aunnyd

But tonight, the LAPD sent a message to a few in a peaceful, and somewhat silly protest called the Chalk Walk. Their message was sent in the form of rubber bullets and more arrests. To say I'm confused as to what alternate universe we just stepped into with this scenario is an understatement. I recognize that laws are put in place to protect people from themselves and sometimes from each other, but it is really hard for me to see how people writing on the sidewalk with a water soluble substance could turn ugly? Unless, of course, these protesters somehow learned how to shave their chalk sticks down to shanks.

Yes, some people wrote stupid sh*t like 'F*ck LAPD' and other such nonsense, but were rubber bullets really the way to diffuse the situation? It is still questionable whether there was a situation to diffuse in the first place. Now I do not believe in vandalism for the sake of defacing public property, but I do believe that painting or writing with creative intent to relay a message is a perfectly acceptable form of communication. I also believe that paint is paint no matter what form it takes. Back to cultural movements. Can we also talk about cave drawings too? Arguably, since the dawn of time, humans have used their outdoor surroundings to communicate messages. In the past they used charcoal, flowers, plants and other pigments to literally write on their walls to express themselves. Today, these modern day messages take the form or advertising, graffiti and various forms of propaganda, political or otherwise.

For me there is no cultural movement that has affected me on a deeper level more than graffiti and street art have. Ironically, tonight's protest was due in part to the news that today noted artist, John Baldessari resigned from the MOCA's board of advisors after a 12 year tenure. In an interview with the LA Times, he stated:

"To live with my conscience, I just had to do it." Baldessari's said in an interview Thursday after emailing his decision to MOCA. He said his reasons include the recent ouster of respected chief curator Paul Schimmel and news this week that the pop-cultural slant the museum has taken under director Jeffrey Deitch will continue with an exhibition on disco music's influence on art and culture.

"When I heard about that disco show I had to read it twice. At first I thought 'this is a joke' but I realized, no, this is serious. That just reaffirmed my decision,"

In my circle of friends, the momentous work that Jeffrey Deitch has done in a relatively short period of time is something to be admired and respected. There is no doubt that he has ruffled a few feathers, Baldessari among them, but with that he has also brought a much needed breathe of fresh aerosol-laced air into the LA art scene.

I can draw correlations all day long between the old masters and the new, and I have a profound respect for both. In my view, the work of artists like REVOK, SABER and RETNA, is no less important than that of Monet and Renoir who also painted en plein air. Some would be more than happy to argue that with me, but what I know to be undeniably true is that both art forms are fundamentally characteristic of cultural movements. Both capable of stirring up emotions in people, and generating a broader awareness and appreciation of the arts in its many forms. And more than that, inciting progress and change through unique forms of communication.            

After all, better to brandish a can of spray paint or street chalk to send a message than a shotgun. Amirite?