Michael D'Antuono's Art And Response

Washington Post – The Art of Change

Pic of Washington Post review of D.C. art exhibit Defining Change in the Age of Trump.

The Art of Change

After Charles Krause opened his gallery in 2011, he mounted shows of ideological and dissident art from earlier eras, much of it related to his former career as a reporter for The Washington Post and other outlets. But current events overtook the venue, recently transformed into the nonprofit Center for Contemporary Political Art. Its first exhibition, “Defining the Art of Change in the Age of Trump,” is heavy on breaking news.

Not all the more than 100 artworks directly address the current administration, but the show is not recommended for anyone suffering from Trump fatigue. And skillfully made as they are, such visual polemics probably won’t age well.

Satirical realist painter Michael D’Antuono depicts the presidents of the United States and Russia together on a rearing red, white and blue elephant, flanked by a palace guard of prominent Republicans. George Kennedy parodies Norman Rockwell’s four-freedoms illustration, interjecting Trump and his circle. Patricia Isaza uses real straw for the president’s hair in a fierce sculptural rendering. Kevin Champeny’s Trump portrait is made of hundreds of tiny plastic hands with upturned middle fingers.

Defining the Art of Change in the Age of Trump Through Nov. 14 at the Center for Contemporary Political Art, 916 G St. NW.

Next Page »

Smithsonian – NYC Exhibition Traces Broken Windows Policing’s Toll

smithsonian.com

 

“Broken windows” policing is a criminological theory that suggests a series of unpunished minor crimes, as represented by the eponymous broken window, eventually spirals into a cascade of more serious violent crime.

Social scientists George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson first outlined the broken windows theory in a 1982 Atlantic article, but the targeted policing it advocates wasn’t widely adopted until 1994, when New York City’s mayor Rudy Giuliani pledged to “clean up” the city.

As Sarah Cascone reports for artnet Newsthe roughly 60 works featured in Manhattan’s latest pop-up exhibition—the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Museum of Broken Windows—use art, archival photographs and newspaper articles to chronicle the toll of that policy, particularly on African American and Latino communities.

“Broken windows policing … has turned neighborhoods into occupation zones,” NYCLU advocacy director Johanna Miller said in a statement. “The goal of the Museum is to bring the emotional, physical and societal impacts of this style of policing to life for all New Yorkers, and elevate a critical conversation about what it means to be and feel safe in this city.”

Broken windows” policing is a criminological theory that suggests a series of unpunished minor crimes, as represented by the eponymous broken window, eventually spirals into a cascade of more serious violent crime.

Social scientists George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson first outlined the broken windows theory in a 1982 Atlantic article, but the targeted policing it advocates wasn’t widely adopted until 1994, when New York City’s mayor Rudy Giuliani pledged to “clean up” the city.

As Sarah Cascone reports for artnet Newsthe roughly 60 works featured in Manhattan’s latest pop-up exhibition—the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Museum of Broken Windows—use art, archival photographs and newspaper articles to chronicle the toll of that policy, particularly on African American and Latino communities.

“Broken windows policing … has turned neighborhoods into occupation zones,” NYCLU advocacy director Johanna Miller said in a statement. “The goal of the Museum is to bring the emotional, physical and societal impacts of this style of policing to life for all New Yorkers, and elevate a critical conversation about what it means to be and feel safe in this city.”

A new series commissioned specifically for the exhibit features Tracy Hetzel’s watercolor portraits of mothers holding picture of their sons, all of whom were killed by the NYPD. As curator Daveen Trentman tells Cascone, these bereaved family members form a “sorority that nobody wants to be in” and have been vocal advocates of police reform.

Michael D’Antuono’s “The Talk” perhaps best encapsulates the show’s message. The 2015 painting finds a young African American boy seated on a couch across from his mother and father, who are attempting to describe the tale playing out on a television nearby. On the screen, a news ticker proclaims, “No indictment in police shooting of unarmed youth.” Below these words flash images of a white policeman and an African American boy whose bright orange hoodie mirrors that of the child seated on the couch.

The Museum of Broken Windows’ nine-day run is accompanied by a series of talks dedicated to the issues touched on in the show. Scheduled events include “Ending the School to Prison Pipeline,” which discusses hopes of ending police involvement in school disciplinary matters, and “Ending the Police Secrecy Law,” which focuses on the impact of a New York law that protects police misconduct records.

“Through art, we will uplift the movement of people who continue to seek justice,” Trentman said in a statement.

The Museum of Broken Windows is on view at 9 W. 8th Street, New York City, through September 30.

