Art & The Cycles of Gentrification | Aisha Valentin | TEDxUWMilwaukee
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQwYHgaKyXc Video ID: bQwYHgaKyXc ============================================================ [Music] like many people i am fiercely protective of the place i call home but this love for the place that made me who i am wasn't always there i reflect on how its challenges shape me i'm a milwaukee-based mirrorless fine artist and designer my creative roots stem from graffiti hip-hop culture and its outlining principles i strive to create work that tells a story one that addresses themes of culture and community having been involved in the mirror-oriented work that i do for the last six years has taught me a lot about the impact that public art can have on public space but first let's go back to the beginning to the time i fell in love with two things at once drawing and hip-hop how those things intersected how my expression through hip-hop helped foster a connection to my community how its philosophies of protest and challenging the establishment manifest themselves through my artistic practice to this day from the time i could hold a pencil i drew i drew so much it got me into trouble more than a few times the first time it became an issue was in second grade the teacher called my mom in for a conference apparently i had drawn a pretty evil looking robot which led her to believe i was severely disturbed but seven-year-old me was like look lady i'm not in a crisis i'm just really bored i was exposed to hip-hop music through my dad and my uncle junior they would be mixing hip-hop and house music on a set of turntables at all times of the day and so i was surrounded with its swagger cadence and sound constantly growing up but i hadn't quite understood the real values principles and history of how hip-hop came to be until in 2004 at the age of 13 i traveled with my cousin to the north side of the city there we began to hang out at a non-profit organization called true school true school was an after-school and summer program that took in kids that were from the neighborhood as well as kids who had gotten into trouble with the law we were educated about hip-hop its elements and philosophy classes were held for each of these elements and included break dancing djing emceeing and graffiti art kids were free to enroll in whichever art form called to them the most this provided a space for us to express ourselves through something we felt familiar with a space where we felt heard appreciated and celebrated every year in the summer true school held a block party for the kids in the community there would be a barbecue and all the kids would showcase their talents thirteen-year-old me a few other kids and a teacher would be creating a mural nearby it was the first time i used a spray can to paint it was empowering it was addictive to be able to create something bigger than myself i was a natural at it adding dimension and story to bear cream city brick that exposure to graffiti culture funneled and morphed its way into my love for mural work typography sign painting and graphic design i utilize these foundations to express myself in ways that feel relevant and meaningful to me and the place that i call home my time with true school rooted itself so deeply into the heart of what i do how to speak up in times of injustice to fight for a say in how communities cultivate pride and stewardship in the spaces we live work and play true school in the community look forward to these block parties every year the aldermen the anti-graffiti committee and the district police department didn't the anti-graffiti committee and its supporting older people decided to make it their mission to shut down a youth program in a community that needed it the most they didn't understand why trueschool was utilizing this art form to teach us something valuable an article about an altercation between a city official and true school in the milwaukee journal sentinel reads the aldermen with true school's young participants standing nearby and the television cameras rolling decided the best course of action was to blame the kids that day and in other statements he effectively called them liars vandals and criminals he labeled their art garbage as a young person you realize when something isn't right even if you don't understand the source of that unfairness as i grew older i understood that these feelings these fierce and demeaning attitudes toward our young people we're a direct reflection of milwaukee's racial and social economic statistics the following statistics affects one's overall quality of life self-expression and a direct and implicit bias about certain sides of town and the people that inhabit those spaces in a 2019 brookings report milwaukee wisconsin is listed as the number one most racially segregated city in the united states wisconsin incarcerates more black and brown men than in any other state in the country black and brown students are 72 percent more likely to be suspended in k-12 schools than their white counterparts as i said before the experiences i had with true school live with me in everything that i do as i grew older and began to learn more about the history of the neighborhoods that i lived in commuted through and hung out in experiencing the rich and colorful culture of the south side with its vibrant murals heavily inspired by the mexican mural movements of the 1920s to the empowering imagery of hope rebirth and black cultural expression on the north side these places are more than their statistics there are rich and beautiful aspects of these neighborhoods to me the murals i grew up seeing encompass the vibrant way in which we celebrated life the block parties the backpack giveaways the barbecues in direct contradiction to the shallow journalistic tendencies of our city these murals stood large and colorful the problems were systematic and complex but the artistic expression of our artists young and old serve as a reminder that there is more on the other side of that bridge street or highway these spaces are not one-dimensional recently i was able to visit a city whose history of public art is extensive in the san francisco area you couldn't go a block without seeing a mural there was so much to take in many of the murals reflect the identity of its now vanishing population over time the area has undergone a major shift becoming more and more expensive homelessness and eviction rates are at an all-time high as is the influx of white-collar professionals this trip gave me so much perspective on this shift and its patterns as a muralist i want to be aware of these issues in my hometown and other places should my work take me there over the last decade countless investments have been made in order to mend the loss of industrial companies moving overseas and the jobs and security that came with them these new investments in our city's infrastructure was to help modernize and draw in young professionals and businesses into milwaukee along with these investments came in influx of