The usual suspects met in a light drizzle at Midtown Center (SE corner of 23rd & Union) to await the Mayor at the Clean & Green event. Groups of people under Department of Corrections supervision were busy picking up trash up and down the street, as were groups of young people (volunteers, I presume).
The Mayor arrived and posed with various people for pictures. Central Area neighbor Carolyn Walden showed the fountain on the plaza to the Mayor: it’s the Fountain of Triumph, sculpted by the late James Washington, Jr., the noted African-American
artist. She told him of previous neighborhood efforts to get the fountain working again and seems to have got him (and the City) interested in helping getting the water flowing again.
Developer Jim Mueller (whose building site across the street was being mowed as we met) and Tom Bangasser (owner of the property where the fountain sits) were also seen chatting next to (and maybe about?) the fountain.
The Mayor, Jim Mueller and I chatted about redevelopment of the Madison Street area, and whether the Mayor’s proposed “Homes within Reach” program would allow Jim to build affordable housing in his buildings on Madison.
The Mayor said a few words of encouragement, posed for more pictures and then grabbed paint and roller and set out across the street to paint out graffiti on the side of Richlin’s Super Mini. He eventually returned to the displays and goodies, in time to have his ear bent again by yours truly.
Why is the late James Washington, Jr. identified as an “African-American artist” instead of just an “artist”? Do we call the late Robert Rauschenberg a “White American artist”, or the late Andy Warhol a “White American artist of Hungarian Descent”???
Why can’t Mr. Washington Jr. just be an “American Artist”?
Because he lived and worked in this community while it was a primarily African-American neighborhood. He worked closely with other African-American artists such as Jacob Lawrence and his art often reflected African-American culture. His art is often shown in exhibitions devoted to African American art, as well as in multicultural ones. For example, his work is featured in the opening exhibit at the new Northwest African American Museum down at 23rd Avenue S. and S. Massachusetts St. Mr. Washington and his wife were present when the fountain was dedicated at its current location about twelve years ago.
When his vision for the sculpture is brought to fruition in completing it as he planned, it will specifically honor the African American heritage.
It is local art by a local (but internationally-known) sculptor whose studio is being maintained just a few blocks away, and it is the opposite of the gentrification that is upsetting to so many residents of this community.
So he was a racist. If it had been a white artist who was specifically honoring white people and their culture and heritage then Seattle liberals would freak out and scream “racism” and “KKK”.
Um. What do you think statues of George Washington are?
Statues of George Washington are never made by artists who are specifically identified as “noted White American Artists” who by creating a statue of George Washington are “specifically honoring the White American heritage”. If that was so, then all you “Seattle Progressive Liberals” would be shrieking “RACISM!” at the top of your lungs. In fact, anyone of any race or nationality can create a statue of George Washington, (or a statue of anyone). The new statue of MLK is being created by a Chinese guy, for example, but racist blacks and retarded liberals are shrieking about that too.
fyi, one of the people regularly posting here is a “non-seattle, not progressive non-liberal” conservative who still fully embraces this community and participates fully in its many facets.
quit painting with such a broad brush, why guy
He is an artist. Stand in his shoes sometime and see what he want through.
Andrew,
Thanks so much for adding this story!
Sometimes I am surprised and amazed at how awful Seattle progressive liberals are! If not for the hysterical shrieking of right-wing nutbags, I’d never know of their terrible depredations.
Please, continue mewling about the horrifying things that they would most certainly commit if given a chance: the world must know of their non-existent crimes!
“Please, continue mewling about the horrifying things that they would most certainly commit if given a chance: the world must know of their non-existent crimes!”
– The “crime” committed by “Seattle progressive liberals” is their making excuses for and pleading for “understanding” of chronic criminals simply because those chronic criminals are most oftentimes “people of color”.
Look at all the people who posted that don’t want the scanner reports on here because “they make people of color look bad”.
James Washington Jr. did not choose to born at his time in history. He was born and apparently became and accomplished artist during his life. Time and circumstance determined that he would be identified as an African American artist, probably an important aspect of his aesthetic and his identity. Access to education and many other resources for atrists were definitely affected during his lifetime by his race. He is an American artist, but I don’t think he would mind being also identified as an African-American Artist and may have preferred that note.
Joanna
Okay, I looked. I counted one, and that’s taking a very loose and uncharitable interpretation of his comments. You’re certainly not helping to prove your point.
Why is the late James Washington, Jr. identified as an “African-American artist” instead of just an “artist”? Do we call the late Robert Rauschenberg a “White American artist”, or the late Andy Warhol a “White American artist of Hungarian Descent”???
Why can’t Mr. Washington Jr. just be an “American Artist”?
Didn’t know it would be such a contentious issue! Out of laziness (and without proper attribution) I clipped the description verbatim from an E-mail that Carolyn sent me. It seemed entirely appropriate:
The Central Area, where the fountain is located, has been the center of the African-American community for more than 50 years. I felt that it would be of interest to people to know that it was the work of an African American: I was unaware of Mr. Washington’s ethnicity or of the local connection, and thank Carolyn and others for sharing the story.
BTW I thought that the bit about affordable housing would be of much greater interest to many people…