Museums, Social Justice, and Civic Engagement in the Land of Enchantment

MUSEUMS, SOCIAL
JUSTICE, AND CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT IN THE
LAND OF ENCHANTMENT
Jadira Gurulé, National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum
Kymberly Pinder, Ph.D., University of New Mexico
Jennifer Robles, Ph.D., Las Cruces Museum System

Brainstorming and Planning Next Steps
Post-Presentation Activity (But you can start thinking now)
Many of us want to address challenging social issues in our institutions but
determining where to begin can be challenging and even scary if we expect
resistance to the ideas. The questions on this form are designed to encourage us
to build a manageable plan for the next steps to take.
Instructions:
Break up into small groups and pick one or two questions to discuss with your
group. Please be prepared to share with the larger group. *Note: This group work is
designed to get you started. Addressing all the questions and answering them fully
will take more time and thought. Today is about beginning to think about an issue
you’d like to address and connecting with others about it.

New Mexico:
Land of Enchantment

COMMUNITY
CURATED SOCIAL
JUSTICE

Trotando Pasos Ajenos: Social Justice & Inequalities in the Borderlands
Community curators Dulcinea Lara, Ph.D., and Nicholas Natividad, Ph.D.
With design by Daniel Aguilera

• Buffalo Soldiers in the Borderlands
• El Cortito
• Environmental Justice
• Let Them Bloom (papel picado by Mesilla
Valley Art & Organizing cohort, facilitated by
Young Women United)
• Mapping Our Perceptions
• Who is the Migrant?
• States & Grace
• The Omitted Native Narrative
• Good, Bad, Neutral
• borderbook
• Seeing Your Social Significance
Exhibit Sections

Labor relations
#dejure #defacto
#deley #dehecho

Military power & race relations
#lateralviolence
#violencialateral

Dominant
Narratives
#counternarrative
#bearwitness
#nativocontrarrestado
#atestiguo

Between Land and Air
2016
Nani Chacon, Jaycee Beyale, Warren Montoya, Patience Sabaque, SABA

...thorny issues of social justice, no matter how well-
intentioned, often struggle to be truly inclusive. Stark
binaries of black-white, rich-poor, and male-female,
which were sometimes used in the exhibit, fail to
encompass the lived experience of most individuals.

Welcoming City
Resolution
Resolution 18-075: A Resolution Re-
Affirming the City of Las Cruces’
Commitment to Creating a Quality of
Place to Live and Work Through
Nondiscrimination in all Areas of City
Government and Declaring the City a
Welcoming Community.
Johana Bencomo of NM CAFé speaks at the public event in support of the Welcoming City resolution.
Rally at Cultural Center organized by NM Café, ACLU Regional
Center for Border Rights, Hoper Border Institute, Catholic
Charities of Southern New Mexico

Expectations vs Reality
❖ Community voices
Number crunching, data sets
❖ Complete freedom with museum building and resources
Facility restrictions, supply restrictions
❖ Staff connections enhance exhibit development
Staff felt dismissed
❖ Decolonize the museum space
Goal not attained

Expectations vs Reality
❖ Community engagement
New audiences and conversations
❖ Increase staff understanding & confidence with contemporary social justice
conversations
Increase in staff-initiated programming
❖ Giving community and community groups space to promote civic activism
Relationship-building
❖ Contextualization of local and dominant histories
Increased awareness

Moving Forward
• Community engagement
• Partnerships with civic organizations
• Increased outreach
• Concentrated audience research

{
Because It’s Time:
Unraveling Race &
Place in NMNational Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum,
Albuquerque, NM

NHCC: Art Museum and
Visual Arts Program
• Approximately 2500 objects
in the permanent collection
• International collecting scope
• Collection largely built by
donations from collectors and
artists
• Three exhibition spaces
Corey Pickett, Las Mujeres (2018), wood,
foam, fabric, repurposed purses, 47” x 29”
(X3), Collection of the artist

The Idea behind Because
It’s Time
Rose B. Simpson, Stand
With/Withstand (2018), clay,
leather, mixed-media, 68” x 22”
x 12”, Collection of the artist
• Funding to explore racial equity in
New Mexico
• Intersectionality as key theoretical
framework
• Recognized need to share control
and be flexible with the direction of
the exhibition
• Questions: How much control should
the museum and staff have in setting
the direction for a conversation like
this? What can be done to broaden the
range of people and perspectives
making key decisions?

