THE
THE BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON THE ISSUE OF THE DEATH PENALTY HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
>> IT DOES SO THROUGH THE LENS
OF LAST MEAL REQUESTS MADE BY
DEATH ROW INMATES ON THE EVE
OF THEIR EXECUTION SINCE THE
LAST SUPPER IS A COLLECTION
OF EIGHT HUNDRED PLATES EACH
PAINTED WITH THE MEAL REQUESTED
BY THE INMATE ARTIST JULIE
GREEN, A PROFESSOR OF ART AT
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY, HAS
SPENT DECADES PAINTING THE
PLATE AND HOPES THAT SEEING THE
REQUEST WILL HELP SPARK A
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE DEATH
PENALTY AND HUMANITY TREATING
THE NEWSPAPER IN OKLAHOMA,
WHICH HAS THE HIGHEST PER
CAPITA OF DEATH ROW EXECUTIONS.
>> WHEN I WAS A PROFESSOR THERE
AND I WAS READING THE MORNING
PAPER AND IT TALKED ABOUT
EXECUTIONS THE NIGHT BEFORE AND
FOR THEIR LAST MEAL THEY HAD
SIX TACOS, SIX PLAYS DONUTS AND
A CHERRY COKE.
THIS WAS IN 1988.
I DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD THIS
TRADITION OF FINAL MEALS BUT IT
HUMANIZED DEATH ROW FOR ME ALL
OF A SUDDEN THIS WAS AN
INDIVIDUAL WHO MADE A CHOICE.
WHY SIX FOR ONE THING TO
GROWING UP IN A CONSERVATIVE
MIDWESTERN FAMILY WHO WAS IN
FAVOR OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
WHEN I WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY
AND LEARNED ABOUT THE MARGIN
FOR ERROR I BECAME OPPOSED TO
I'M A COOK AND MY FAMILY ARE
ALL GREAT COOKS.
SO FOOD WAS SORT CONNECTION
THAT HUMANIZED DEATH ROW FROM
WHEN YOU WERE READING SOME
OF THOSE FINAL MEAL REQUESTS
THAT THE INMATES THAT HAD WHAT
WERE YOU NOTICING?
>> WHAT WERE YOU KIND
OF LEARNING ABOUT THE INMATES
AND THE REQUESTS THE ONES THAT
ALLOW MORE CHOICE LIKE IDAHO
HAS A LARGER LIMIT OR
CALIFORNIA HAS A FIFTY DOLLAR
AMENDMENT?
THOSE MAYBE THOSE MENUS ARE THE
MOST TELLING YOU KNOW, IN IDAHO
SOMETIMES YOU'D SEE LOBSTER AND
STEAK AND SOME FANCY MEALS BUT
MOST OF THEM ARE REALLY MODEST
AND HUMBLE SO YOU CAN ONLY HAVE
WHAT'S IN THE PRISON KITCHEN,
YOU KNOW, AND THE COASTAL
STATES SUCH AS WASHINGTON, WE
SEE MORE SALMON BEING REQUESTED
SO WE MIGHT LEARN WHERE THAT
INDIVIDUAL LIVES.
AND ALSO YOU CAN GUESS ABOUT
BACKGROUND AND PERHAPS RACE
DEPENDING ON FOODS THAT ARE
TRADITIONAL MIDDLE EAST GERMAN
OR BLACK CULTURE AND NEW
ORLEANS AS A WHOLE OTHER KINDS
OF MENUS THAN WE WOULD SEE IN
SAY NEBRASKA HIM AND MENUS AND
WHAT THEY'RE REQUESTING TO THAT
ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN WHAT YOU
WERE SAYING ABOUT HOW IT
HUMANIZES THEM LIKE TO KIND
OF GIVE YOU MORE OF A
PERSPECTIVE OF THAT PERSON.
>> DEFINITELY.
>> I MEAN ONE IN PARTICULAR
COMES TO MIND OF HER INMATE
REQUESTED TO SAVE HALF THE
PECAN PIE TILL AFTER THE
EXECUTION AND THIS WAS AN
INMATE WHO HAD BRAIN DAMAGE AND
DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS
GOING ON.
WHEN YOU START TO LOOK AT SOME
OF THOSE AND SOME OF THOSE
ACTUALLY STOOD OUT WHEN I WAS
LOOKING AT THE LIST THERE WAS
ONE WHERE I BELIEVE AN
INDIVIDUAL IN TEXAS REQUESTED
JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM
CHICKEN TO ICE CREAM BUT THEN A
NONE OF IT BELIEVED THAT 2011
TEXAS MEAL MEALS IS CALLED THE
BIG FEED AND YOU CAN SEE WHY
THAT WAS A HUGE AMOUNT OF FOOD
YOU I'M READING INFORMATION
FROM THE DEPARTMENT
OF CORRECTIONS.
WHAT WAS REQUESTED.
WHAT WAS ACTUALLY SERVED MIGHT
BE DIFFERENT.
THEY MIGHT ASK FOR STEAK IN
TEXAS BUT IN TEXAS STEAK WAS
NEVER ALLOWED.
HE GOT GROUND BEEF BUT I'M
PAINTING WHAT THEY ASKED FOR
AND THEN THERE'S THE QUESTION
OF WHATEVER THEY WERE SERVED.
DID THEY EAT IT?
SOMETIMES I GET INFORMATION
THAT THE WHITE PAPER THAT COMES
ON TOP OF THE TRAY COMES BACK
TO THE KITCHEN.
THE PAPER HAS NEVER BEEN
REMOVED.
THEY NEVER TOUCHED.
I MEAN IT'S HARD TO SAY IF
YOU'D BE HUNGRY IN THOSE LAST
MINUTES THERE WAS ANOTHER
INSTANCE I BELIEVE IT WAS A, A
TRAVELING ELECTION ELECTRIC
CHAIR.
