Program Guest Speaker and Video Discussion Report June 27, 2022

On June 27th, the BUF BLM Action Ministry team welcomed filmmaker Remy Strike to a Zoom discussion of his locally filmed Juneteenth video I Am The Hope And The Dream created for local school districts.  The film featured Black youth and community leaders from the area discussing the meaning of Juneteenth. Remy is a multi-talented musician and videographer working out of New Jersey. The Ferndale Chamber of Commerce recruited him to make the film.

Remy described the process of making the film from shooting to editing, how it was scripted, and how those interviewed reacted to the process.  Each participant was interviewed separately, and everyone had a lot of fun.  Remy was surprised at how comfortable and safe he felt in their company. One youth was inspired to learn more about videography.  30 hours of footage was captured covering a variety of interview topics, and Remy hopes to make a longer, broader video.

The participating BLM team audience asked a series of questions before Remy left the Zoom call. Then a general discussion of reaction to the video followed.  One remark was that the film crew and interviewees had created a beloved community during the filming.

Program Guest Speaker Report June 20, 2022

 On June 20th, the BUF BLM Action Ministry team welcomed assemblage artist Ed Bereal and his wife, abstract painter Barbara Sternberger, as guest speakers.

The couple explained that in 1993, Ed began teaching at Western Washington and the couple moved from Southern California to an ideal farm house in north Bellingham.  Although their political views differed greatly from their new neighbors, the couple became part of a rural community that bonded and looked out for each other.  Ed described the area as having similar social issues to inner city minority neighborhoods

Already a successful artist addressing American stereotypes, Ed told the life-changing story of being in the middle of the National Guard occupation of greater Watts following the riots. The experience moved his practice to greater activism, including the street theater group Bodacious Buggerrilla.

Ed explained the artist expression behind his creation of a unique style of assemblage art that addresses current racial and political issues.  He is currently perfecting a holographic technique to convey his political perspective.

Ed discussed a planned mural project at the Community Co-op in Bellingham that addresses racism.  The project took many months of discussion before a design was agreed to.

Q&A followed.

Minutes of June 13th Business Meeting

Present: David Curley, Rupert Ayton, Murray Bennet, Claire Lending, Mike Betz, Joseph McCarty, Cat McIntyre, Naomi Gary (taking minutes)

1. George Floyd/BLM Memorial wrap up

a. $$ raised so far…over $2k

b. We need to write a letter thanking the speakers and include an outreach to other faith communities seeking more funds (Naomi will write a draft)

c. Rupert is asking PSE to contribute funds

2. Brave Space Practice Adoption Discussion in July before next speaker

Read these two articles to understand what a ‘Brave Space’ is and how we may use it for our 3rd Monday speaker sessions:

https://www.citybureau.org/notebook/2019/12/19/safe-spaces-brave-spaces-and-why-we-gon-be-alright

https://artscorps.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Brave-Space-Agreeements.pdf

3. Anti-Racism Reflection Minutes

Naomi reached out to SEJC members for input in expanding our messaging.

Kara, Beth and Deb agreed we should try to organize the AR moments outside 

of BLM meetings.  Naomi to bring up at the next CBC Forum tomorrow night.

4. Program Meeting Speakers

6/20 Ed Bereal (local activist artist) and partner Barbara Sternberger $100 honorarium approved by SEJC (Rupert to get check from BUF Admin)

Discussion topics are: 1) experience with moving to Bellingham in 1990s, 2) reflect on James Baldwin’s “the purpose of art is to lay bare the questions which have been hidden by the answers” and 3) the Community Co-op mural project

July Speaker …. Rupert to ask Shovia to join us 7/25

8/22       Shu-Ling Zhao (Chuckanut Health Foundation) 

Potential Speakers for 9/19, 10/17, 11/21, 12/19

Clyde Ford (Author)

Jason McGill (at NWYS)

TeeJay Morris (NWYS, Juneteenth Coordinator, Bellingham Unity Committee)

Demani Johnson (retired WWU professor)

Whatcom Human Rights Taskforce

Flo Simon (Interim COB Police Chief)

Debra Lekanoff (WA State Rep)

Sislena Ledbetter (WWU ED for Counseling, Health and Wellness)

WWU Black Student Union representative

We plan to ask the BUF Board to support $50 Honorariums

5. Reading Group Topics

Suggested that we avoid books in favor of videos, podcasts and articles

June 27th    Juneteenth video by Remy Styrk     remy@remystyrk.com

here is the link to the video on YouTube: 

https://youtu.be/gG3n9mMKRB8

and here is the link to the website: 

https://sites.google.com/view/connectferndale/juneteenth?authuser=0

Also, we intend to reach out to Children of the Setting Sun for other documentaries about local Indigenous issues.

