By Dan Aubrey
The weather may be cooling down, but the art scene in Trenton has been heating up in a few different ways.
The third annual Art All Day set for Saturday, November 8, continues the momentum of the popular early summer Art All Night project. The two events are coordinated via Artworks and help show off the capital city as a creatively hot place to be.
It is the type of event that is an expected part of urban living, and city officials and organizers predictably love to tout the importance of art to a city.
Yet the recent heat over a city mural created by one of Trenton’s most vibrant arts groups (and later painted over at the urging of the police) is a clear reminder that art is not always lovable. But it needs tender loving care.
The mural was by well known Trenton artist Will “Kasso” Condry — a member of the SAGE Coalition (the name means Stylez Advancing Graffiti’s Evolution).
The work on the door of an abandoned store on the downtown intersection of North Broad and Hanover streets depicted the face of Michael Brown: the unarmed young black man shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri
That shooting, of course, triggered unrest in the predominately African-American community of Ferguson, grabbed the nation’s attention, and prompted serious discussion about the policing, profiling, incarcerating, and shooting of young African-American males.
The point was made in the mural with the accompanying tag, “Sagging pants is not probable cause.” It’s an allusion to the style used by many young black men.
SAGE engages young men and women of varied races and ethnic backgrounds and is known for launching grassroots city-beautification projects through art. Efforts include the annual Windows of Soul project that turns abandoned buildings into colorful cityscapes (with the next one set for Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16). Members are skilled muralists who work in aerosol and on city streets.
The group also works in partnership with the Trenton Downtown Association (TDA) and frequently paints murals on metal security doors used by city shops. Yet art, like life, brings unexpected and uncomfortable turns.
Trenton spoken-word artist Caitlin Fair — who incidentally is white — was involved with the creation of the mural and chronicled its birth and demise on her blog, excerpted here:
“On Sunday, October 12, 2014, a group of artists gathered in the gallery of Studio 219 on East Hanover Street in Trenton. On the heels of the shooting death of Mike Brown by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson, I had written a poem in memory of Mike, and as a tribute to the lives of black men and boys across the nation who are constantly criminalized and blamed for their own fates by media, police, and citizens alike.
“After writing the piece, I was encouraged to take it to the next level by creating a video around the concept. In attendance was SAGE Coalition member and Will ‘Kasso’ Condry. After explaining the premise of the video, some organic brainstorming took place, and the idea to capture Kasso painting arose. Coincidentally, he was preparing to go paint a gate right down the street that afternoon. I asked Kasso what has was planning on painting, and he said he hadn’t decided yet. ‘What if you painted Mike Brown?’
“Kasso agreed. Five hours, three skateboarders, two black and milds, and a pizza later, we had a mural. Kasso asked for a quote from the poem to add to the piece, to tie it all together. Together, Kasso, (another member poet Byron Marshall, aka Black Collar Biz), and I decided on ‘Sagging pants is not probable cause.’
“We knew that the piece was going to result in dialogue, and perhaps make some people a bit uncomfortable. But that was the point. This was using art as a catalyst for social change. Art is intended to evoke emotion, sometimes, disturbance. One of the ills of our society is that too often we don’t discuss evident truths because they are uncomfortable. But comfort never results in growth, which is what we wanted to come of this project.”
She continues, “However, it appears that our project did more than raise a few eyebrows and spark a few conversations. One particular police officer, as we came to find out, took particular issue with the mural. He contacted Kasso, having known it was his work, to see about sitting down to discuss the issue. Unfortunately, before they were able to find a time to meet, the officer decided to take up his concerns with the Trenton Downtown Association.”
Admitting that “this is where it gets fuzzy,” Fair then writes about discussions with police representatives, city officials, TDA employees, and SAGE members.
What is not fuzzy is that on October 21, TDA had the mural sprayed over, and Condry and Martin were in the news.
On CBS 3, a television station in Philadelphia, the reporter noted that “TDA executive director Christian Martin says the order to remove the mural was in response to a request by someone in law enforcement. On Monday, October 13, two people were hospitalized after a shooting in the area of North Broad and Hanover streets right next to the mural. A member of the police department contacted the TDA expressing concern the mural might undermine work to build good will between the Trenton Police Department and the public. When Condry said he wouldn’t move or modify the mural it was removed.”
The Trentonian newspaper then reported that Condry was contacted on Facebook by a “lone Trenton police officer” who wanted to talk about the work. However the next day he received a call from Martin, who asked that the mural be taken down “because he’s getting a lot of pushback from the Trenton Police Department and the board of directors of the TDA.” When Condry stood his ground he “received another call from a TDA employee stating that the police were going to file charges against him for not having legitimate permission to create the mural and that he should take it down tonight.”
The article noted that while Martin and the TDA authorized a mural painted at the location, nobody knew the content, and the property owner had not given direct permission to have a mural painted on the door of the abandoned property. Prior to the Michael Brown mural the door was used for a large illegal liquor store ad. It too was removed by request of the TDA.
Condry noted on CBS 3 that despite the removal of the mural he considers it a success: “The only intent was to get people talking, not to see it last up forever. It’s temporary art at its best. But as long as we get the dialogue started that’s the point.”
And what is the dialogue now that the mural is gone and the TV cameras have moved on to the next quick fix and sound bite?
There is something interesting in the fact that earlier this year Passage Theater Company created a project that dealt with race and perception and recently produced “Little Rock,” a play dealing with landmark integration case. And now a group of visual artists have brought up the issue of the situation of young African-American males. The two efforts show that artists of various racial backgrounds are coming together, bringing up sensitive social issues, and engaging with audiences to move ideas forward.
“This mural was never about police. It wasn’t about me … or Kasso, it wasn’t about Christian Martin,” writes Fair. “This mural was a conversation starter, to prompt honest dialogue about real issues that we as a country face.”
Condry also weighs in with a written statement: “As an artist who has been putting up murals for years, I understand all sides of the issue. I understand why Christian Martin did what he did … as an executive. I understand why the police officer did what he did … as someone sworn to take a pledge and oath. I understand why we did what we did … as artists and concerned citizens.
“I understand all sides. I also stand firm on my side. I believe in what I painted. I believe in my team … and I believe in Mike Brown’s cause. We opened up a dialogue that is white hot … and we must stay rational if we are all to find a common ground in this. As an artist, I feel it is my duty to speak out on issues that affect us all … through my art. I have no ill will toward any of the individuals involved in taking down the mural. The effect of the murals removal started a nationwide debate … and with that … we can vent and work toward a creative solution. Maybe I’m a dreamer … or an idealist … but I truly believe that in order to create change, you must first disrupt the status quo … and we did.”
The remarks by Condry, Fair, and Martin are remarkable in that there is no blaming or finger pointing, just the frustrated remarks of people suddenly dealing with a sensitive issue and being forced to play it out in public.
As part of the dialogue, here is a thought: Rather than remove a mural created by individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to making Trenton a better place, perhaps it may have been better for officials to seize the heat of the moment and extend the conversation by having another mural painted — one that goes beyond this one visual statement that barely scratches the surface to the problems that face Trentonians every day.
No matter what one thinks about the Michael Brown situation, profiling is a real issue. Add to that the prison industry, inter and intra-racial crime, the growing disparity between the rich and the poor, and our nation’s penchant for violence, and there’s plenty to discuss.
Policing or removing an image, rather than advancing ideas toward truth, does nothing to promote discussions that can lead to corrective action.
But more murals, more poems, more plays, and more people in the city willing to let art — no matter how uncomfortable — have its say, just may.
That’s worth getting heated up over.
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