Public Art= Priority

The San Francisco Examiner had an article a few months ago regarding public art in South San Francisco.. However it is not just placing art here and there, but rather making public art a priority ranging from sculptures, statues, paintings, etc.

In the article, the city’s interim recreation manager mentioned that South City has spent around $300,000 on public art. (Unfortunately, Riverside does not have this kind of money). However, the article then goes on to mention that the money that goes towards the artwork does NOT come from the city’s general fund budget. The projects are actually funded from either developer fees or fundraising efforts. This means that if we can get the city and certain developers to jump on board, we could begin to beautify Riverside,CA [as well as UCR] one wall at a time.  Public art not only makes residents of the city feel good, but it keeps visitors coming back as well; it creates an image of a well-rounded community, enhancing the images of parks, buildings, and drab open-spaces.

In addition to funding public art through developer fees and donations, the article also mentions how other cities have put up art for the public by asking local artists to loan their pieces to put on display. Having local artists donate their art-work would cost virtually no money (besides some hooks and nails) and could go to further enhance the image of a well-rounded and caring community.

“Artists get chance to tell their stories, relate to observers….

Public displays of art are uplifting, help the local economy and educate onlookers, according to the artists who create them.”

This is totally do-able. We, Collective X, will draft up business proposals that we plan to mail to certain businesses downtown, and we hope that once they see this project is not completely far-fetched, they will jump on board

(and I will admit that based on this article, NorCal >SoCal) Let’s do a little catching up, Riverside!!

We’ve got copycats!

So we had a successful Phase One on the steps outside of UNLH, however it might have been a little too successful. We’ve spotted random chalking around the school (ranging from Lot 30, to the HUB, and around INTS). Now this chalking isn’t exactly the kind of “art” that COLLECTIVE X had in mind. In fact, it’s far from what we displayed in our Phase One. The random graffiti chalking was pointless and quite inappropriate. 

There were more that we were unable to take a picture of, because they got erased before we had a chance to snap a photo. (Unfortunately, the “art” was mostly f**ck this and f**ck that… not really worth capturing if you ask me).

Anyhow, I just noticed that there is a place in UCR for students to actually draw pictures and write in chalk. Inside of UCR’s newest on campus restaurant, Latitude 55, there is a pretty decent-sized chalkboard as well as available chalk for students to draw/write as they please. However, as you can see below, the space is not exactly utilized in the best way…

Back in the day…..

For each year of elementary school, I have a distinct memory for each grade level. The memory that I cherish the most about second grade was being allowed to leave a permanent mark on our school. In the back portion of the school, we had a wall that spanned the entire length of the school where we ate lunch, played at recess and held our graduation ceremonies. On this wall, a class many years before us had laid the ground work and each year, we added onto it to continue its growth. It was the most unproportionate and unattractive ocean scene you’ve ever seen but my school absolutely adored it because we knew we’d taken a part in its evolution. I’m 21 years old now and I painted on that wall when I was around 7 or 8. That was a long time ago but somehow I still remember which fish I painted and the one my little brother painted three years after me. With kids, sometimes it’s not about how well the art is drawn or who the artist was that implemented its design but what it symbolically means to them. In an earlier post, one of my team members provided a few examples of places in which murals could go but maybe the youth could play a hand in its creation. The mural could become a fixture in the community and kids would have something in which to take pride and a tradition for the youth.

Phase One: Mainstreaming the Visual Arts

Today is Wednesday and we have just completed phase one of our project. We did a mini piece on our campus and plan on doing another piece this weekend.

Here’s a slideshow of the day:

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Art in the City of Riverside

As the title suggests, this post will focus on a look at the art in Riverside. However, this post will be limited in information just as Riverside is limited in art and art museums. I began my search for information regarding art in Riverside by looking up article at the UCR Libraries homepage. Unfortunately, the search did not have results that were relevant to my research. In a desperate attempt to find information about art in Riverside, I’ve used the always popular Google Seach Engine.

Two Art museums, cultural centers, and historical museums were returned in my search. Riverside Art Museum (RAM) and The Sweeny Art Gallery are the only two museums of Art in Riverside.  This came as quite a shock. Thinking about Los Angeles and San Diego and the various museums of art that are found in those two cities makes Riverside seem like a city that is lacking in more than just art, but in Culture as well.  Aware of the Sweeny Art Gallery, I would like to begin with a look at RAM.

