Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. Consult repository for copyright holder information California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, Dept of Special Collections, Donald Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010; cema@library.ucsb.edu (805) 893-8563
Description
"Man in blackface holds up dress against wooden fence background with text over printed in the form of an eye chart reading "Some Indignities Persist". Images of people in blackface have been a source of both disturbance and fascination to me. These images are intensely powerful in both their literal statements and in their ability to allow the viewer to create a context through the bias of their associations. Generations of African Americans have suffered grievous injury at the hands of people whose livelihood was derived from creating and reinforcing stereotypes through blackface minstrelsy. The creation of a stereotype was an essential element in maintaining white America's illusion of superiority. It characterized us as buffoons and tricksters, as inherently lazy and immoral and perennial children who were dependent on the paternalism of our "masters" for survival. Slavery, even the post emancipation more subliminal variety, was contingent on making its victims appear to be less than human. The images I've used are taken from late nineteenth century photographs of vaudeville and minstrel show performers. Ironically, blackface minstrelsy, through its wholesale appropriation of African American culture, is recognized as the "America;s first indigenous musical-theater genre." Manifestations exist to this day in everything from black stand-up comedy to the "crews" and "posses" of hip-hop. My work entreats the viewer to look at these images, while at the same time looking through them, to discover an alternate context. It is my hope that the work might offer a glimpse into the origins of some conscious or subconscious contemporary thinking with regard to race, color, and gender. If you are discomforted by what you see, I invite you to examine those feelings, for out of this examination will come enlightenment." Colors used: Rust/Beige, Off White, Dark Gray, and Gray Black. The artist of any work retains all rights to that work. Copyright has not been assigned to the Regents of the University of California. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. No further reproduction is permitted without prior written permission by the artist or copyright holder. Any requests for permission to reproduce this piece must be directed to: Self-Help Graphics & Art 3802 Cesar E. Chavez Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90063 For further information: (323) 881-6444 Fax: (323) 881-6447 info@selfhelpgraphics.com
Chicano art Chicanos Mexican American art Mexican Americans Prints Blackface entertainers Racism Racism in art Graphic arts Posters Stereotypes Ethnic stereotypes Fences in art Sex Roles
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