The Structure
Joanna Keane Lopez, Nine Ways to Say Hello
(2018), adobe bricks, mirror, lime wash, mica,
cotton, cochineal insects, onion skins,
installation, 96” x 161” x 14”
• NHCC invited 13 artists -
each invited another artist
• They created whatever they
wanted around the idea of
race and place in NM
• Funding to support the
creative labor of artists
• Alongside works from
permanent collection

The Subject-Matter
Above: Ehren Kee Natay, Listening
(2018) digital photograph, dye-
sublimation on aluminum, 30” x
24”, Collection of the artist
Left: Monica Kennedy, When the
Community is not there, there is a
void. (2018) 2 of 12 photographs;
27” x 23”, Collection of the artist
Adelina Cruz, (Re)membering
Who We Are (2018) acrylic on
canvas, 48” x 36”, Collection of
the artist

The Subject-Matter
Fatemeh Baigmoradi, Watch
Your Step (2018) razor wire
and performance, 60”
diameter, Collection of the
artist
Jessica Chao, Translation
Station (2018) hydrostone,
resin, wire, monofilament,
vinyl, acrylic, wood, paper,
ink, installation, 192” x 66” x
72”, Collection of the artist
Apolo Gomez, PrEPñata
(2018) sprayed acrylic on
papier-mâché, installation,
192” x 132 x 264”, collection
of the artist

The Subject Matter
Eric-Paul Riege, let the Holy ppl watch
over U and Me (2018), performance
5/4/18; mixed fibers, wool yarn, fiberfill,
sheep wool, spindle, carders, two
weavings; 48” x 48” (x2), Collection of the
artist
Jami Porter Lara, She’s a Good
Person (2018) digitally
printed cotton, 63” x 39”,
Collection of the artist

From the Permanent Collection
Rosana Paulino, Assentemento
#1 (2012), two-color
lithograph, 30” x 22”, NHCC
Art Museum Permanent
Collection
Pamela Enriquez-Courts, ¡Ni
Una Mas! (2015), acrylic on
canvas board, 18” x 22”, NHCC
Art Museum Permanent
Collection
ASARO (Asamblea de Artistas
Revolucionarios de Oaxaca),
Untitled (Palestine), (21st
Century), wood engraving, 35”
x 27”, NHCC Art Museum
Permanent Collection

Reflections: Importance
Adriana E. Ortiz-Carmona,
Yesterday’s Feelings (2018), mixed-
media, 30” x 24”, Collection of the
artist
• Open up a dialogue space
• Offer perspectives beyond “tri-
culturalism” = complexity of race,
identity, and belonging in NM
• Visibility – POC, Queer,
Emerging Artists
• Thinking critically about the
authority of the museum or the
curator and exploring different
ways of engaging

Reflections: Challenges
Grace Rosario Perkins, RP +
NN FOREVER (2018), mixed-
media installation, 144” x 225”
x 96”, Collection of the artist
• Planning an exhibition when
most of the objects are in-process,
to navigate multiple installs, etc.
• There is a hidden labor (of love)
in caring for staff and artists
through the personal/emotional
challenges that arise when
grappling with challenging and
often violent subject-matter
• Criticism…
Questions: What criticism arises
because we are doing what we mean to
be doing and what type should we pause
to listen, learn, and adjust with?

Reflections: Lessons
• Still an ongoing process of
reflecting on what worked and
what didn’t
• Learned a lot about the good
that can come from flexibility
• Artists making key decisions
and having a good amount of
freedom = rich content
• It is possible and necessary to
embed an engagement with
social justice oriented subject-
matter in everything we do
Nani and Autumn Chacon, Lineage (2018),
mixed-media, 4-channel audio recording,
installation, 108” x 192” x 180”

