explained to me, the art community is only growing and will only get stronger. Obviously, San Francisco has seen its fair share of ground shaking changes. In today’s fleeting society these changes should be expected. Whether it be a significant increase in population or the over-industrialization of the city, the artist is ultimately predicted to prevail. With access to multiple ways to display their work, and an exceptionally receptive community the artist truly does have the power to change the world. A resilient spirit is one of the most useful attributes to possess, especially in our current time period. The larger issue deals with compliance. The creatives have an important decision to make between remaining idle and allowing their resentment to fuel their activism. This choice can be applied to any individual, regardless of whether or not they are an artist.
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works cited ACOSTA, TERESA PALOMO. “CHICANO MURAL MOVEMENT.” ACOSTA, TERESA PALOMO. Chicano Studies Library Publications Unit, 11 June 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2017. Fragoza, Caribbean. “Art and Complicity: How the Fight Against Gentrification in Boyle Heights Questions the Role of Artists.” KCET. KCET, 01 Mar. 2017. Web. 24 Apr. 2017. Galvin, Annie. Personal Interview. 26 Mar. 2017. Laurnce, David. Personal Interview. 18 Mar. 2017. Lee, Anthony W. Picturing Chinatown : Art and Orientalism in San Francisco (1). Los Angeles: U of California, 2001. Ebrary RPA Login. University of California Press, Oct. 2001. Littleboy, John. Personal Interview. 24 Apr. 2017 Rewitzer, Eric. Personal Interview. 26 Mar. 2017. Spencer, Keith A. “The Arts Are Struggling to Survive in San Francisco. Here’s Why.” The Bold Italic. The Bold Italic, 02 Dec. 2015. Web. 24 W Steinmetz, Katy. “California Prepares to Resist the President in Uncertain Times.” Time. Time, 1 Feb. 2017. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
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Charlotte Laurance is a student at Los Altos High School and attends Freestyle Academy. She loves to paint, take photos and make all sorts of art. Her favorite part of the day is coming to freestyle. 23
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