City staffer Dixie Swift: [off mike, audibility occasionally difficult] ...[F]irst of all, what I wanted to do is give you the Mission Statement of Homeland [Cultural Center], give you some short [inaudible] on how we got to a graff program. And the Mission Statement, which is 13 years old now, we opened Homeland with 13 artists who worked or played in the Anaheim Corridor ten years before 1987, or 1989 when we opened the door. And the door was opened with a wonderful wood carver from the Senior Center,...a Cambodian weaver...a native American potter, a native American jeweler, a graffiti artist, a sculptor, all of those people [inaudible] and the statement was to show the face of the arts. And so the Mission Statement was [apparently begins quoting document]
"Homeland Neighborhood Cultural Center is dedicated to the belief that criteria for defining art doesn't require the acknowledgement of the dominant society, that is, art cannot be categorized in a [inaudible] that it is therapy, that it must be competitive, that one culture's art is better than any other, that artists are better or worse than other people and that the creative process can be applied in any and all media, including one's own body and one's own story. And we look for individuals and groups within those cultures who for one reason or another are not given access by the powers that be, with the unequivocal belief that their art will not threaten, but will enrich the lives of all whom they touch. Our long range goal is to give access to individuals and groups that have been excluded from mainstream art society. In the process it will be necessary to address the problems of welfare programs, penal institutions, cultural preservation, Homeland interacts with government organizations, educational institutions and arts organizations making projects mainstream [inaudible]." [apparently ends quoting document]
Homeland opened with a graffiti artist [identifies an individual] and he was on the streets a graffiti artist. You see every time mobile [inaudible] goes by, you see his artwork now. That's his artwork and that young man has gone on to the arts. And so graffiti has always been a part of that community and we have taken the art element and as it's grown, it's now grown into a point of where we have walls at Homeland that are changing all the time...
...[The Homeland] hip-hop program which is phenomenal. Tuesday night, and we talk about [inaudible], we talk about security, we talk about being fair, in your community on the Anaheim corridor at MacArthur Park there is a hip-hop scene which is absolutely wonderful, and governed by themselves. Tuesday night we hire a DJ...and the people come from all over to break dance. And they dance in choreography and it's dance, so this fits within our whole thing of the art [inaudible] that community.
In that same community are graff writers, who now have moved this whole form of art into an international art form which has museum backing, gallery backing, and it's on legal walls and we have legal walls.
We've had this going on now really solid for a year and there's been no problems, I mean you look at our park, it's really, we govern ourselves pretty much. ...[The police come on every once and a while but it is not a place where they have to [inaudible] and watch...
I go every morning, I go around the whole park to look at what [inaudible], if there is tagging on there, if there's problems...
So we've had these things that have come up and been a part of it, never thinking, this time, and I apologize, particularly to Phil [Hester] and to Jana [sp?] and to the staff that have had to have this sort of, I sent the press release, "Wonder Women, Girls of Graff", you know the first woman graff show ever and I just sent it through, and it went through, it went to [Acting City Mgr.] Gerry Miller, went to everybody, and went out into the world and then it was picked up and it started this action against us...
...And here comes a compliment to the Grunion Gazette along here, because this story jumped off this morning in the Art Review of the program by Julian Bermudez...
...[describes Jan. 11 Girls of Graff event to which media were invited in a press release]...And then the girls started coming. And if you've not been close, I know Ralph has been. and anybody who's been working with kids has been close to this culture, this subculture of the hip-hop culture, it is an extremely moving and wonderful thing that has the element of illegal, it has the element of all of these awful things that we have to look at, but we also have to look at who they are.
I was moved at the woman, as I watched them starting to come, the first couple that came on, she comes on with her box of spray cans [inaudible], next to her is her husband who's wheeling the baby stroller...and it started with a mixture of, very mixed ethnically, it was very mixed as far as class is concerned and very mixed male and female...They were attentive, they were fellow artists, if one of the women would come up and asked them to look at it, they'd thoughtfully look, they sat for eight hours, lots of children there, lots of interaction...
...[As to] LongBeachReport.com, I had twelve to fifteen calls of people before the Robert Fox letter [critical of the exhibit, published in the Press-Telegram], he had called and given me all those issues and we had discussed that we were going to come together again, there was the editorial in the paper, so we were really watching and knew that we were causing some problem that we really had not foreseen and should have because we've done things like before and didn't foresee 'em. When Mr. Pearl came on, I saw him come up, I hadn't met him yet, my name is Dixie Swift, I believe you're Bill Pearl, he said yes he was. And I said you know, we have a rule here at Homeland. We don't photograph participants unless we ask them. And we had promised the girls that if they painted, that was their choice. He got very angry with me and told me that I was a public servant and this was public land and I had no right to tell him to do anything. So I talked to him about it more and I said, you know, I couldn't get a direct answer at that point, so he left, saying no that I hadn't thrown him off and that I had said he couldn't take pictures but I had said that he could not take without asking the people. So that's where he's gotten even more difficult.
