Art & The Cycles of Gentrification | Aisha Valentin | TEDxUWMilwaukee
The speaker, a Milwaukee-based artist, argues that while public art can beautify and spark community renaissance, it is frequently exploited by developers and corporations—a process termed "modern colonialism"—which ultimately displaces local cultures and working classes. The strong evidence for this is the parallel between Milwaukee's documented racial segregation (noted by the 2019 Brookings report) and the Monopoly game structure, where "white-collar corporations" leverage artistic expression for profit, ultimately displacing the "working class" represented by the shoe piece.
## Speakers & Context
- Milwaukee-based mirrorless fine artist and designer.
- Focuses on creating art that tells a story addressing themes of culture and community.
- Has been involved in public art for the last six years.
- Creative roots are derived from graffiti and hip-hop culture.
- Discusses the historical struggle of using art to speak up during times of injustice.
## Theses & Positions
- Public art, while powerful for community pride, is vulnerable to exploitation by developers and corporations.
- The intersection of art, culture, and commerce can lead to "modern colonialism," where expression is used for capital gain.
- The cycle of gentrification—where art influx raises property values and displaces original residents—is a core problem.
- Artists must resist becoming mere tools of displacement and learn business acumen to retain integrity in commercial ventures.
- Artists have the power to move people and mobilize audiences by wielding "cultural capital."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Graffiti culture:** Artistic expression originating in street art forms.
- **Hip-hop philosophy:** Principles of protest and challenging the establishment.
- **Modern Colonialism:** The exploitation of art and culture by real estate and big business for capital gain.
- **Gentrification:** The process of changing a neighborhood's character through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses.
- **Redlining:** The withholding of information or financial resources, largely based on the racial and socioeconomic makeup of communities.
- **Cultural Capital:** The power held by artists and culture that can be used for meaningful and good ends.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Artistic Expression's Cycle:** Local community identity $\rightarrow$ Art becomes visible $\rightarrow$ Developers leverage expression to increase property value $\rightarrow$ Investment draws white-collar professionals $\rightarrow$ Rising costs lead to displacement of working class and original culture.
- **Monopoly Analysis:** Relates the game to American economics, using pieces to represent economic forces:
* **Thimble (Artist):** Represents creative expression; architects of culture.
* **Fancy Roadster (White-collar corporation):** Represents money/power; aims to maximize profit from investments.
* **Top Hat (Politicians):** Represents civic duty; governs access to future needs (education, healthcare, jobs).
* **Shoe (Working class):** Represents the class that gets displaced when property values and rents rise.
* **Scottish Terrier (Landlord):** Represents long-time property owners who own the territory.
* **Latte (Consumer):** Represents the choice of spending money locally vs. supporting external corporations.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Early Life:** Drawing was an issue in **second grade** when drawing an evil robot led to a conference.
- **Childhood:** Exposed to hip-hop music (mixed with house music) by father and uncle Junior.
- **2004 (Age 13):** Traveled north side of the city; began at **True School**.
- **True School Period:** Learned elements of hip-hop (break dancing, DJing, MCing, graffiti art) at non-profit center for neighborhood and troubled youth.
- **Mural Creation:** First time using a spray can to create a mural; painted on "Bear Cream City brick."
- **Observation:** Documented the vibrancy of neighborhoods (South Side murals inspired by Mexican mural movements; North Side imagery).
- **Comparative Trip:** Visited San Francisco, noting shifts in murals reflecting vanishing populations and high influx of white-collar professionals.
- **Modernization Trend:** Observed recent investments aiming to modernize Milwaukee, bringing in young professionals.
## Named Entities
- **Milwaukee** — The primary location of the speaker's work and critique.
- **True School** — Non-profit organization in the North Side that ran after-school/summer programs.
- **North side of the city** — Area where True School operated.
- **South side** — Neighborhood noted for vibrant murals inspired by Mexican mural movements.
- **San Francisco** — City visited by the speaker for comparative study of public art shifts.
- **Miami** and **Oakland** — Examples of culturally vibrant areas cited for development issues.
## Numbers & Data
- Age when first art issue occurred: **second grade**.
- Age when immersed in hip-hop culture: **13** (in 2004).
- Years involved in public art: **six years**.
- Data from **2019** Brookings report: Milwaukee listed as the number one most racially segregated city in the United States.
- Suspension disparity: Black and brown students are **72 percent** more likely to be suspended in K-12 schools than white counterparts.
## Examples & Cases
- **Childhood Art Trouble:** Drawing an "evil looking robot" in **second grade** leading to a teacher conference.
- **Graffiti Success:** Painting a mural using a spray can on "Bear Cream City brick" during a **True School** block party.
- **City Official Conflict:** An altercation recorded in the *Milwaukee Journal Sentinel* where officials blamed the young participants as "liars, vandals and criminals."
- **Cultural Contrast:** Comparing the vibrant murals of the South Side (Mexican mural movements inspiration) with the systematic problems (poverty/segregation).
- **Modern Development Trap:** Observing how infrastructure investments draw in white-collar businesses, juxtaposed against the history of loss from industrial companies moving overseas.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Mirrorless fine artist and designer** (professional medium).
- **Spray can:** The initial tool used for mural painting.
- **Turntables:** Equipment used by father/uncle Junior for mixing music.
## References Cited
- **Brookings report:** Specific data point regarding Milwaukee's racial segregation status in **2019**.
- **Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:** Source of an article detailing an altercation between a city official and True School participants.
- **Mexican mural movements of the 1920s:** Artistic inspiration noted for South Side murals.
- **Monopoly:** Game structure used as an analytical framework for economic critique.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Community Expression vs. Capital Gain:** The fundamental trade-off where art moves from being an organic reflection of culture to a commodity leveraged for real estate value.
- **Centralization vs. Local Investment:** Choosing to patronize local makers markets/small businesses over large external corporations to keep wealth within the community.
- **Artist Role:** The alternative to being a "weapon of mass displacement" is to "educate yourself about the intricacies of doing business as a creative."
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The initial critique of public art is that it can be used to *displace* and commercialize cultures, rather than solely beautify or inspire.
- The speaker notes that while acknowledging issues, "there are rich and beautiful aspects of these neighborhoods" that murals contradict the shallow journalistic view.
## Methodology
- **Personal Narrative:** Tracing the development of artistic practice from childhood drawing to professional muralism.
- **Cultural/Social Analysis:** Applying frameworks from the game *Monopoly* to dissect contemporary gentrification processes.
- **Comparative Study:** Comparing the public art shifts in Milwaukee with observed patterns in San Francisco and other global areas.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- **To Artists:** Know your worth; resist becoming a tool for displacement; learn business fundamentals.
- **Community/Art:** Art must be facilitated authentically and with the conscious effort of bettering the lives of current residents, not just attracting new capital.
- **Final Call:** Artists should use their cultural capital for "something meaningful and good," citing Toni Morrison: "There is no time for despair no place for self-pity no need for silence no room for fear."
## Implications & Consequences
- The continuation of current economic trends without vigilance means that authentic, culturally vital spaces will continue to be compromised by investment patterns that treat culture as a fungible commodity.
- The systemic failures of redlining and current gentrification perpetuate cycles of poverty and disinvestment.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"I'm just really bored."* (When confronted about drawing an evil robot)
- *"The first time i used a spray can to paint it it was empowering it was addictive to be able to create something bigger than myself."*
- *"I labeled their art garbage."* (Referring to city official statements)
- *"This is precisely the time when artists go to work."* (Toni Morrison quote)
- *"We hold the cultural capital in our hands and we have the power to use it for something meaningful and good."*