Nationally-recognized muralist Gary Rickson will address an Explorations class on public art tonight in Eaton 206. Rickson has painted for over 30 years, and is an influential force in public art. Often containing strong themes of black power, his pieces have had significant local and national impact. The YMCA in Roxbury recently recommissioned Rickson to paint Africa is the Beginning again, a mural which he originally completed in 1969 when the building was new.
It was a news clipping about this mural that brought Rickson to the attention of Tufts student and Explorations instructor Julia Goodman. Goodman and her co-instructor, Alex Braden, invited Rickson as a guest speaker to highlight themes explored in the class. With his local background and dynamism, Rickson promises to engage and educate his audience.
"He's so much older than us and he has so much more energy than anyone our age," Goodman said.
In Goodman and Braden's Explorations class, "Street Art: By the People, for the People," the role of student-teacher sometimes presents an obstacle. "None of us is an expert on the topic that we're teaching," Goodman admitted. Therefore, instructors rely on speakers like Rickson to supplement the course material and act as a resource for the students. Goodman's goals for her class are to give students the opportunity to talk to Boston muralists, and to introduce the students to places of interest outside of Tufts. Bringing Rickson to speak will accomplish both goals.
The public art movement in America, sparked by the "Wall of Respect" in Chicago in 1967, also has strong roots in the Boston area. Public art as a medium contains elements that set it apart from other forms. These works usually involve community support and involvement - financial or otherwise - and have traditionally been executed by the artists themselves rather than politicians or administrators. The artists are usually members of oppressed groups who are otherwise excluded from the art world and express the unity of artists and their communities. Often, the artwork is done by groups of artists.
Charged with sociopolitical context and historical content, these works of art (usually murals) often become focal points of their communities. There have been instances of local gang members protecting murals from graffiti or offering to help procure supplies for artists.
Though public artists in the Chicago area often had difficulty finding funding, Boston's subsequent movement was supported by the mayor's office and the Institute of Contemporary Art. In 1968, "Summerthing, Boston's Neighborhood Festival" turned the city into a museum, coordinating the distribution of murals throughout the city. Rickson and artist Dana Chandler met with the mayor's office to determine the role black artists would play in Summerthing, and were granted supplies and city assistance as well as artistic freedom. Rickson and Chandler jointly painted two "Walls of Respect" in the Boston area that year, one in Roxbury and another in the South End.
Rickson, a "muralist and spoken word artist," will include a slide presentation and performance as part of his class discussion. In his lecture, he will no doubt paint a clear picture of the public art movement as it applies to the Boston area, and likely encourage those attending to find a new appreciation for the murals in our area.
Gary Rickson will speak tonight (11/13/00) from 5-6:30 p.m. in Eaton 206.
