Greetings
Pam:
Removal
of a wall mural – if painted on the wall (plaster/gesso surface) –
will inevitably damage the original. [That a wall mural may have been painted on a stretched
canvas or wood panel(s) is no guarantee of a risk-free removal.] Relocation and subsequent treatment (storage,
conservation/restoration, etc.) present plenty of opportunity for further
damage. Often only wall murals threatened by the most extreme circumstances
-- from air pollution to impending demolition of building – justify the arduous
task and costly process of removing murals to an alternate site.
Additionally,
on the subject of the racist CCC comment:
Racism
was not intended in the CCC or any other ‘New Deal’ agency. After
all, Oscar DePriest, an African-American Representative from
An excerpt
from http://newdeal.feri.org/aaccc/index.htm:
African American CCC members performed their
duties in a society divided by race, and often in the presence of officially
sanctioned racism. Black membership in the CCC was set at ten percent of the
overall membership—roughly proportional to the percentage of African
Americans in the national population. However, because the economic conditions
of blacks were disproportionately worse than those of whites, this race-based
quota system did not adequately address the relief needs of African American
youth. When the CCC began, few efforts were made to actively recruit African
Americans. Many states, particularly in the South, passed over qualified black
applicants to enroll whites. Black CCC enrollees routinely faced hostile local
communities, endured the racist attitudes of individual CCC, Army and Forest
Service supervisors, and found limited opportunities for assuming leadership
positions within the CCC's administrative structure. This inhospitable
environment was aided by the absence of a sustained commitment on the part of
the
Though
we may admire FDR for accomplishments, his attitudes about non-white American citizens
were as deplorable as depictions of Native Americans as scalping and attacking white
women and stabbing white males in the back.
Sincerely,
Curator of Education
20 South
Phone: 801.328.4201 x 121
Fax: 801.322.4323
URL: www.slartcenter.org
Celebrating 75 Years!
1931-2006
From:
On Behalf Of Pamela
Silvestri
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 3:30
PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Dangers of
the Mail Mural
Having
given the article/issue some thought - I think the mural should be removed
to a more appropriate facility.
Some of
the justification for leaving the mural there...such as their being part of the
history of the building...is a little weak. I'd wonder how many other objects
are still in place in that building...from before, during and after the murals
were installed?
The mural
should be some place where they could be better cared for (doesn't quite sound
like they have been), properly interpreted (just now they're thinking of doing
this?), at a place where more people may be able to view them (and choose
to do so) and at a location where the employees wouldn't be offended.
And what
about he temporary 'display' board that was placed in front of the mural? It
was placed too close to the mural. Already an employee had 'rolled it
away' -what if that display board accidentally tipped over? It would certainly
cause damage to the mural.
Removing
the mural is not at all obliterating history. In fact it may help preserve it.
Nobody is suggesting that it be destroyed.
A couple
of weeks ago I came across a disturbing story -written by a former CCC
enrollee. This was written on a form where alumni could write comments or share
a story about their experiences in the CCC. This one was so racist - a
southerner who had enrolled in an integrated camp in RI and hated it so much
that he left.
Of
all the other hundreds of comments I've read -never anything like this. As
disturbing as it was, it's a record that needs to be retained of course. I'll
never have it out for museum visitor's to read though. But it is available to
anyone who may have an interest in reading it.
Racism
and other conflicts weren't tolerated in the CCC camps. If this man had
outwardly expressed his attitude and caused a problem, there were only two
choices available to him. One choice would have been to duke it out in the
boxing ring -(how conflicts between enrollees were resolved) or he could leave.
He would have had to fight more than one guy - so being the coward he evidently
was...he left.
Now this
is the context/venue where I can bring up racism and hatred and properly interpret
this. But this is one man's racist comment - and I will not state across the
board that all southerner's were racist or that no northerner's were.
The mural
on the other hand is an artist's depiction of what was most likely not an
actual event. The artist obviously didn't paint this based on personal
experience. And the mural may suggest that all Indians participated in
similar, savage behavior.
As best
you may provide interpretation of this mural to the public...you still can't
control how people think and feel. Is this supposed to make the employees feel
less offended?
Pam
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