Invited artists: Adelina Cruz, Adriana Ortiz-
Carmona, Apolo Gomez, Autumn Chacon,
Aziza Murray, Baochi Zhang, Brandee Caoba,
Corey Pickett, Cynthia Cook, Earl McBride,
Ehren Kee Natay, Eliza Naranjo Morse, Eric-
Paul Riege, Erin Currier, Fatemeh Baigmoradi,
Grace Rosario Perkins, Jami Porter Lara, Jessica
Chao, Joanna Keane Lopez, John Boyce,
Lucrecia Troncoso, Monica Kennedy, Nanibah
Chacon, Rose B. Simpson, and Zahra Marwan.
Artists from the permanent collection: Ana
Laura de la Garza, Annie López, Asamblea de
Artistas Revolucionarios de Oaxaca (ASARO),
Carlos Cortéz, Consuelo Jiménez Underwood,
Delilah Montoya, Eduardo Muñoz Bachs, Eric J.
Garcia, Ester Hernández, Jason Garcia, Nicolás
de Jesús, Noni Olabisi, Pamela Enriquez-
Courts, Rosana Paulino, Rupert Garcia,
Scherezade Garcia, Vincent Valdez, Yreina D.
Cervantez.
Photos: Addison Doty and Christopher Roybal
Artists:
National Hispanic Cultural
Center Art Museum
@nhccnm
1701 4th St. SW Albuquerque, NM
87102
505-246-2261
www.nhccnm.org
Contact Info:
Jadira Gurulé –
jadira.gurule@state.nm.us

Museums, Social Justice, and
Civic Engagement in the Land
of Enchantment: How do you
plan a show on a topic that is
still happening?
Kymberly Pinder, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
College of Fine Arts
University of New Mexico

The exhibition “Necessary Force: Art in the Police State,” curated by Karen Fiss and Kymberly Pinder at the
University of New Mexico Art Museum, was on view from September 11 - December 12, 2015. It included 31 works:
mostly photographs with 7 sculptures/floor installations, videos and 3 digital visualization works on paper that have
flexible dimensions.

Kymberly Pinder and Karen Fiss, the curators:
African American woman who has experienced and knows many
who have experienced racial profiling and German American
Jewish woman who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors.

u The term ‘necessary force’ is the art created by artists who
feel an urgent need to respond to contemporary events that
reflect a society that is increasingly policed on many levels
and how that affects us all. The words ‘police state’ are used
because these artists address this increased policing and the
many social conditions that contribute to the complex history
of police violence in the United States such as:
u Topics:
u • endemic gun violence across our country that claims thirty
lives each day
u • steady militarization of local police forces around the nation
u • how the “war on terror” and “war on drugs” have affected
law enforcement nationally and locally
u • the pervasive role of surveillance, public and private
u • institutionalized racism and class discrimination
u • the growth of the prison industry and its relationship to long-
term poverty and underfunded education
u • public healthcare’s inadequate treatment of mental illness
and drug abuse
u • the role of the sensationalist news media and how it
informs, inflames and desensitizes us to violence

“The arts are our salvation – the only thing that allows us to heal and also helps us dream about what
will make the world a better place. I have a responsibility to the world to do something with my
abilities as an artist.” Nick Cave (b. 1959), artist in exhibition who will also be speaking in Rodey
Theater on October 14. This event is ticketed.
TALKING POINTS for “Necessary Force: Art in the Police State”
University of New Mexico Art Museum
Curated by Karen Fiss and Kymberly Pinder
Exhibition Title: Art is not just to entertain it can also be challenging and thought provoking.
The term ‘necessary force’ is the art created by artists who feel an urgent need to respond to
contemporary events that reflect a society that is increasingly policed on many levels and how
that affects us all. The words ‘police state’ are used because these artists address this increased
policing and the many social conditions that contribute to the complex history of police violence in
the United States such as:
Topics:
• endemic gun violence across our country that claims thirty lives each day
• steady militarization of local police forces around the nation
• how the “war on terror” and “war on drugs” have affected law enforcement nationally and locally
• the pervasive role of surveillance, public and private
• institutionalized racism and class discrimination
• the growth of the prison industry and its relationship to long-term poverty and underfunded
education
• public healthcare’s inadequate treatment of mental illness and drug abuse
• the role of the sensationalist news media and how it informs, inflames and desensitizes us to
violence
Why opening on 9/11? The museum Fall openings are always in the second week of the
semester and we decided to proceed because the tragic events of 9/11/01 impacted most of the
areas (above) addressed in this exhibition.
Educational Goals: adhering to the university’s mission to encourage critical thinking, dialogue
and problem-solving around issues that are very relevant today.
Historical perspectives: The majority of the artworks are responding to actual events that have
occurred. Documentary photographs from the 1960s and 70s from the museum’s reknown
collection stand alongside work by contemporary artists. The juxtaposition of historic and recent
imagery helps us assess the evolution of these pressing social issues over the fifty years since
the Civil Rights movement.
“I think it’s important to figure out to what degree we can put ourselves in historic moments,” he
said. “I like the idea of implicating ourselves in the things that we’re looking at, not just gawking or
gazing. Even for a brief second, we’re experiencing something of it.” -Hank Willis Thomas whose
work in the show is Ameila Falling that is made of a photo from the ’65 Selma March on a mirror.
Programming:
• Presentations in the museum by artists, musicians, faculty and students, September-November
• Community forum and workshop in Center for the Arts Lobby, October 10
• Outreach discussions by curators and artists off campus with community organizations about
the healing processes and solutions for police violence.
Quotes about art and why people do it:
Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world
he lives in. -Amy Lowell, poet, (1874-1925)
Art does not exist only to entertain, but also to challenge one to think, to provoke, even to disturb,
in a constant search for truth. -Barbara Streisand, actress, (b. 1942)
I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues. -Duke Ellington, musician, (1899-
1974)
u Exhibition Title: Art is not just to
entertain it can also be
challenging and thought
provoking.
u The term ‘necessary force’ is the
art created by artists who feel an
urgent need to respond to
contemporary events that reflect
a society that is increasingly
policed on many levels and how
that affects us all. The words
‘police state’ are used because
these artists address this
increased policing and the many
social conditions that contribute
to the complex history of police
violence in the United States such
as:

Topics:
education
violence
Programming:
1974)
u Why opening on 9/11? The
museum Fall openings are
always in this week of the
semester and we decided to
proceed because the tragic
events of 9/11/01 impacted
most of the areas (above)
addressed in this exhibition.

Topics:
education
violence
Programming:
1974)
u Educational
Goals: adhering to the
university’s mission to
encourage critical thinking,
dialogue and problem-
solving around issues that
are very relevant today.

William Karl Valentine (American, b. 1963)
Agent Lee Baroni with Suspect on PCP, Pasadena Police Department (06/07/86), 1986.
Gelatin silver print. Gift of the Artist 96.7.4
William Karl Valentine, who is now a police officer and detective, was previously a unit photographer with
the Pasadena Police Department. After spraying mace several times, this officer had to physically subdue
this man who was high on PCP, a popular drug in the 1980s that caused extremely violent behavior. Valentine
remarked, “PCP influence was one of the scariest things I ever saw.” The War on Drugs, begun in the 1990s,
has greatly increased police actions in certain communities and yet has not decreased drug abuse.
IS THIS A BALANCED SHOW? IS THERE A POLICE
PERSPECTIVE?

William Karl Valentine (American, b. 1963)
849 N. Summit, “Buy Bust” Operation for Drug Sales. Officers Riddle and Ware Looking for Cocaine Dealer Who Fled,
Pasadena Police Department (08/07/86), 1986.
Gelatin silver print. Gift of Artist 96.7.3
Plainclothes and undercover officers are present in the community in a way that both creates and betrays relationships
making such assignments some of the most dangerous and stressful. Here officers are looking for a drug dealer after he had
sold cocaine to an undercover officer.

Hito Steyerl, Guards, 2012, single channel video.

Dread Scott (American, b. 1965)
On the Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide, 2014
Video projection. 3 minutes. Courtesy of the Artist
In this 2014 performance, Scott walked against a fire hose, referencing the use of such hoses against civil rights protesters
during the 1963 “Project C” desegregation campaign in Birmingham, Alabama. He emphasized the terror and irony of a tool
municipalities use for good transformed into a weapon to break the spirits and bones of non-violent activists.

Charles Moore, Fireman turn their hoses on demonstrators, Birmingham, 1963
Mel Edwards, Freedom Fighter
Charles Moore, Birmingham

Hank Willis Thomas (American, b. 1976)
Amelia Falling, 2014. Glass mirror and silver.
Courtesy of Hank Willis Thomas and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY
This trio is from a photograph by Spider Martin of fellow activists aiding Amelia Boynton who had been
beaten unconscious as she marched against segregation on March 7, 1965 in Selma, Alabama—known as
Bloody Sunday. Such photos prompted President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act later that
summer.

Josh Begley (American, b. 1984)
Prison Map, 2014. Digital projection. Courtesy of the Artist
What does the geography of incarceration look like? Browse aerial views of our country’s 4,916 prisons.