6. Black Community Center at BUF

a. Paul is in favor of making the space available gratis

b. We continue to outreach to leaders in the BIPOC community including Shovia M.

7. Other Ongoing Topics…the work continues

a. Interface with SEJC and Beloved Community

i. Naomi is writing the SEJC Quarterly Reports and attending meetings

b. Naomi posting regularly on BUF BLM Facebook page

c. Polling the BLM mailing list for suggestions

d. Assembling and organizing anti-racism educational content

e. Linking with other BLM groups in Whatcom or forming a BLM chapter and creating a network map of all BIPOC groups

f. Maintaining a list of possible personal actions such as voting rights and school curriculum

i. Claire to help organize a UU the Vote event at BUF

ii. David to develop Micro Aggression response mini trainings

g. Maintaining a list of Black-owned businesses in Whatcom County

h. Possible community projects—we have noted that Bellingham lacks a documented Black history and plaques memorializing locations of notable events

8. Social Media

a. Rupert to develop our Blog (especially as a resource of our programs and books)

b. Mike to help with RSS feed and subscription button

c. Rupert to expand our Breeze Mailing List

9. Community Actions

6/18 at Maritime Park JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION

Next Business Planning Meeting on zoom:  July 2022

Respectfully submitted

Naomi Gary, Co-Facilitator

AR Reflection of June 12th on Art and Racism

This morning’s reflection is about an issue I was deeply immersed in during my 10 years at the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation: institutional racism toward Native art.

Walk into a major art museum in the United States and you will likely find an “American” gallery.  Whose art is on display there?  Americans, right?  But wait, which Americans?  Lanape, Lakota, Tlingit?  Probably not.  Our Native artists are rarely exhibited in the “American” Gallery.  Often, their work is found in an ethnographic gallery.  Maybe even a transnational ethnographic gallery.  Why?

Let’s go a step further.  If you want to go to university and study Native art, will you find it in art history classes?  Probably not, unless you attend the Institute of American Indian Arts.  More likely, you will find it in anthropology and Native studies classes.  And those curators of those ethnographic galleries?  They typically have PhDs in anthropology, not art history. And how many are actually Native?

And what about the critics and gallerists, who are so important to the art world?  I remember a comment from a well-meaning San Francisco gallerist when referring to Native art. He said it was still stuck in the “identity art” phase.  When is art not about identity?  I guess when it is by a white artist in a white world

The good news is art museums are starting to adjust.  Let me give you an example.

A few years ago, the Portland Art Museum’s Native Gallery Curator took issue with the Museum Director over an exhibition of donated early 20th Century Edward Curtis photographs.  The exhibition was planned as a paean to the wealthy donors.  The curator, a Chumash woman, voiced a common Native objection to Curtis’s posed, period-stereotypical images of the “disappearing” American Indian.  Chastened by the realization that the images could be considered racist, the Museum Director agreed to exhibit the Curtis images in conjunction with the art of three contemporary Native artists, Wendy Red Star, Zig Jackson, and Will Wilson. A coup for them, and the curator.

And, if Curtis photographed your ancestor, you put aside your distaste for him, and treasured the image, as well as the Native artists being exhibited.

The thing is, museum directors have to cater to their public, and their donors, while gallerists have to cater to their patrons.  And sometimes, it is those well-meaning donors and patrons, who profess a love for Native art, and want it segregated for their appreciation. Is that ghettoizing Native art?  Native artists can be split on this.  Some want to get out of the ethnographic space.  Some want to stay in it.  But there’s a third choice.  There is tremendous power in Native artists exhibiting together, in a dedicated space, such as Portland’s Center for Native Arts and Cultures.

Locally, go to the Lightcatcher, and walk the Many Wests exhibition, where several Native artists are included.  Look at the piece by Wendy Red Star.  Then look up her website and look at her art.  It’s complex, and makes a point, as good art should.  It is a celebration of being Absaroka—Crow to you—and as a guest in Indian Country, I greatly appreciate that. Thank you.