Many of us have probably seen the press release above, issued on May 25, 2020, by the Minneapolis Police Department to explain the "incident" around George Floyd's death. At the risk of sounding like a preacher, I wanted to explicitly show it again here to stress the all important and key point: one person, one teenager no less, by the name of Darnella Frazier, had the courage to go out on a limb and got involved when she saw something she considered an injustice. By filming Derek Chauvin with his knee on George Floyd's neck for 9+ minutes, she might well have changed (we hope) the trajectory of policing in America for years to come. Other bystanders played their important parts too. Since I was a kid, I had this drummed into me, my mother being a victim of Nazi Germany: standing by is not an option for any of us if we want to see a just and better world. That lesson over and over again: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke.
This is how we change the world.
three things we love
I can't believe I missed this movie The Best of Enemies when it came out in 2019. I am usually up on these kinds of things, especially when it involves a movie with a subject like civil rights. But a mention by MSNBC's announcer Ali Velshi last Sunday morning thankfully led me to it now and I am super excited about its potential as a solution to so many of our problems in the United States today. Suffice it to say that it involves a man named Bill Riddick who had a vision of getting opposing sides together in an intensive way (called a charrette), meeting every day all day for a period of two weeks to solve a problem together. In the case of the movie, Durham, North Carolina was a very divided and volatile town that had to come up with a solution of what to do with black students when their school burnt down. Sometimes the best solutions are the most obvious ones that we have overlooked. If anyone knows someone with deep pockets like Bloomberg or Bill Gates who could fund an initiative like this, or any police chiefs or any government officials, I think this charrette thing, done on a massive scale, is both doable and potentially life changing for us Americans. Please watch the movie and tell me what you think.
The real Community Activist Ann Atwater and former Ku Klux Klan member C.P. Ellis
Bill Riddick
I always liked David Hockney but preferred his earlier work, paintings that were a little more raw in feel. (He got a little too prissy for me at times later on). But he defintely has wowed me with his digital drawings made on an ipad (using an app called Brushes) which are deceptively simple. I remember seeing a video of him creating a New Yorker cover many years ago, soon after the ipad just came out. I have seen this video countless times but never get tired of it. So cool to see the process of the layers piling up on each other, transforming into a beautiful, rich still life. Here too is a another process video of him sitting in a cafe at the Louisiana Museum outside of Copenhagen drawing a Calder sculpture (I recognized this wonderful favorite place of mine right away--aside from great art and a great building, they have a wonderful buffet lunch there too!). I also saw a show of his Yosemite Series at the Pace Gallery in Palo Alto a bunch of years ago and these ipad drawings were blown up to a height of eight feet--very impressive!
David Hockney Yosemite Series ipad drawing
David Hockney Still Life Ipad drawing
Roz Chast and Steve Martin (top) and cartoon by Roz Chast
Because this is kind of a serious blog this week, I decided that it would be good to try and provide some comic relief also, as laughter is one of the best things I know. I am bringing back one of my old time favorite funny people: cartoonist Roz Chast. Here she is being interviewed by another really funny guy, Steve Martin, at the New Yorker Festival back in 2014. What I like most about this conversation is that Chast really gets a kick out of herself and it is so fun and contagious to watch her laugh at her own jokes and cartoons.
It is possible that this type of humor might not be your cup of tea, as humor can be very personal, so if that is the case, go out and find something else to laugh about like I Love Lucy or these harmless kids mishap videos or an old, stupid family favorite: National Lampoon's European Vacation. Because laughter is the best medicine! If you won't take it from me, then trust Audrey Hepburn:
painting of the week
This series above, which I call my Childhood's End Series, is originally inspired by old vintage school charts and the drawings my parents saved of mine when I was a kid. Bits of these drawings are incorporated into the collage elements of the painting. What appeals to me is the order--I always liked lining things up so neatly. I am really getting into these light blues, lavenders, and soft greens these days. And yes, finally, more nature in my daily life!
Mother's Day is around the corner. Below are links to Smilow + Mathiesen ArtSHOP products. Please consider us when in need of a special gift.
Self Portrait going grey in the time of Covid…
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her, check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.