Nick Cave (American, b. 1959)
Untitled, 2006. Digital c-print on metallic paper. Courtesy of Nick Cave and Jack Shainman, NY
Nick Cave created the first Soundsuit out of twigs as a response to his feelings of vulnerability and voicelessness upon watching
the beating of Rodney King by police officers on television. He has continued for two decades to make these beautiful imposing
works using a variety of materials (see also Drive-By in the Video Program).

Jeremy Mende (American, b. 1968)
The Liberator Cycle, 2014.Plexi panels, framed engravings. Courtesy of the Artist
This installation takes as its starting point the availability on the Internet of an open-source, 3D-printable and functioning
handgun called “The Liberator.” Mende produced three engravings by processing the Liberator’s digital files through an
algorithm that matched each coordinate point of its wireframe to a country. The data points were then mapped according to
the handgun homicide rates of the corresponding country.

Josh Begley (American, b. 1984)
Profiling.Is (Locations of Concern and Information of Note), 2014. Paper and C-print.
Laura Kurgan & Eric Cadora, Project Directors; David Reinfurt, Sarah Williams, Research Associates
Million Dollar Blocks, 2006. Digital visualization printed on paper.
Texts, photographs and maps extracted from documents produced by the Demographics Unit (later renamed the Zone Assessment Unit), a
secret squad within the New York Police Department. The unit identified “locations of concern” and built detailed files on Muslim-owned
or affiliated businesses and gathering places. The Demographics Unit is said to have "never generated a lead."

u Nafis M. White (American, b. 1977)
u Phantom Negro Weapons, 2014.
u 24 unframed photographs and a dossier. Courtesy of the Artist
u Each object here caused a shooting death because it was mistaken for a weapon. Most police
shootings involve armed, white male suspects but non-white males are stopped and shot by police with
a frequency disproportionate to their minority status in the U.S.

Trayvon
Martin -
Skittles, 2012
Chris Beatty -
Iced Tea,
2015
Michael
Coleman -
Mop Handle,
2016
Dennis
Grigsby -
Spoon, 2014
Dillon
Taylor -
Headphones,
2014

Detail from It Was Only An Indian, 1994. Installation, mixed media
SPK-50, Gift of the Artist, 1994, Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, NM
Larry Caruse was a UNM student who died in a gun battle with police when he kidnapped the newly re-elected Gallup mayor
Emmet Garcia to protest his ownership of an infamous and troubled bar near his pueblo. This work recreates a photo of the
crime scene that was on the front page of the local newspaper.

Teeters? are we getting her piece? or? haven’t mentioned by name in text rough draft any of women artists yet.
also #blacklivesmatter shouldn’t overshadow violence against women? make sure we are not overshadowing them as victims
and as mothers? Sandra Bland case right now…
July 23, 2015, Sandra Bland died in police custody after a traffic stop July 13– 2 months before opening.
WHERE ARE WOMEN ARTISTS?

Nicholas Herrera, Love N Respect, Victor Villalpando, El Ballador, 2014
Nicholas Herrera carved this santo for the Española teenager Victor Villalpando whose mental illness contributed to his tragic shooting by officers in June 2014.
Funding for crisis management training had been cut recently in that city. Such cuts have effectively criminalized mental illness and placed officers in an
untenable position in which they are compelled to use force against individuals who have no criminal intent.

What happened when victims and survivors are viewers?
Nicholas Herrera and parents of Victor Villalpando at opening.

Quilting project in the community = extension of show
Lashawnda Crowe Storm (American, b. 1972) Tentatively titled All My Relations, 2015 - The artist and local quilters will
begin this quilt during this exhibition. Quilt XII in her series begun in 2011.