calls for more public art and while it's wonderful to know that milwaukee is attempting to add more color to our notch of the midwest rust bell it is so important for us to be vigilant of how developers big business and real estate have exploited arts and culture for capital gain what we call modern colonialism in various parts of the u.s and around the world cities across the globe have embraced public art to illustrate that vibrant cultures exist these spaces are filled with life and possibility though art can be used as a tool to beautify and spark a renaissance in communities art can also be used as a tool to displace and commercialize them milwaukee is starting to wake from its abandoned industrial past in more colorful and progressive ways it is so important for us to take note of how a resurgence in the expression of art affects a community that they are being facilitated authentically and with the conscious effort of bettering the lives of those who have resided in these areas for decades there are patterns present other larger cities that we can learn from many of the culturally vibrant and street art heavy areas of oakland harlem miami to name a few have been overrun with irresponsible development this in turn has displaced locals with skyrocketing rent and increased property values gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses so here's how we're going to break it down i'm going to assume the vast majority of my audience has played a game called monopoly at least once in their life and don't worry this portion of my talk won't take as long as it takes to actually finish a game of monopoly we all recognize that monopoly at its root is a game of the have and the have-nots the war of capital power and return on investment beating out your opponents and taking over the landscape it is a game that encompasses the principles of american economics i'm going to educate you about the players and their motivations through the game pieces to relate and analyze this process there is no one thing that contributes to it it is an incredibly complex issue all players must cultivate an awareness in order to re-imagine a better approach as a collective our first game piece is the artist or in this case the thimble the thimble to me is representative of creative expression we as artists hold a certain power in materializing ideas that live within our imaginations into tangible works of art that others can bear witness to and take part in we are the architects of culture we start with the artists because unfortunately they are the first piece in this game of gentrification the majority of working artists are hardly ever established enough financially they rely on cheap rent for studio space these cheaper spaces are usually located in less impoverished areas when an influx of artists move in their art and expression becomes visible in the public sphere and it falls within the grips of white-collar corporations and developers they represent the money and the power in this game or the fancy roadster game piece white-collar corporations usually have one goal and that is to make as much of a profit on their investments as possible when a neighborhood begins to establish its identity and expression through the arts developers understand that they can leverage that expression to grow property value this race car analogy fits because when white collar commercial entities begin investing the shift from community to commercial oriented space happens quickly sometimes within a decade politicians are represented by the top pack game piece to me the hat represents responsibility it is a representation of their civic duty to the people policy governs over access to education health care and jobs access to a better future for generations to come in milwaukee there are some initiatives that make buying for close buildings and homes affordable these spaces generally need a lot of work redlining makes these processes a little bit more difficult redlining is the withholding of information or financial resources largely based on the racial and socioeconomic makeup of communities this withholding has prevented generations of people from being able to participate in the promises of the american dream it perpetuates a cycle of poverty disinvestment underfunding and the deterioration of generational wealth and education policies on housing education and health care all affect the day-to-day lives of everyday people in monopoly the historical significance of the shoe is meant to represent the working class if we look at the patterns and stories of gentrification in bigger cities when property values rise so does rent and eventually eviction rates ultimately this displaces the working class people small businesses and artists that make up the culture and identity of their neighborhoods our next game piece is the scottish terrier the dog for me represents the landlord long-time property owner and real estate investor okay so dogs they pee on stuff to mark their territory they bark at you if you don't pay them their kibble on time they own the property it is their territory they can protect it and cash in or they can sell it if the market is right the vast majority of people who live in the city rent and renters are at the mercy of their landlords if the neighborhood starts to change so i invented the latte game piece consumers it's important for you to do your research to be conscious of what you buy and who you buy it from where you choose to rent your condo buy your groceries or purchase your latte in milwaukee we have so many amazing local makers markets and small businesses that put the dollar into the hands of the people who live here rather than lining the pockets of companies who circulate wealth outside of our communities and finally consumers invest in art invest in the real value of the artwork so that artists aren't forced to perpetuate this idea of the starving artist and move around within the cycles of gentrification at the expense of others my message to artists know your worth don't perpetuate the culture that undermines our value resist becoming a weapon of mass displacement one of my favorite rappers turned real estate mogul and community advocate once said it's possible to monetize your art without compromising the integrity of it for commerce the key to instilling this mentality is to educate yourself about the intricacies of doing business as a creative there are organizations artists and mentors that have been through it have succeeded and are eager to share this knowledge with you we hold the power to move people and mobilize our audience we hold the cultural capital in our hands and we have the power to use it for something meaningful and good artists have always been at the forefront of social change and political commentary the late toni morrison once said of turbulent times this is precisely the time when artists go to work there is no time for despair no place for self-pity no need for silence no room for fear we speak we write we do language that is how civilizations heal thank you