[RP TownTalk] Subject: Re: Mural Idealist

[Christopher Martin]

I used the past tense when describing my classes plans in the note you refer
to below.  As in - my class and I did  not have the time or inclination to
research a historically accurate mural.  It was (past tense) not our goal.

On Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 12:08 PM, marc stauffer
<marc.stauffer at verizon.net>wrote:

> Chris wrote:
> *I'm hoping to stick with the native Indian theme.  My class will be
> trying to follow all the leads that have been posted, as I hope others will
> also.   Thanks all... *
>
> Chris,
> I applaud your idea of wanting to focus the content of the mural on the
> indigenous Native American population. However, I've got a pretty strong
> reaction to how you conceive of describing the theme in the mural. You
> mentioned that our history is one of "honor and shame".  It seems to me
> though that your conception of the mural is to not address the rich
> complexity of the town and nation's history.  It strikes me that your
> proposed idea of the content of the mural stems from your particular view of
> history and how you would prefer to have it represented.
>
> My reaction is that a mural so narrowly focused leaves out a great deal of
> the complicated, and often painful, subject matter that makes up the history
> of the area interesting and rich.  It seems disingenuous to me to produce a
> public, community-based mural that focuses solely on one narrow conception
> of our shared history.  You have asked for community input, as well as the
> input of your students, and have suggested a particular theme, but then
> acknowledge that your team does "not have the time or inclination to
> research specifics about the American Indians that walked paths along the
> anacostia tributaries".   I don't understand how one can propose to create
> a historical mural without doing the research work necessary to adequately
> and honestly portray that history.
>
> As others have mentioned there are an abundance of historical resources
> nearby and easily available that could be drilled into to so your students
> and we as a community, could collaboratively create a mural that depicts a
> particular slice of our shared history with as much historical richness and
> complexity as possible.  It strikes me that delving into the history and
> coming up with a mural that interprets that body of material in a
> multiplicity of ways (through various creators of content and mural panels)
> enriches the educational value and substance of the process for your
> students, as well as all of us who will read the mural over time.  It may be
> my views stem from an equally particular and personal sense of how a
> community mural / art project should be constructed, so take the comments as
> you wish.
>
> Regards,
> marc stauffer
> 4913 ravenswood rd.
>
>
> *
>
> *
>
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