Original article published here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nyc-pop-exhibition-traces-broken-windows-policings-toll-minority-communities-180970401/

Next Page »

Politicon 2018

Michael D'Antuono at Politicon with Henry Winkler, Michael Avenatti and Joy ReidPoliticon 2018 was a blast. The weather in LA was perfect, I was invited to include my Save Democracy mobile billboards at the event, and I hung out with some very interesting people. In the greenroom, I got to meet Henry Winkler (who is still as cool as Fonzie) and his lovely wife to whom I will always be grateful for her support. Back at the hotel, I had a chance to meet Michael Avenatti, who is very much the fireball you would expect him to be. Later in the evening, I partied with Joy Reid, Michael Steele and of course my good friend Malcolm Nance, who’s interview by Henry was hands down the highlight of Politicon.

Politicon is the ComicCon of Politics. The movers and shakers of politics from all political bents gather there once a year to meet and debate the issues of our times. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of Politicon since it’s inception, either by exhibiting my art, speaking on a panel or as I did this year, exhibiting my billboard trucks. One of my trucks played my music video, House of a Treasonous Traitor.

Next Page »

Trump Exhibit – Defining the Art of Change

Trump exhibit opening Sept 30, 2018 at Center for Contemporary Political Art Wash. DCA Trump Exhibit like no other. Donald Trump has changed the tone of national discourse in America. The Center For Contemporary Political Art’s premier exhibition will reflect that change with art no one else has been brave enough to exhibit until now.

The Nation’s first fine arts center dedicated exclusively to political art opens Sunday, September 30 with a massive exhibition of over 100 works by 99 political artists. The Defining the Art of Change in the Age of Trump exhibit will unleash the kind of hard-hitting art you won’t see anywhere else.

The works of art in the exhibit were selected by a jury of art experts from more than 500 works submitted by nearly 300 artists from across the country. The jurors were Dorothy Dietrich, an art historian a former professor of art history at Princeton University and Pratt institute; Judy Greenberg, director emeritus, Kreeger Museum: Jack Rasmussen, director, Katzen Arts Center, American University and Charles Krause, founder and board chair.

The center is kicking off with art too controversial for galleries and museums afraid to offend donors or get into a pissing match with a president. Artists include Michael D’Antuono, Gary Aagaard, Alfonse Pagano, Kevin Flynn, George Kennedy and many more. Featured art above; The Petulant President by Michael D’Antuono.

The Center opens to the public at noon on Sunday, September 30th, 2018 across from the Martin Luther King Library 916 G Street NW. Washington, DC. The center’s website is www.politicsartus.org. For more information contact Charles Krause 202-638-3612 or charles@politicsartus.org.

Next Page »

Museum of Broken Windows

White father explaining Michael D'Antuono's painting, "The Talk" to his son at the Museum of Broken Windows.On Sept 21st, 2018 I attended the opening of The Museum of Broken Windows in NYC. I was proud to exhibit alongside Keith Haring and Dread Scott. Even more rewarding was the response to my painting,The Talk. Listening to a white father explain the talk black fathers must have with their sons reminded me of why I paint. I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with the mothers of Eric Garner and Sean Bell at the event. Two very strong women whose stories must be heard.

The event was sponsored by the NYCLU as a pop-up experience in New York City, featuring the work of artists from around the country. The Museum, which ran from Sept. 22-30, showcased the ineffectiveness of broken windows policing, which criminalizes our most vulnerable communities. The strategy of broken windows policing is outdated and has never been proven to be effective at reducing crime. For decades, communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by broken windows policing.

The broken windows theory is an academic theory proposed by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling in 1982. The academic theory, which first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, states that signs of disorder in a neighborhood, like a broken window, encourages petty crimes and leads to more serious crimes. This postulation was adopted by the New York City Police Department and led to the criminalization of poverty and the over-policing of Black and Brown communities at disproportionate rates. The theory has never been proven to be effective at reducing crime.

It is time for a change. New Yorkers are coming together for important conversations on policing and what it means to feel and be safe. Using art and creativity, the Museum of Broken Windows provided a powerful and emotional experience that critically looks at the system of policing in New York. The Museum of Broken Windows is a project of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Next Page »

PBS Segment Hails Michael’s Art As Patriotic Dissent


PBS’s Articulate segment, “The Last Refuge”  hails the uncompromisingly dissenting art of Michael D’Antuono and that of two other artists as patriotic. The piece celebrates the importance of the artist’s role in sparking social justice.

Next Page »