LaToya Ruby Frazier "Takes On Levi's" Video on Art 21

by Frazier
From Art 21

Following opinion is by me, John Morris and may not be shared by other contributors to the blog.

Art 21 has a good video documenting LaToya Ruby Frazier's performance protest against Levi's use of her hometown of Braddock in it's recent ad campaign.

I have often wondered why, in story after story done on Braddock, so much of it's reality doesn't come across. In the case of many, it's because of lack of knowledge, but a larger factor seems to be conscious efforts to distort the picture.

LaToya is from Braddock, spent most of her life there, to my knowledge and has built a body of brutal work about the hard life of many people there.

After watching the video, would one know that US Steel's Braddock Works is still very much up and running? It is and employes around 2000 people, a number not far from Braddock's total population. In fact, when UPMC, Braddock was open, the total number of jobs in the borough almost exceeded the number of people living there.

The tragic landscape of collapsing buildings in Braddock has to be the result of something a bit more complex.

Was the town's tiny size a factor?

Why did so few workers choose to live in Braddock? What role did stereotypes against living in industrial area's play?

Did the 40 year debate over the construction of an expressway requiring the destruction of over half the town's buildings have an impact? (Why do almost none of the national stories about Braddock not mention these plans?)

Is the fact that a large part of Braddock is within a river flood zone a factor? Can anything be done about this?

Has local political corruption been a factor?

Yes, perhaps Levi's campaign was silly, but at least they left some cash in the hands of a few people who are actively working in the town and a message of hopeful, if dreamy optimism. IMHO, much of LaToya's work about Braddock is at least as exploitive and leaves very little positive in it's wake.

Pittsburgh Biennial at the Warhol, Opening Reception 9/17/2011,Gertrude's/LOT

First, I will get my gripes out of the way. Why was the reception only two hours long and on a Saturday afternoon? Why not your typical evening reception thats 3 hours long? Having said that (and I just don't get it....WHY!? ....I almost missed the whole thing, cause I thought it was in the evening! And I would have loved to have been there longer. Plus, I was afraid I was going to be really late, because it looked like I had a flat tire...and I grabbed the wrong shoes, and my feet were killing me...and I was walking around in the parking lot in just tights with no shoes looking for my car....becuase I parked in such a rush.....WHY!?).
Anyway....having said that, the work is wonderful. Eric Shiner picked a marvelous group of artists. The work is terrific.
Standouts for me on the first go round (I'll go back soon):
Vanessa German, Large elaborate sculptural pieces.
LaToya Ruby Frazier, Photographs related to the Braddock Levis ad campaign. While I am not on the anti Levis ad side(Braddock needs money) she brings up some very valod points about this ad campaign, and about the relationship of other corporations to Braddock. Really interesting!
Kim Beck, Large backlit photo of her "The Skys the Limit" skywriting piece was installed in the cloud room. Perfect. This piece (the actual skywriting with the vintage plane) will be happening again in NYC over the HighLine in the beginning of October.

Elise Adibi, two new beautiful subtle yet very powerful nonobjective paintings from her new "Oxidation" series. The photo and detail are by pemission of the artist.

And there was the Milk Truck (artist, Jill Miller)......actually, I liked so many things..........

The Warhol seemed less concerned about picture taking this time around.....hence all the pictures. That, I liked!