tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post113753847719871645..comments2024-03-12T10:31:11.815-07:00Comments on The Ward-O-Matic: Everybody is a CriticWard Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05013085293679968596noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1138046404619304622006-01-23T12:00:00.000-08:002006-01-23T12:00:00.000-08:00Oh, I'm gone, baby, I'm gone!Oh, I'm gone, baby, I'm gone!Ward Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05013085293679968596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1138036103770221372006-01-23T09:08:00.000-08:002006-01-23T09:08:00.000-08:00Walk away, Ward.Walk away, Ward.Lanerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09173938752132900567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137971661505338852006-01-22T15:14:00.000-08:002006-01-22T15:14:00.000-08:00I'm sure someone has already said something like t...I'm sure someone has already said something like this already, but I'm going to say it anyway...<BR/><BR/>While I completely understand your theory about a mural representing the neighborhood it's in, I think it's important to realize that it is not your fault that they did this to the mural. <BR/><BR/>Kids do stupid things. Beautiful things get defaced all the time. Without motive.C.Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05735347770456047370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137875084674910212006-01-21T12:24:00.000-08:002006-01-21T12:24:00.000-08:00Sorry to hear about this Ward, it's a splendid mur...Sorry to hear about this Ward, it's a splendid mural that would brighten up any neighbourhood.Will Kanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07347455728798765982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137858520157438452006-01-21T07:48:00.000-08:002006-01-21T07:48:00.000-08:00o.k. though this thread ought to be winding down a...o.k. though this thread ought to be winding down at this point i feel i must say the following-<BR/><BR/>first, there is context to consider. as ward has tried to explain multiple times here, the mural is for a commercial establishment and its subject matter is in keeping with said establishment. it is not a racially motivated piece in any manner whatsoever. <BR/><BR/>that being said as per this issue <I>in general-</I><BR/><BR/>every comment which innocently suggests that ward ought to have "included other races" in his mural is off base. completely. i realize that this might be an unpopular sentiment, but in my estimation the very notion that any representation of a group of humans, in public space, need to reflect a cross section of all cultures which might conceivably view said piece is politically correctness at its laziest. <BR/><BR/>the multi-cultural make-up of a community, or a city or, a country is not sincerely celebrated and embraced by the <I>de-facto</I> inclusion of each of its inhabitants in every single publicly visible representation of people. that is a disingenuous "easy solution" to the real concerns, tensions, and issues of any multi-cultural area. and today most places are.<BR/><BR/>this method of addressing the culture-clash is one used by advertisers hoping to appeal to the broadest possible demographic, and not one particularly useful for encouraging understanding in those actually pictured.<BR/><BR/>the real beauty of "the melting-pot" is the experience of walking through and coming across a thousand different images, icons, and cultural touchstones which unabashedly celebrate a thousand different cultural experiences- side by side. the idea that every image ought to celebrate every culture misses the point completely. all the talk of "sensitivity" is misguided. a truly harmonious mixture of cultures is one in which each live together, side by side, without the need for <I>compulsory</I> homogenization aimed at "sensitivity." honest blending and mixing will happen naturally. <BR/><BR/>i live in new york and one aspect of it's vibrancy is undoubtedly the wonderful blending of influences, where cultures and religions and races mix to create new forms. another aspect, however, are the neighborhoods which unabashedly celebrate their own cultures. what would new york be without china town, little italy, hell's kitchen, astroria, brighton beach, harlem, greenpoint, the upper west side, etc? <BR/><BR/>a key component of sincere understanding is acceptance of the "other." and failing that, at very least, tolerance. the idea that every image ought to be created with the idea of "not offending anyone" undercuts this chance at sincere understanding by trying to cut off any tension at the pass as it were. people need to come to that understanding themselves, in their own time, for there to be any <I>real</I> growth or progress.