Necessary Force: Art in the Police State
Tool-Kit for dealing with the Public
The exhibition Necessary Force: Art in the Police State addresses the systemic forces in our history and
our society that continue the violation of civil rights in this country through a range of issues, including
police brutality, surveillance and imprisonment, poverty, gun violence, racial profiling, as well as the power
of collective protest and collective healing. The exhibition includes seminal photographs documenting the
civil rights movement from the museum’s own collection. In conjunction with the exhibit, the museum will
host a diverse program of public events with the participation of artists, scholars, law enforcement and
local organizations to discuss some of the foremost civil rights issues facing our communities and nation
today.
What this exhibition and related programming intend to do:
- critically examine the aspects of culture in our country that fuel violence and fear within and
towards policing entities.
- look at the systemic and societal causes of authoritative violence against civilians.
- create conversations around CURRENT and RELEVANT issues affecting our community.
- engage museum visitors with difficult yet meaningful ideas about policing, civil rights,
racism, and violence.
- present artists and ideas that are actively exploring these issues through their creative
processes.
- serve as a SAFE and CONSTRUCTIVE space to investigate issues that regularly effect our
city, state, and nation.
- explore ideas and tactics for community healing and empowerment.
- involve many community organizations and members – including law enforcement – in the
discussions about issues pertaining to civil rights and law.
Exhibition Content
The content of the exhibition will offend some people and often times there is nothing that you can do
about how they feel. Due to the violent and difficult nature of the ideas presented, you will
undoubtedly have visitors that are unhappy. There will be warnings posted for visitors – but some
people might enter the exhibition knowing that they will be offended. Given the politically and
emotionally charged subject matter be aware that you SHOULD NOT debate or try to convince
people otherwise. Instead, it is best to calm the person down while respecting their point of view. On
the following page there are tips for dealing with such viewers.
-serve as a SAFE and
CONSTRUCTIVE space
to investigate issues that
regularly effect our city, state,
and nation.
explore ideas and tactics for
community healing and
empowerment.

Exhibition Content
The content of the exhibition will offend some people and often times
there is nothing that you can do about how they feel. Due to the violent
and difficult nature of the ideas presented, you will undoubtedly have
visitors that are unhappy. There will be warnings posted for visitors –
but some people might enter the exhibition knowing that they will be
offended. Given the politically and emotionally charged subject matter
be aware that you SHOULD NOT debate or try to convince people
otherwise. Instead, it is best to calm the person down while respecting
their point of view. On the following page there are tips for dealing with
such viewers.

Difficult Visitors / Situations
If a particularly difficult situation arises, student workers
should contact a senior staff member to come down and help
alleviate the tension (see contacts below). Make sure you
are not by yourself;; find another person to stand with you
while you wait for senior staff to arrive. Keep the following
tips in mind:
DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY. It is hard not to take it
personally when an angry person is yelling or agitated, but
you need to remind yourself that their emotions are NOT
ABOUT YOU. It is important that you remain respectful
towards the person.

LISTEN BEFORE SPEAKING. Allow
the person to speak about their issues /
complaints without interruption. Often
people just want to be heard and if you
interrupt them it could heighten their
emotional state. The natural progression
will lead them to calm down on their own
– especially if they are not provoked /
interrupted. Of course, if people begin to
say offensive things to you, other
visitors, or other employees you may
interrupt and calmly ask them to leave.
SHOW EMPATHY. Try to show the
person that you understand their
frustration and signal to them that their
views are heard.

DO NOT ALLOCATE BLAME TO THEM OR
THE MUSEUM. When you listen and respond to
people that are upset, be sincere and try not to
insinuate bias on their part or our part.
INVITE THEM TO OUR LECTURES AND
PROGRAMMING. We have created several
programs in order to highlight proactive
community efforts that address progress and
healing. Note: the programs are not a catch all
for every angry museum visitor – but are an
option if they feel they want to know more.
GIVE THEM RESOURCES TO TAKE ACTION /
GET INVOLVED. There will be take-away materials
available for all visitors, which will highlight various
ways of getting involved and taking action regarding
the issues on view in the exhibition.

OtaBenga Jones & Associates (founded 2002). A collaboration
between Jamal Cyrus (American, b. 1973), Kenya Evans (American,
b. 1974), and Dawolu Jabari Anderson (American, b. 1973)
We Did It For Love, 2015.
Ford Crowne Victoria Police Interceptor and audio. Courtesy of the
Artists

Riots inspire art then more riots: the revolution will be televised
KP: “What will happen to our show?
Can we have the Ota benga jones piece after this happening now? I doubt it will be the last one
before September.
April 25, 2015, the day of Freddie Gray’s funeral and 4.5 months before opening.”
“

Installing Nani Chacon’s Civil War.

Mel Chin (America, b. 1951)
Night Rap, 1993. Polycarbide plastic, steel, wireless transmitter, microphone element, batteries. Courtesy
of the Artist
The policeman’s nightstick is a symbol of authoritarian force and the microphone arms the voice with
amplification. This live wireless microphone, which you are invited to use, encourages both physical
freedom and dialogue in the gallery.

Museums, Social Justice, and Civic Engagement in the Land of Enchantment

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