HAPPY
HAPPY FRIDAY E ONE MORE DAY TILL THE WEEKEND. IN JUST ABOUT ANOTHER WEEK TO
GO BEFORE CHRISTMAS, OAK PARK'S
BRICK HOUSE GALLERY IS
UNVEILING A NEW ART
INSTALLATION THIS WEEKEND SAY
THEIR NAMES RISE UP, SPEAK UP.
IT'S A CREATIVE EFFORT
EXPLORING THEMES LIKE RACE
RELATIONS, SKIN COLOR SYSTEM,
SYSTEMIC RACISM AND BLACK LIVES
MATTER.
AND WITH US THIS MORNING TO
GIVE US MORE INSIGHT INTO THEY
SAY THEIR NAMES RISE UP, SPEAK
UP ART INSTALLATION BARBARA
DIONDRE AND D.J. ROCK BOTTOM.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
GOOD MORNING .
SO TELL US ABOUT THIS NEW
INSTALLATION.
>> IT'S OPENING UP VIRTUALLY
THIS WEEKEND.
WELL, SAY THEIR NAMES RISING UP
WAS FOR ME AN ANSWER TO A LOT
OF THE PROTESTS THAT HAD BEEN
HAPPENING THIS YEAR DURING BOTH
IT AND IT JUST SEEMED MORE
APPROPRIATE FOR ME AND ALSO AS
A HEALING PROCESS FOR ME TO BE
ABLE TO SHARE THIS
INSTALLATION.
>> AND AS NOT FORGET THE THE
LOSS OF LIVES THAT HAVE
HAPPENED AND THAT ARE STILL
BEING LOST.
WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE
HISTORY OF BLACKS AND HERE IN
AMERICA AND THE SYSTEMIC RACISM
ISSUES AND OF THE BLACK LIVES
MATTER MOVEMENT AND THE
PROTESTS AND WHY IT'S SO
IMPORTANT FOR US TO STILL SHED
LIGHT ON THIS ISSUE.
AND SO HERE AT THE GREAT POUNTS
WILL OFFER THIS VIRTUAL
INSTALLATION FROM THESE NO.
19TH UNTIL MARCH.
YOU WILL ACTUALLY BE HERE FOR
AT THREE AND A HALF MONTHS.
SO DIONDRE, WE'RE LOOKING AT
SOME OF THE ART HERE AND I KNOW
THAT YOU'RE ONE OF THE ARTISTS
CONTRIBUTING.
>> CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR
PIECE?
MY SKIN COLOR IS NOT A CRIME.
MY SKIN COLOR IS NOT A CRIME IS
A PIECE THAT I DID ON A REAL
KARSKI.
IT HAS THE FACES OF PEOPLE
AFRICAN-AMERICANS KILLED BY
POLICE BRUTALITY AND MORE
SUSPECT SYSTEMIC RACISM.
I DID THIS PIECE AS MY
CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROTEST IN
IN RELATION TO THE GEORGE FLOYD
MOVEMENT IN A BLACK BOOTH THAT
ALL HAPPENED THIS YEAR AND ON.
SO HAD OR ART IS WHAT I WANTED
TO GIVE YOU ART AS MODELS.
THAT'S AWESOME.
>> NOW TALK ABOUT HOW THIS
EXHIBIT ADDRESSES ALL OF THESE
IDEAS AROUND SKIN COLOR.
IS IT ALSO A POLITICAL ECONOMIC
ISSUE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
?
WELL, I
IT'S
IT'S MORE
IT'S MORE GOOD IT IS BUT IT'S ALSO A HUMAN ISSUE. >> YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT WE
DON'T WANT TO JUST FOCUS ON THE
RACING BUT JUST THE HUMAN
ASPECT OF IT.
WELL, YOU KNOW, THINK IT'S
ECONOMIC AND RACISM AS WELL.
YES.
AND THAT'S D.J. ROCKBOTTOM.
>> HE'S ALSO CONTRIBUTING MUSIC
TO THIS INSTALLATION.
TELL ME GUYS, DOES ART MAKE IT
EASIER TO START CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT RACISM AND REALLY BRING
AWARENESS TO SOME OF THESE
ISSUES?
>> OF COURSE IT DOES.
ART HAS BEEN A PART OF ANY
MOVEMENT IN HISTORY AND
ESPECIALLY.