<BR/><BR/>anyhow, my point, i guess, is this: including everyone in every public image does not accomplish anything. the accomplishment is for someone to be faced with items and images depicting "the other" and to embrace, or accept, or tolerate, or at very least, not simply piss on it, metaphorically or otherwise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137787667292089012006-01-20T12:07:00.000-08:002006-01-20T12:07:00.000-08:00How dare those boys piss on my favorite mural! I w...How dare those boys piss on my favorite mural! I was hanging on your every word on this post. Unbelievable! Like a few other commenters have said, I agree with the "boys will be boys" scenairo. I know you feel weird about this situation, Art is an extention of ourselves, and having someone pee on my art would make me a little flustered too.my house is cuter than yourshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17759993616824102407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137777595204390002006-01-20T09:19:00.000-08:002006-01-20T09:19:00.000-08:00This whole situation makes for a fascinating look ...This whole situation makes for a fascinating look into public art issues and reverse racism. I specifically agree with the "anonymous" response from LA. You should publicize this event as an example of "juvenile fun or reverse racism?", because it really blurs the lines! Bring it to the news!JustMehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05301955517044392288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137774616021815622006-01-20T08:30:00.000-08:002006-01-20T08:30:00.000-08:00Whoa...I just read this, Ward. So sorry to hear ab...Whoa...I just read this, Ward. So sorry to hear about what happened. It is all so wrong on so many levels.<BR/><BR/>I bet, before anything else, those kids saw the characters' shit-eating grins...and just imagined them saying, "pee on me!", because their twisted, juvenile minds can't think of anything better to do with their afternoon.<BR/><BR/>Still---they must have been REALLY bored, because I can't imaging trying to pee from someone's shoulders! Hopefully, they wet the guy propping them up.JustMehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05301955517044392288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137762116908492642006-01-20T05:01:00.000-08:002006-01-20T05:01:00.000-08:00Congrats on the BoingBoing link. Sorry it's for su...Congrats on the BoingBoing link. Sorry it's for such a dumb action by youth.<BR/><BR/>No one mentioned it, but I get a laugh thinking these kids were being smart standing on top of one another and leaked urine all over themselves.<BR/><BR/>Youth do dumb things indeed. Gotta love some of those intelligent comments here too.Chad Kerychukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04801536029977275839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137744269412283472006-01-20T00:04:00.000-08:002006-01-20T00:04:00.000-08:00so anyway....more importantly...how was Chick-fil-...so anyway....<BR/>more importantly...<BR/><BR/>how was Chick-fil-A??djp72https://www.blogger.com/profile/02641880005490309783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137725331635481302006-01-19T18:48:00.000-08:002006-01-19T18:48:00.000-08:00Yes, yes, I know that I should've thought about in...Yes, yes, I <I>know</I> that I should've thought about including other races on this mural. Yes, I <I>know</I> it would be nice to see. But you're missing the point. I painted these characters from vintage illustrations with the intent to reflect on what type of furniture was being sold inside the store. Get it? I've already gone over this in my post and my comments. Same thing about the being in public thing, too.<BR/><BR/>Seems like I'm repeating myself.Ward Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05013085293679968596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137714209317737472006-01-19T15:43:00.000-08:002006-01-19T15:43:00.000-08:00Nice drawing but, maybe next time you should think...Nice drawing but, maybe next time you should think of including other races in your murals if you don't want to be percieved as only drawing white society. Besides it would be nice to see. <BR/><BR/>Also once its on the wall in a public space, people are going to do stuff to it, interect and react.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137698839948745592006-01-19T11:27:00.000-08:002006-01-19T11:27:00.000-08:00I can't believe they actually peed on your wonderf...I can't believe they actually peed on your wonderful artwork. I kind of know how you feel. I worked on school mural right outside the art room. It was a great homage to Roy Lichtenstein. The mural had a woman that debated the meaning of art. One day I passed by it and found out some jerk wrote "Tom the Tomato" in permanent marker on her teeth. I was furious and just plain confused. I later found out it's a charater from Veggie Tales. it just plain confuses me why people defile property.<BR/><BR/>I know how you feel. For weeks I became paranoid and guarded that wall. But that's the harsh reality about public art or murals. The condition is out of your hands. I know public art commissioned by the state require that the artist give them guidlines how to maintain the art if it ever get damaged. So sadly it probably happens to a lot of public art.<BR/><BR/>I love your graffiti art. Keep it up. Who knows to solve all this maybe someday your graffiti can grace the hall of a museum. If people become crazy, they have to go through security guards :pEllen Yuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00797328221734814597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137694944207727232006-01-19T10:22:00.000-08:002006-01-19T10:22:00.000-08:00aw, that's too bad ward.-ericaw, that's too bad ward.