Here, with her permission, are Jane Golden's email comments on my listserve posting. I'll offer my my response when time permits.
-----Original Message----- From: jane golden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Dave Axler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 12:27 pm Subject: response to email Here is the email for list-serve. Thank you Hello Mr. Axler, I am writing in response to your email that was unfortunately distributed to an entire list serve. I feel the need to clarify many things. We at Mural Arts work exceptionally hard (like 6 /7 days a week)to bring art education programs to close to 3000 kids as well as work with many communities in the creation of close to 150 works of public art annually. We have training programs for artists, for college-aged students, we work in shelters and prisons. In addition, we have new initiatives for kids who are deeply at-risk. And beyond that, we are now doing sculpture gardens, mosaics, frescos, getting lots cleaned and helping communities receive other city services. So to be painted with such a broad brush, in such a negative way clearly took me by surprise. Let me state my side of the story History of project: The Ethiopian Community Center has been on our waiting list for a long time. It seemed like a really good project. We met with neighbors, some expressed support, and some expressed concerns. We heard from people who wanted the mural and those who didn't. We felt we were working out problems so we moved forward with a design a year ago, and unveiled it. Quite frankly, we were almost ready to go but ended up hesitating because we felt the community was not totally in support. So to act like we didn’t listen is just wrong. Had we proceeded with the mural a year ago would have left us vulnerable to criticism - but we paused instead of charging forward. So many things happen in a city that we have no control over. Buildings go up, there are billboards, houses torn down, just change - life in an urban center is fluid and dynamic - changes happen all the time. At Mural Arts we try (maybe not perfectly) to inform people, have discussion, and in the end, we want people to be heard. Recently a public sculpture was placed along the Parkway near the Art Museum. I live 2 blocks from that sculpture- did anyone consult me or my neighbors? Were there meetings? I also heard that some very tall buildings are going up along Spring Garden - I have yet to be invited to a meeting, I would appreciate any invitation, even one that comes in late. I say all this not to critique the sculpture (I like it) or anyone else, I am just saying, that comparatively speaking, Mural Arts goes out of its way to try to reach out. Most evenings and many Saturdays we are out at meetings - and this has been the case for years. The project was revived because the people from the community center really wanted the mural, because people called me saying we should re-consider it and that the Ethiopian community would see this project as a spot of beauty and hope. They made a moving, eloquent plea for consideration and we decided to re-open the project for discussion. When this first came up again, I met with a few neighbors and the Ethiopian Cultural Center to see if there was a compromise solution – whether we could paint the mural on a material we sometimes use - this material would, in a sense, protect the surface. It was a very positive, respectful discussion and I left the meeting feeling very good about the neighborhood and the level of civic discourse. (By the way, the building is NOT for sale. This was verified tonight. We have no interest - obviously – in painting murals on buildings that are for sale. Why would we do that? It makes no sense. That was false information you stated in your email) When we decided to try to bring up the project again, we decided to try to get a smaller gathering of immediate neighbors – we wanted to hear people’s thoughts to decide if it was worth moving forward or not. We knew if we heard positive things we could move forward, if people dissented we would not. We have a small community mural staff – we have two new people and one person who just broke her ankle in 5 places. The artist (who by the way has degrees from Sarah Lawrence and an MFA from Penn and is a great artist) did the flyer as a favor to us and she passed flyers out. I know (and apologize) it was short notice, she was going to do it last week, but could not. We try our best and most of the time, we do give plenty of notice and have a high rate of success - I knew about her delay but encouraged her to move forward because we felt that it would be good to take the pulse of the community. If no one showed up, we knew we would have to re-flyer and reach out again. It was probably not a good decision on my part to rush and for that I am sorry. We ended up having a small meeting but both sides were represented and heard. The mural is not going to happen. Other subjects: Flyering: When I did research I was given different information. I am sorry for the flyers – clearly I do not want to do anything wrong but thought we could put flyers through mail slots but not put them in mail boxes. I was hurt by your depiction of me - you make me sound sinister which is just not right. This is about trying to reach people – I never would have told you that “it was expensive and time consuming” – and to misrepresent me in a public email is just wrong. On being a city employee: I work very hard, do not do this for money, and I, like my colleagues at Mural Arts, and believe in doing everything we can to make a positive impact in this city– I resent your depiction of me as some arrogant city employee who does things to serve our own purpose – nothing could be further from the truth. Please follow me around for a week and then decide what to write. I actually take my role as a city employee very seriously, I look at it as an honor to be involved in public service. Pharmacy idea: Your idea submitted last year was very interesting and I appreciated it, but it is not what the owners of the property wanted – not at all. I suggested it and they told me that was not what they wanted. If you requested a mural of something, I would honor and respect that. I actually liked your idea but the owners did not. Funding: And to indicate that I was “trolling for support amongst ethnic communities” is false – how can you say that when you do not know me at all? When I read what you wrote I was stunned and crestfallen. How could you make such a negative assumption about me, about us? How could you make such sweeping false statements about someone in a public email? Where in the world would you get that idea? We do not rely on community groups for funding. I work exceptionally hard to raise money from many sources so that communities can have public art and that our city’s kids can have access to art education. At the end of the day I can hold my head up high knowing we do good work, work that has an impact and work that has meaning - we do our job with joy, dedication, pride, and integrity. I feel grateful to have this job and what I want more than anything, is to help people and kids. In the end the process worked. That is the irony. People spoke, were heard and a decision was made. The people from the center do not want acrimony and neither do we. I went on record tonight saying the last thing I wanted was a project that would create division. And I mean that with all my heart. The mural on the Ethiopian Cultural Center is now an idea of the past. It will not happen. And all parties understand this. I think that they are quite sad as am I , but I believe that it was a good decision as the people at the center and the neighbors must co-exist. The building is not for sale, no one is moving - in the end all of the neighbors on this block must try to live together in peace. This is ultimately what is most important. . I hope sometime we can meet, and you can hear about our program in more detail first-hand. Please know I have so much respect for the residents of University City and the wonderful work they do. In fact, I have enjoyed cordial relations with many of the residents in the community for years and years. In addition, we are happy to work on other projects in this area- not just murals, but to help thing through issues of gateways, educational programs, or other beautification efforts. In closing I ask that you please not make assumptions about our work based on this very complex project. And please never question our committment or our integrity. Thank you, I hope we can meet. Jane Golden Jane Golden Director City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program 1729 Mt. Vernon Street Philadelphia, PA 19130 (215) 685-0760 (267) 716-9695 (cell) [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.muralarts.org ________________________________________________________________________ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com