THEY'RE GOING FROM TOWN TO
TOWN.
THERE WAS A PARTICULAR WHEEL
GIVEN TO BLACK BOYS.
SO I'M CURIOUS WHAT ROLE DO YOU
BELIEVE THAT RACE EVEN TO A
CERTAIN EXTENT POVERTY PLAYS
AND SOME OF OUR DEATH ROW CASES
AND DEATH ROW.
YEAH, THAT WAS A 1947 CASE THAT
YOU MENTIONED IN MISSISSIPPI 15
AND 16 YEAR OLD FIVE BOYS HAD
FRIED CHICKEN WATERMELON AND AT
LEAST WE DON'T EXECUTE 15 AND
16 YEAR OLD BOYS ANYMORE THAT
WE'VE MADE A SLIGHT BIT
OF PROGRESS SINCE 1947 PERHAPS
RACE AND POVERTY PLAY A ROLE IN
REPRESENTATION AS YOU GO
THROUGH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM.
>> YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WITH HIGHER
EDUCATION, PEOPLE THAT ARE
WHITE TEND TO HAVE HISTORICALLY
BETTER ATTORNEYS, BETTER
REPRESENTATION AND
UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO WORK
THROUGH THE SYSTEM WITH SUPPORT
.
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL
REGISTRY OF EXONERATIONS, BLACK
INDIVIDUALS ARE ACTUALLY SEVEN
TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE
WRONGFULLY CONVICTED OF MURDER
.
AS YOU'RE CREATING ALL OF THESE
PAINTINGS, WHAT'S IN YOUR MIND?
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND
IT'S CHANGED OVER THE YEARS
SINCE I BEGAN THE PROJECT IN
2000 WHEN I CAME TO OREGON IT
WAS OVERWHELMING, YOU KNOW, TO
WORK ON THIS PROJECT.
IT'S VERY HEAVY SUBJECT MATTER
OR IT REPRESENTS A LOSS OF THE
INMATE THAT WAS EXECUTED.
IT REPRESENTS OTHER DEATHS
GENERALLY IT WAS A MURDER
CHARGE.
SO THERE'S ANOTHER MURDER THAT
REPRESENTS PERHAPS FLAWS THE
LEGAL SYSTEM PERHAPS NOT.
IT REPRESENTS ALL THE LOSS
OF THOSE FAMILIES INVOLVED TO
MAINTAIN PAINTING FIFTY PLATES
IN YEAR I LEARNED TO HAVE A BIT
OF TUNNEL VISION WHERE I JUST
GET THE FINAL MEAL AND THAT
HELPS ME TO DO THE PROJECT.
WELL, IT ORIGINALLY WAS A VERY
SAD AND HARD TO DO ULTIMATELY
IT'S QUITE HOPEFUL IN THAT IT'S
SHOWN IN MANY STATES AND EVEN
THREE COUNTRIES THE LAST SUPPER
IT'S GENERATED LOTS
OF CONVERSATION MUCH MORE THAN
EVEN ME THE OPTIMISTS EXPECTED.
SO THEN ON THAT LEVEL WHEN
PEOPLE GO AND SEE THIS EXHIBIT,
WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE YOU HOPING
GLEAN BEYOND JUST SAY OH THAT
WAS THEIR FINAL MEAL?
WHAT KIND OF MORE NUANCED
CONVERSATIONS ARE YOU HOPING
PEOPLE WILL HAVE?
ALL I HOPE FOR IS THAT PEOPLE
HAVE A RESPONSE THAT THEY THAT
THEY FEEL SOMETHING WHEN THEY
SEE THE PLATES.
>> MAYBE THEY'LL JUST IT'LL BE
BEAUTY.
IT'S BLUE AND WHITE, YOU KNOW,
A CLASSIC CERAMICS COMBINATION
.
THEY'RE QUITE BEAUTIFUL.
MY PLAN WAS TO BRING HIM IN AND
THEN HIT HIM OVER THE HEAD.
THAT'S SORT OF HIS STRATEGY
OF SOCIAL POLITICAL WORK.
>> BUT I HOPE THAT MORE THAN
BEAUTY ACTUALLY I THINK ABOUT
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT MAYBE THE
PROJECT WILL HUMANIZE DEATH ROW
FOR THE VIEWER AS IT DID FOR ME
THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING.
BUT I JUST HOPE THAT THEY THINK
ABOUT THE STATISTICS AND THEY
THINK ABOUT PERHAPS THE MARGIN
FOR ERROR OR SOME PEOPLE ARE IN
FAVOR OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
BECAUSE THEY THINK IT SAVES
MONEY BUT ACTUALLY BECAUSE
OF LITIGATION THAT'S A FAR MORE
EXPENSIVE SITUATION THAN LIFE
WITHOUT PAROLE.
>> SO THE SHORT ANSWER IS WHAT
I'M HOPING PEOPLE GET FROM THE
SHOW IS THAT THEY'LL HAVE
CONVERSATION AND BEING MORE
EDUCATED IN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
WHATEVER THEY FEEL ABOUT IT.
>> INDIANA FIVE MAY 2007 PIZZA
AND BIRTHDAY CAKE SHARED WITH
FIFTEEN FAMILY MEMBERS AND
FRIENDS.
A PRISON OFFICIAL SAID HE TOLD
US HE HAD NEVER HAD A BIRTHDAY
CAKE SO HE ORDERED A BIRTHDAY
CAKE FOR HIM.
>> YOU CAN SEE THE LAST SUPPER
EXHIBIT AT THE BELLEVUE ART
MUSEUM THROUGH OCTOBER OF
TWENTY TWENTY ONE.
THE