<BR/>-<A HREF="http://diversionmary.com" REL="nofollow">eric</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137694430032304852006-01-19T10:13:00.000-08:002006-01-19T10:13:00.000-08:00If there's any truth in that old adage, "There's n...If there's any truth in that old adage, "There's no such thing as bad publicity" then getting pissed on is the best thing that could have happened to your mural, Ward. With any luck the regular media will pick up this story from boingboing and you'll be getting commissions to paint murals in Paris and Tokyo, m' man. ;-)leifpenghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07232334860061949895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137691609226297732006-01-19T09:26:00.000-08:002006-01-19T09:26:00.000-08:00Hi,I just found out about this through boingboing....Hi,<BR/><BR/>I just found out about this through boingboing. I'm sorry to hear about this, but if it means anything, i'm hopping on marta to see your mural in a few minutes. It's good that you took this all in stride, but I wouldnt read too much into it. If anything at all, the teenagers raised awareness of your work. You now have one more fan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137649432334804612006-01-18T21:43:00.000-08:002006-01-18T21:43:00.000-08:00Wow. Okay. Lots of comments all thanks to Boing Bo...Wow. Okay. Lots of comments all thanks to Boing Boing. That's great. Unfortunately with the floodgates open, many dingers show up to post anonymously, and most of it is not worth responding to because it's obvious that the majority of the commentors did not read my entire post. <BR/><BR/>But I'll respond anyway. For the record, I approached the owner Lee to do this mural. Being a collector of old ephemera and mid-century illustration and design, I had some cool illustrations from a 1956 Better Homes & Garden Decorating Book. (I have some of the images from this book scanned and posted about them <A HREF="http://wardomatic.blogspot.com/2005/12/1956-decorating-book.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>, with a mention about the mural at the end of the post.) Considering that Victory Vintage sold modern furniture from the 50's to the 70's, the illustrations seemed perfect for Lee's store. And considering that this mural would be for a particular store, with particular needs, the audience for this mural would be narrowed down. (Remember in my post I said, "Some [murals] will be more commercial in nature, but hopefully offer something more to what that particular store provides for the community. The Victory Vintage Home mural falls into the latter category.") <BR/><BR/>I knew that not everyone would be down with the mural. But I also knew that it would be a pretty cool mural to look at, point blank. I'd never seen anything like this on a wall, and so I really wanted to try this out, to see what the illustrations would look like on a larger scale. <BR/><BR/>To those who responded, saying something to the effect that shouldn't the mural reflect the whole community, I say yes, it should. But like I mentioned in the post, this mural is a commerical one, for a particular store. In Decatur, where this store is, there is a record store nearby that is black-owned and sells mostly R&B, rap, and hip-hop music. I highly doubt that they would paint a mural with Britney Spears on their wall, would they? Like I mentioned before, the mural is meant to reflect what is being sold in the store. I'm not trying to make any political statement or anything, just having some fun. <BR/><BR/>But I ask you all this, especially the artists who may or may not have commented here: if you had painted something that you spent hours and hours on, only to have some idiot teenagers piss on your artwork, would you be nonchalant about it? Especially when you knew that you meant no ill-will with your painting? Would you say to yourself, "Well, I guess I didn't reflect the whole community -- say, I should've been more sensitive to everyone's feelings here because, gosh, there's enough white faces all over town, right?" Or, "Yup, boys will be boys..." <BR/><BR/>I highly doubt that you'd be as tough as you come across in some of your comments on this post. <BR/><BR/>But I do have to say one more thing to give you all a little background as to why I'm already over this: I'm a graffiti writer. And this is nothing compared to what I had to endure when I first started out painting on walls. I understand the ephemeral nature of the beast when it comes to painting on walls, out in the open, easy access for pissers and spitters and taggers. No problem. Bring it on. As I said in my post, I can't change how others feel about my work, but I can be the better man and just turn the other cheek and keep doing what I'm doing. <BR/><BR/>And I'll do just that this weekend, when I get back out there to paint some more. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for all the comments.Ward Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05013085293679968596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137643691508529492006-01-18T20:08:00.000-08:002006-01-18T20:08:00.000-08:00I know there's no excuse for defacing property, bu...I know there's no excuse for defacing property, but Atlanta has some deep rooted issues. Not every group is going to be nostalgic for that era. I can see it having a similar effect as tagging an area with a rival gang's symbol: It is an icon representing a divisive subject and it could attract someone not-so-wise to do something stupid.