Students Question: Art or Exploitation?
Kirsten Rusinak
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Lawrence has never witnessed as controversial an art opening as the one that occurred last Friday evening. Hailing all the way from California, mixed media artist Gretchen Beck might have considered saving herself the cross-country trip, had she anticipated the amount of criticism she would inevitably encounter.
As usual, the evening began with a lecture by the featured artist herself. The story began in a happy place, but as her lecture progressed, the audience turned on her. By the end of the rather short talk, the horrified audience was firing heated questions at Beck, who danced around them like a crooked politician.
Beck, a former volunteer with the Peace Corps, stumbled upon her inspiration while serving in Niger, West Africa. Much of her art is influenced by the native art of the red and black Fulani tribes, describing the red tribe's art as "portable" and the black tribe's art as "all about status," with compositions consisting of heaps of expensive mirrors and dishes imported from India and China.
Beck stated that the "red Fulani are the nobles and the black Fulani are the slaves," which corresponds to a "racial divide between lighter skinned people and darker skinned people." Thus, Beck clarified the reasoning behind the black tribe's materialistic approach, describing it as being concerned with desire for social mobility.
Beck lived in Niger for three years and has returned to Niger five times in the last nine years to conduct artistic research, which she describes as a "physically, emotionally and mentally taxing" experience.
The most controversial part of the evening arrived when Beck finished her lecture and turned the spotlight over to questions from the audience. A student asked about her sustained interaction with the Fulani people.
Apparently, she has a deal with the Fulani that she described as a "win-win situation." She raises money in order to buy them food and in return they "aid [her] professional development."
She continued, describing a time she gave the "second poorest country in the world ... a little too much money." Her comment triggered a series of spitfire questions from the audience.
As usual, the evening began with a lecture by the featured artist herself. The story began in a happy place, but as her lecture progressed, the audience turned on her. By the end of the rather short talk, the horrified audience was firing heated questions at Beck, who danced around them like a crooked politician.
Beck, a former volunteer with the Peace Corps, stumbled upon her inspiration while serving in Niger, West Africa. Much of her art is influenced by the native art of the red and black Fulani tribes, describing the red tribe's art as "portable" and the black tribe's art as "all about status," with compositions consisting of heaps of expensive mirrors and dishes imported from India and China.
Beck stated that the "red Fulani are the nobles and the black Fulani are the slaves," which corresponds to a "racial divide between lighter skinned people and darker skinned people." Thus, Beck clarified the reasoning behind the black tribe's materialistic approach, describing it as being concerned with desire for social mobility.
Beck lived in Niger for three years and has returned to Niger five times in the last nine years to conduct artistic research, which she describes as a "physically, emotionally and mentally taxing" experience.
The most controversial part of the evening arrived when Beck finished her lecture and turned the spotlight over to questions from the audience. A student asked about her sustained interaction with the Fulani people.
Apparently, she has a deal with the Fulani that she described as a "win-win situation." She raises money in order to buy them food and in return they "aid [her] professional development."
She continued, describing a time she gave the "second poorest country in the world ... a little too much money." Her comment triggered a series of spitfire questions from the audience.
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