Debran Rowland reports on the 1991 Chicago art exhibition, "The Return of the Watermelon: The Redefining of a Stereotype."

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* N, ChIcago TritJune.1:uesday, February 19, 1991 Section 2 3
j Chlcagoland,
IWatennelon? Black artists attack stereotype head-on
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IBy Debran Rowland
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, sI}ape, texture and aU of the Itereo- very mud! a put of the lOBI hen: display reveal tIM: ,rowth of lhe
I seem like just
W.tenndon may
some
another summet' fruil to PM-
rlt-, but to, many Arrican-Americans '
type. Ihal
III'1WOrtt.
itll it in their t!' tum wa~ and. C?ther" nep-
"'n the '6011, for eumpIe, I'I'IUCII
, trw: SlenlOtype:s mto positM:s.
Usinc Wltenndon was abo a po-
wal~elon theme as ,a~ almost
comiStent ~ of the artist s won..
And those in ,the art world, bIadt
! 115, thick uccn rind and n:xf juicy of the blade ~ m~t..... litical st~tem~nt a!med at other or o,the!,.. who did not tak41 to
mIddle recall a seedy period in be"ed on turru", ocptrve mnboIs black artISts In Oucago, who let RAG s enom bn:Ju3ht t<l'1KI tunes
Amaican history. inlo poSjti~ sYTT!bols," 0nG said. othen -de:fine their traditions," to the voup, brown said.
Ikf'on: the 19605, photos or bIacb "The word bIack-bc:fon: that most Brown said, Aftet araduatm, from the Art In-
,illing on the: rront pard! sJurpina pieople: pn:ferred to caJI thenudves ,Then: is plenty of humor ill the lltitute and foundi~ the pild when
down h~c s1ica of the rruil wen: NqrotA bocallSe the word black was IrtwOm. Huge W1IIlermeJon-<Oloml he: was 18, Onli said BAG found
i:om~n. Such i~ still invoke thought ?f ~ a nqltM:. And the and .slulpro' Iilll! jump from a wood ilself race-Io-face: with an e~-
anger In many Afncan-America.ns Arro, which IS the ..tural way to carvtlll by Espi Eph. In another, a trenched black arts 5CetIC thaI dId
who find the sterrolype offensive. ' wear our hair. shapely woman painted _in. purple: not like the WlIIennc:1on cun~.
A,nd while such pictures an: now '" knew ~e who sot thrown 'and blue tones wean a !Jtisht n:xf • The voup voluntarily disb.ndcd
~ocl."Y unacceptable:, the negative oul o( their house because they watamclon on her head. In 1976 bec:.usc several membc:n
sierrolfPC th.1 they n:praenl has called IherrISCives black and wore "The, color is ri&hl," Onli said W1IInted to 10 10 New York and Eo.
nol disappeared, according 10 Afros. Their parents di,owned ftippantJy, rd'enintllo the red, hlade rope 10 further I.heW artistic educa-
Turtel Onll, I OUcago artist and lhem," he said. and pttn of a watcondon, colon lion. Bul th~t the yean they
rounder of BAG, the now defunct The lWOciation between blacks that symbolize: liberation for many always remained in louch, Drown
iliad: Art! Guild in Cl>icago. and walennelon dAles back to the blacks in Amc:rlaI. said.
, "You can'l KO Rn)"'ilere in "met'- early I 9th Cc'!.tury ~hen bigoted The "Return. of the Watermelon" In its sp yean, BAG had e¥tt
lea and puH oul a walc:nnclon and documents, Aunl Jemma dolls and show is a mtnlOn (or mc:mben and shoWl! often held by coJlqes l tn·
nnl have somebody think something postcards derictinc II.9lermdolH:ll- a IctJOspective look at the prl)8reS5 chadilll RAdcliffe, thai "M'rC wiIIi.ng
atlfl~t blad people" Onli said, Ina blach WIth ~ hair and the IrtlSts have made since lhey to accc::pt new ideas," 0nJi said
la.nllll against an un~nisbed wood · Turtel Onll ragged clothin, wen: regulally S(.>Id began tupin, It the Wltermdon The arlisls were kcpt out of
en mantel on the: first IIoor of a Watamc:lo' l1rc: Redefi ' f and circu.laled. vine two docades 1180, 0nJi said. shows in some places, Drown
I~Ile: house ~lIl "'la.' ona: the mllJ1- St-reolv.v '!; Th e h 'h 'tnlfll$ll o • "Not all blacks Irt comrorl.llblc A~ an initiation into BAG, artists added. In other OIses thcy wen:
LJllcagO ml'II mer,
, I(ln ~f a r"L
< ' through"'Mitrch 9e t xP I .I , WI run ""t II I h e sym b 0, sat D a IIon were Iold to a'tIItc one pleCC exd u-
- .. _, A . I" 'd . pu blidy,Cf1UWL1OU, he said
''':''':_-'
Onll and the: corps of artists who Gall ry 1900 S pi, .. ~ne venue Rrown, one of the original artists sivdy of or in the: imll8e: of waler· Bul loday, the artists ~ off the
n,na:: mAde lip I.be: guild have: de- c, , nunc ve: ' who Joined BAG whcn it was melon, Otili said. past and present resistance BAG
".!:Cd a plan to poh ~Jn at stereo- ~'"cthod they 5tarted In 1970, fOllntiod in 1970, 1llough sorne of the pieces in the faces.
f)JlCI Ihrough artworic In an c"hlbl- Onh said, was to "embrRC'.c" Ihe"And all ~ can say 10 them is 5how were originally made in the "Tryin« 10 Mop !hi! is like tryilll
I,on called "The Return of Imll~C of wlllcTmelon, its color, lhat we are oomfortablc: with il. II is '7Os, many of the: newer pic:t:s on ,10 stop rap music," Brown said. By Debran Row
Motive for . shooting
sought in Indiana
Police say case not tied to 7 killings
By Ronald Koziol Police do nol believe Ihe lalesl
Police searched for a molive incident is connecled to Ihe carli·
Monday in yet another northwe,1 er shootings because of several
Indiana shOI,un shoolin&, but differences. The skelchy descrip-
Ihey do nol belie:ve Ihe latest inci· ' tion provided by wilnesses docs
denl is connected 10 Ihe series of nol secm to malch those g,iven by
. •• - - ... L _ ....... _ t..:t1: ..... ~ ,*,_, hAVt": wi,tne:sses to the shotgun ~Iayings,