Chicago suburb mural thought to depict lynching scene, should it be taken down?

[pete6032]

Similarities between a downtown Elgin, Illinois mural and a 1930 photo of a lynching of two black men in Indiana are raising questions about the connection between the images and why the mural has remained in the city for more than a decade.

The mural appears to depict the lower half of the photograph — a man pointing to the sky with men, women and children gathered around him. The upper portion — of two black men killed by lynching— is not depicted in the Elgin mural.


"The mural was created as part of a program in which a lead artist was assisted by university students in creating artwork. It was not intended to be a permanent display, but just a part of Elgin's extensive cultural arts offerings, which may be why signage was never created to provide context," Rogowski said.


A grant for the work was approved in 2004, officials said.

Full story

 

[Linflas]

Other, up to the town to do whatever they want. It is none of my business. I have to say looking at the pics in the story it sure does look like the artist used the photo as a basis for the mural.

 

[waggy]

Other, up to the town to do whatever they want. It is none of my business. I have to say looking at the pics in the story it sure does look like the artist used the photo as a basis for the mural.

lol. I don't anyone can deny that it was the basis for the mural.

but i agree. it's up to the town to do what they want.

 

[Homerboy]

Wow -- it's pretty much a copy of the picture. Crazy how this stuff happens.
Up to the town, but on the same note, ridiculous if the town doesn't remove it.

 

[purbeast0]

my prediction is that 99% of the people who will be in an uproar about this had no clue about the picture in question prior to reading the article.

that said, very tasteless.

 

[pauldun170]

I think they should expand the mural.
Instead of a tree with two people hanging on it, have a giant Don Cheadle as captain planet standing there looking down at all the white people he is about to turn into trees.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

I'd want to know the artist and motivation for using that first. On its surface it's pretty fucked up but context might change my thinking on it.

 

[cbrunny]

Don Cheadle as captain planet

.....its real...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwJaELXadKo

 

[DigDog]

i don't see the lynching in the mural.

 

[lupi]

.....its real...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwJaELXadKo

lol

 

[zinfamous]

I'd want to know the artist and motivation for using that first. On its surface it's pretty fucked up but context might change my thinking on it.

trolling? The artist has been silently giggling for the last 12 years...but now is shitting their pants?

 

[MomentsofSanity]

trolling? The artist has been silently giggling for the last 12 years...but now is shitting their pants?

Or taking something ugly and making it into something beautiful? I'm actually genuinely curious about it now.

 

[master_shake_]

When social media users began calling for removal of his mural, "American Nocturne" from a downtown Elgin park, Powers was infuriated.
"These were vigilantes, criminals, who murdered people in the streets. I find it abhorrent and awful," he said.
But if people are not reminded of these crimes, if it is not addressed in our art and in our civil discussions, it can happen again, Power said.
When one group is afraid of the other, if they don't ask questions and find answers, fear wins, he said.
Powers — who doesn't have a smart phone, a website of his work, and rarely uses the internet — railed against social media sites where posts are made without understanding, and response made with no cultural awareness.
Someone with no idea of the history of the piece, of the time it was created or the intent of the artist, made assumptions, he said.
They are wrong, Powers said.

some pretty lucid arguments there.

 

[K1052]

I suspect this debate was probably one intent of the work in the first place.

 

[zinfamous]

Or taking something ugly and making it into something beautiful? I'm actually genuinely curious about it now.

I had that thought as well. Chicago has a lot of WPA murals in the area, and this one evokes that style, but what I'm guessing is more representative of the local area--meaning hispanics?

It would appear that the old photo was the model for this, so there has to be a real reason. Coming out and saying, "Oh! I've only ever seen that photo with the hanged bodies cropped out. I had no idea!" would be a cop out.

 

[gorcorps]

I'd paint over it just because it's fucking ugly, not any other reason. The dude can't paint people, he should stop.

 

[zinfamous]

I'd paint over it just because it's fucking ugly, not any other reason. The dude can't paint people, he should stop.

Maybe they should just hire someone to restore it?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Leave it and install a plaque that explains what happened, when, and why.

You can remember something without endorsing it.

 

[vi edit]

Leave it and install a plaque that explains what happened, when, and why.

You can remember something without endorsing it.

:thumbsup:

 

[nakedfrog]

some pretty lucid arguments there.

This thought had crossed my mind as well.

 

[Theb]

So up until now people just thought it was a mural of angry people pointing at the sky?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

So up until now people just thought it was a mural of angry people pointing at the sky?

They probably didn't think much about it at all.

Murals are like that - 99% of people just walk on by and think, "oh, gee, that dude looks like Johnny Depp" but don't actually care enough to ask around or look up the backstory.

*shrug*

 

[flexy]

It is funny because it is exactly the real context of the image (once you know it) that makes the mural art. (Or even more art than it was seen as before).

However, 80% of people are stupid. Not surprising that people want the mural removed because "it is racist" and their 5 brain cells are only sufficient to come up with the interpretation that "the artist is racist, he made this to glorify those events". (This is how brains with only 5 functioning brain cells work).

So or so, the mural won't survive, because it will be defaced/painted over..probably by this weekend. This is clear.

PS: Art doesn't have to be PC or convenient.

 

[Humpy]

So up until now people just thought it was a mural of angry people pointing at the sky?

lol. Fucking sky. Look at it! I'm so mad.

 

[digiram]

Honestly, it should sit as a reminder of our history. I was watching something recently, and I hear that in Germany there are all kind of things left in the open to remind them of the holocaust.