[LBReport.com comment: This is not the Peoples of Republic of Long Beach. The first amendment protects your right to see, and our right to show you, photo reports on what city officials allow and sponsor on public facilities in a public park in public view (at a press event!) We think that's a healthy lesson for young people and adult city staffers.]
Then, L.A. Times was there for two and half hours, and they will be running an article on Saturday [in the] California section, second page.
Julian Bermudez [of the Gazette] did an absolutely wonderful job! Exactly what we would like to have seen happen! Whereas the [Seal Beach] Sun put in, "Long Beach Welcomes Graffiti" and then ran the press release. What happened with Julian was he didn't mince words about graffiti or graff or any of these things but gave a solid art review and spent a lot of time...
...The voices that came in opposition did not come from the immediate community around MacArthur Park...
...I feel that the program has evolved, it's never been undercover, it's always been there, it's been out in the open. And I don't feel that the community around it have been in opposition or I'd have certainly been involved...
Mr. Hester: ...Part of the frustration I think from the standpoint is, two things from my perspective because, again, I've been the focal point of most of this discussion...This is an art form. It's different from what probably you and I understand, but it is an art form. It's a recognized art form probably internationally. And the thing that I'm concerned about is that some of those individuals from that media outside haven't really stepped forward to help out...
...Our friends at P.C.A. [Public Corporation for the Arts, largely City Hall funded] I haven't heard a peep out of from this standpoint who, I would assume, would be interested in this. So that's one of the concerns from that standpoint.
The other thing is that if there's a silver lining I think is that the overall mission of Homeland [Cultural Center] back when it was first established, it's mission was, it was at that particular time, and I wasn't directly involved in it, I remember from the standpoint there was a lot of discussion about that.
But where it's located, it's the cultural center if you want to say that, of the city and that's a good thing. And I think that as Dixie said, the fact that all of these groups from this community, surrounding it all the way around it, come to this particular park, and they do, there are things that they do, to protect their culture from outside their community. They can come there, and they can do it with other groups there. They interact, the diversity of that is very unique. That piece has been completely lost from the standpoint, I think, of explaining what this program is.
And the individuals, I think, again this is my own personal opinion, who are involved in trying to make this bigger than it really should be, really don't understand that, and I think most of them don't want to hear that.
I mean I can tell you is Mr. Pearl called the state and wanted to know from the standpoint, 'cause we've got a grant that's been approved for expansion of the Homeland facility, as to is there any way that the state will intervene from this standpoint to eliminate this kind of thing?
[To report the story accurately, LBReport.com
asked CA Parks & Rec if further proceedings were scheduled regarding the grant. We learned the proceedings are concluded, allowing us to report accurately that the $500,000 in state money will be paid.]
I got an email from some guy who perceives to be the executive director of a national anti-graffiti association that, you know, he can't believe that the city is promoting this. And my response is, have you been to the site first of all? I would say that probably 99% of the people who are responding are basing it on what they saw off of this internet photograph of what was taking place at this particular area.
And I can assure you that from our standpoint, and Ï've said this all along, we're not doing anything to promote graffiti. I mean, we are as active as anybody in trying to eliminate that as much as we can. And the fact that this program there is totally supervised, these are artists from that standpoint, and it's unfortunate I think that it's gotten to where it is.
It is going to force us, and we've talked about, that we're going to have to figure out how do we control it from the standpoint of being able to keep it. But you know it's like anything from an art standpoint, I didn't want to get into what's art and what's not art. That's a national discussion that goes on on a regular basis and I didn't want to fight that battle in Long Beach, especially our Dept. type stuff but I mean, that's somewhat what it is, there's censorship issues that some people are saying to artists that they want to censor 'em because they don't necessarily in my mind understand what the program is...
Commissioner Saltzgaver: ...The fact of the matter is, there's nothing wrong with graffiti as art. This was handled backwards....You're having a panel discussion this Sunday about graffiti as art...
Ms. Swift (interjecting): It never said "graffiti as art." It says "the new generational art," it just said "the new generation's art." I think it's important though, Harry, about that word, because this isn't what the panel's about...
Commissioner Saltzgaver (reclaiming the floor): Alright, well, but that's not my point, so I don't care what the panel's about. What I care about is the fact that this is a great thing that we've started the discussion, but the discussion should have been started before we did the art. Or maybe not. I don't know.
The fact of the matter is, we got two things goin' here. We're payin' way too much attention to a very small group of people, number one. You do have to respond because it's public, number two. This is a public event. Number three, and I'll be a little bit cryptic here, I'm glad you're gettin' this experience in trying to define what art is, because you're gonna need it in the future. Number four, I think you're in trouble by telling somebody that they can't take a picture in a public park.