<BR/><BR/>http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=509fdee5b12c3cd9798e22a7aa124b1c&from=rssAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137640147876172392006-01-18T19:09:00.000-08:002006-01-18T19:09:00.000-08:00I'm sorry to find out about your mural this way, b...I'm sorry to find out about your mural this way, but I haven't been that way in a while. I live down the street and I will definitely stop by to check it out! It looks beautiful from the photograph.Lady Crumpethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04864405390291394209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137636786506759012006-01-18T18:13:00.000-08:002006-01-18T18:13:00.000-08:00Man! Terrible! Looks like a killer mural too :(Kid...Man! Terrible! Looks like a killer mural too :(<BR/><BR/>Kids are stupid sometimes. I pass by a mural next to a crappy parking lot all the time and I am amazed that it hasn't been messed with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137635639933911662006-01-18T17:53:00.000-08:002006-01-18T17:53:00.000-08:00It's a beautiful piece of work, and it's terrible ...It's a beautiful piece of work, and it's terrible that those kids have such disrespect for art, but honestly, if I saw that gleaming white nuclear family of faces on the side of a store in my [also diverse] community, I'd definitely question what the store was trying to say.<BR/><BR/>If you want to show what the store "provides the community," maybe you could show to whom they're providing it. Just because no black [brown, yellow, etc.] people appeared in "vintage" commercial advertising doesn't mean they weren't there. Just because it's an homage doesn't mean it has to reflect the prejudice of the era the art originated in.<BR/><BR/>If you're inwardly cringing with worry that people are going to misunderstand your intent, maybe there's a reason for that.gwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07797254251052449434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137632434957555332006-01-18T17:00:00.000-08:002006-01-18T17:00:00.000-08:00Wow, I was really surprised to see this link on bo...Wow, I was really surprised to see this link on boing boing. Not because I don't think it's worthy but because I live half a mile from victory vintage and drive past your mural every day.<BR/><BR/>I can't give any commentary on the why or why not of the action that hasn't already been expressed. All I can say is that as a resident of the neighborhood in quesion and a frequent shopper at victory vintage I think your mural is completely appropriate for the store/neightborhood.<BR/><BR/>It really lends something to Lee's store and to the idea of a mixed use district. <BR/><BR/>I'm sorry that it has been discouraging but you should know that there are some of us in the neighborhood who not only like but appreciate your work!Leahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15445977722367587074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137632135593355562006-01-18T16:55:00.000-08:002006-01-18T16:55:00.000-08:00It's an outdoor mural, boys will be boys. They lik...It's an outdoor mural, boys will be boys. They like something to 'aim' for. Doesn't change once you grow up either, that's why there are targets in the urinals.<BR/><BR/>Either way, I know you're taking it personally, but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and a piss is just a piss. <BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, due to the posting on boing-boing, I fear your mural might now attract more attention, and not in a good way.<BR/><BR/>I like your stuff. Good luck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137630403432869462006-01-18T16:26:00.000-08:002006-01-18T16:26:00.000-08:00Is there some weird male shared understanding abou...Is there some weird male shared understanding about the "fun" of pissing publicly on faces? News to me. "what's inherently mature about peeing on a face"?-! Hmmmmm, yeah, hooookaaaay...<BR/> And as for the guy who thinks you're "defensive" re: some black kids pissing on white faces (which are--hey! CARTOON HEADS, not photos, not straight serious portraits of the Man) which imho makes a difference), ask yourself this: What if the pissers were WHITE, and they were pissing ont he faces of BLACK people on the wall? Gee, I'd bet you might, um, find that racially motivated, just possibly. maybe it was, or wasn't, but admit that you'd assume the worst of them. Doesn't make it right, but it does cut BOTH ways. At least Ward thinks about this and it matters to him. And, I don't know how many of you are artists(probably not many), but forgetting the weird statement that "there are places in the US where you can't have murals"(WTF?)--I guess none of you have imagination enough to think how it would feel to have someone whip it out and urinate all over your hard work that the store owner paid you to paint. Yeah, it's in a public place; I live in L.A., where we have loads of public places with all kinds of murals, some are terrible, some great. But if anyone has the stupidity and crassness to deface or particularly shit or piss on that work, I'd think they were animals, okay? NO ONE has the right to do that. Yes, it's a shared neighborhood. As such it is NOT a place to defile as you feel like it, from littering to urinating on painted walls. What harm did the mural do here? It's simply a retro cartoon mural--I'd say that if the kids had a problem, they should get the eff over it, not Ward!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1137627844084284192006-01-18T15:44:00.000-08:002006-01-18T15:44:00.000-08:00In Malaysian culture, pissing on murals is a way o...In Malaysian culture, pissing on murals is a way of showing approval for the piece of art. So maybe the youngsters were Malaysian.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com