RAM is located on Mission in Avenue in Downtown Riverside. Its mission statement is as follows, “The Riverside Art Museum promotes an appreciation of the arts by presenting quality exhibitions and community educational programs for the cultural enrichment of the region.” By looking at the website, it appears RAM has much to offer with 6 different exhibits open now to the public. It also offers museum space to rent and art classes. Feel free to check out RAM’s blog.

The other Art Museum in Riverside is the Sweeny Art Gallery. The Sweeny Art Gallery is affiliated with UCR and is focused on the exploration and connection between life and Art. The gallery is currently displaying the Senior Thesis Projects and has a permanent collect of 650 projects for the viewing pleasure of the public. Though neither of these Art Museums are well know, one could argue “At Least they’re here.” However, the Collective X hopes that this blog can be a forum to bring more art and artists to Riverside.

Cement Covered Riverside

Riverside, California is a very industrial community. From Downtown to the intersection of the 215 and the I-15, Riverside is filled with establishments occupying large buildings that are unpleasing to the eye. Downtown Riverside is the only location were art on buildings is present in a form other than graffiti. There murals, however, are limited to three and their size certainly do not make them something to marvel at. Here are various pictures of Riverside close to  campus. It comes as a surprise that in a College Community there is very little appreciation of the arts displayed through out the city. Since Collective X has decided to bring art back into the city through a small mural done in chalk, I have posted locations and blank walls that can use a little color…

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Guerilla Art

In a world covered in cement and buildings rise high above eye level and covered top to bottom in advertisements, one has to ask ever now and then, “Where did the beauty go?” As stated in the previous blog, advertisements are meant to be distinctive, memorable, and brainwashing. Convincing us to buy products we do not need, advertisements are what Guy Debord would call Spectacles. Spectacles driving capitalist society that needs people to buy in order to keep the economy alive. But advertisements are monsters. They come in various forms and are often times unrecognizable: product placements in out favorite TV shows, news broadcasts discussing  the latest game show with hopes to bring much needed attention to both shows, and the advertisements that we see everyday in our own homes. The products we buy are covered with their brand name to perpetuate the are loyalty to specific brands and as social status reminders for those that enter our homes. Advertisements do not simply sell products anymore; they sell lifestyles, the American Dream, the well known myth that money can buy you friends and happiness.

Advertisements are everywhere. Even locations where they are not allowed. It has become a custom to see advertisements and we no longer question their right to be displayed. Advertisements are taking over public space, space that can be used for enlightening a community, displaying true art, and the elimination of brainwashing mechanism. Guerilla Art is the key to taking back public space from advertisers and bringing art and beauty to the community. Though there does not always need to be a huge political statement with Guerilla Art, The Collective X seeks to bring awareness to the our society’s consumerist nature and replace it with an appreciation for art.

Reappropriation of the Billboard

The average citizen sees over 3,000 advertisements a day.  They remember only 12.

I saw this picture awhile ago and unfortunately can’t really cite the source. (if you know the artist… let em know I said excellent work!) The idea behind advertising really annoys me. It’s not art and it’s not visually pleasing. The MAK Center for Art and Architecture began a project to take back billboards and advertising space and make it attractive again. So here’s the rundown on their project; various artists take back billboards throughout the greater Los Angeles area and do whatever they please with them.

There are so many things right with this project!

There’s a general formula for advertisements to maximize how long you remember it and blah blah blah. It’s boring. It’s not innovative and it’s been done before. These artists aren’t trying to sell you anything so for once, that formula is abandoned and art is allowed to make its comeback. This isn’t bombarding people with their images either. They get one billboard to get their point across and if you don’t like it, you move onto the next one. There’s no monopoly here.

This is a huge amount of exposure for a single person or business to have. I can’t estimate how much traffic this billboard gets a day but I know it’s a lot! This is an extraordinary transfer of power from a major corporation to a single individual. Imagine you had this opportunity. What would you find important enough to visually display? What statement would you make?

Let us introduce ourselves….

We are the Collective X, a student based group at the University of California at Riverside, who are dedicated to bringing the visual arts back to the streets of the Inland Empire.