IT'S BEEN A HUGE PART, YOU
KNOW, IN THE BLACK LIVES HERE
IN AMERICA ART, POETRY, MUSIC.
>> IT TELLS THE STORY.
IT'S ALSO THE MOTIVATOR POETRY
.
IT'S IT'S WHAT GUIDES A
MOVEMENT OR GUIDES THE VOICE
OF THE MOVEMENT.
WHENEVER WE ARE CAUGHT UP IN
OPPRESSION OR WHERE WE ARE
DEALING WITH SYSTEMIC RACISM
WITH PIVOTAL IT'S IMPORTANT
THAT WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE
COMPONENTS TO BE ABLE TO TELL
OUR STORIES.
>> I THINK ART IS A WONDERFUL
WAY TO KIND OF REACH OUT TO
PEOPLE THAT MAYBE DON'T KNOW A
WHOLE LOT ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE
GOING THROUGH AND WE'VE ALL
SEEN THE MARCHES, THE PROTESTS
THIS YEAR.
DO YOU FEEL THOSE TYPE
OF EXPRESSIONS ARE ALSO NEEDED?
YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN THE
EMERGENCE OF THE BLACK LIVES
MATTER MOVEMENT REALLY COME TO
THE FOREFRONT THIS YEAR.
>> YES, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO
SEE HERE MY ONE YOU KNOW,
INFORMATION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
>> YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL AT HOME
IN ABLIB SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO IT'S VERY WHEN ANYTHING THAT
CAN HELP SHED LIGHT WE'RE NOT
LIKE IT'S ALL USE WHEN HELP AND
THEN EVERY MOVE THAT HAS HAD A
MARCH OR YOU KNOW, A PROTEST
YOU KNOW, LOOK AT ROE VS. WADE
,YOU KNOW, SO WHEN WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT ABORTION RIGHTS,
WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT VOTING
RIGHTS, WHEN WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT BEING ABLE TO HAVE JOBS
TO PROTEST DURING THE CIVIL
RIGHTS MOVEMENT WITH DR. MARTIN
LUTHER KING.
>> SO IT'S WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO
BE ABLE TO SHARE THEIR VOICE
WHEN THEIR VOICES ARE NOT
HEARD.
SO IT'S VERY ESSENTIAL.
IT'S ALL A COMPONENT OF BEING
ABLE TO WRITE HUMANITY.
WHEN HUMANITY IS NOT BEING
REPRESENTED AND IT'S GREAT TO
HAVE THIS OUTLET THIS WAY FOR
PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE THAT PEOPLE
ARE GOING TO LEARN OR MAYBE
TAKE AWAY?
WHAT'S THE EXPERIENCE YOUR
INSTALLATION THERE?
WELL, WE AGAIN LIKE WE SAID, WE
WANT TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON THE
LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN LOST BUT
ALSO TO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO
EDUCATE SO D-DAY ROCKBOTTOM
WE'LL BE DOING MUSIC, YOU KNOW,
CURATING MUSIC THAT WILL BE
RELEASED THROUGHOUT THIS
EXHIBITION.
>> WE'LL ALSO BE SHARING
DOCUMENTARIES WHERE WE CAN DO
FACEBOOK LIVE OR FILM HERE FROM
THE GREAT POUNTS GALLERY.
>> WE'LL HAVE LOOKED DIFFERENT
RESOURCES THAT PEOPLE CAN ALSO
REACH OUT TO AND THEN WE'LL
ALSO HAVE PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND
AN INTRODUCTION WITH SOME
OF THE LOCAL ARTISTS THAT WE
HAVE HERE.
LIKE JALEN SMITH, LIKE JEWELS,
LIKE SHONDA MCDANIELS, ARTIST
KEITH MICHAELS WHO IS IN LAS
VEGAS AND THEN MILTON BY 10
POINTS.
BUT WE'LL ALSO BE CHANGING THE
ART OUT FOR THOSE ENTIRE THREE
MONTHS AS WELL.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU GUYS SOME
AMAZING PROGRAMING GOING ON.
YOU'RE GONNA START OUT VIRTUAL
HOPEFULLY WE CAN GO IN PERSON.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR FILLING US
IN A LITTLE BIT THIS MORNING .
I WANT TO TELL OUR VIEWERS YOU
CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT BRICK