Ms. Swift (interjecting): I didn't tell, all I was asking was..
Commissioner Saltzgaver (reclaiming the floor): I understand that, I understand that...Unfortunately, Mr. Pearl has a specific agenda, and it's all about what he considers to be public safety. And graffiti is a public safety issue with him. But it's a very iffy thing when you start talking about taking pictures of people in public places. I think you did the right thing, especially if they were under age, if they were over age, it's their job to say whether somebody can take a picture of them or not. In terms of the people stepping up, like I said I would have liked to have seen more of the discussion before it happened. Now maybe that's wrong, because maybe you would have felt pressure not to do the exhibit...but I think the discussion should have happened before.
The biggest issue that I have is you're paying way too much attention to one person. Phil's right. There should have been reaction from the, quote unquote, art community. I am no longer a man with a portfolio in the art community. I will tell you that I played it straight for a reason. I didn't take a stand one way or another. Let it speak for itself, and I think Julian took some direction, but I think he did pretty good.
Don't worry about it, is the bottom line to me. You need to get to the arts people and tell them, you're right in retrospect. Have them come out in public and say what they need to say: this is an expression of art. Phil and I were talkin' Tuesday. People don't understand what Homeland is, and when this particular group of people get their teeth into something, facts have nothing to do with anything. For cryin' out loud...and especially if he's got a picture.
What happened at Homeland is not the big issue right now. The big issue right now is that swell computer graphic that he did of the Press Telegram building.
[After the Press-Telegram editorialized that the designs were a decorative form a street art. LBreport.com posted a digital cartoon showing the PT building covered with the "artwork."]
That's what this is all about. It's not about Homeland. We have to be careful that we don't overreact. We do have to react because it's public, but we have to be careful not to overreact too.
Mr. Hester: ...I go back to the standpoint of people not understand what Homeland is, and we need to make sure we understand that people don't understand and we have to be very sensitive to that, I mean there's a learning process that hopefully Homeland can help educate people but we have to realize that there's a bigger population that doesn't necessarily understand and we have to be sensitive and we're not throwin' it in their face type thing...It's not like your youth baseball program where everybody understands what that is; this is a new type thing...
...If we hadn't have sent out the press release to encourage people to come to see this, it'd have been a non-event from that standpoint, I mean no one...
[cross talk] male voice off mike: Pearl wouldn't have [inaudible]...
Ms. Swift: ...But we'd have never gotten in the Grunion Gazette either...(laughter)...
Commissioner Marmion: ...I want to just be on record as being very supportive of what you've been doing down there [Mr. Marmion subsequently told LBReport.com he was referring to his support for Homeland Cultural Center's numerous activities as a whole.] and I remember when the project started, I went by on Tuesday after the Mayor's talk [State of the City] just to take a look.
And I thought you know, this is something that in another day could be exhibited at the Latin American Art Museum, you know, it's indigenous art to this neighborhood. And the question I had though, and I think it needs to be clarified, I don't know what the paper said, not your paper but the other paper, about the uniqueness of this project and how this is appropriate only to the project. I began to think about all of the wall space and all of the parks around the city, and it's not like we're promoting this kind of project all over the city...
...Am I right that no Department money was spent for materials or to pay any of these artists...
Ms. Swift: No.
Commissioner Marmion: ...and the Girls of Graff exhibit?
Ms. Swift: No, not at all.
Commissioner Marmion: And they brought their own paints?
Ms. Swift: I did use the Partners of Parks money that had been sent in,....there was $300 on that that was used...I did $125 worth of refreshments and $50 worth of installation [inaudible] for the gallery...
Commissioner Marmion: For the event?
Ms. Swift: For the gallery and then I had two staff people...
Commissioner Marmion: So I mean it's not like, this is something that we're sponsoring as if it was a line item in the budget...
Mr. Hester: But it is a Department event...
Ms. Swift: And it goes on...
Mr. Hester: And it's been an ongoing type thing...
Commissioner Saltzgaver: ...I guess the issue as always is the perception...The perception is all of a sudden, all of a sudden the city is sponsoring graffiti, and that's where we got in trouble. And we just have to watch what the perception is gonna be...
Speaking during a Jan. 16 Recreation Commission agendized city staff report on "Wonder Women, the Girls of Graf," Mr. Hester declared, "This is an art form. It's different from what probably you and I understand, but it is an art form. It's a recognized art form, probably internationally."
On January 19, LBReport.com reported that CA taxpayers will be paying $500,000 (in state grant money for Urban Recreational and Cultural Centers) to build a 2,000 sq. ft. building for the Homeland Cultural Center. The Homeland Cultural Center is the LB Parks & Rec entity that has overseen the permitted spray painting markings on MacArthur Park's existing buildings and the "Girls of Graf" exhibit. The state money will be used to build the new building, not fund the Center's activities. City Hall will also expend roughly $200,000 in developer impact fees to build the building.