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3.15.04-- Taking
down City Hall with a fax machine! And pics of my new toilets from Mayor
Hahn.
I don't know
if it's my period or what, but I've been this possessed woman all weekend.
I feel like I've been hit with this ultra political bug that's caused
me to drop everything for the moment and spend night and day on this crazy
campaign to save
the LA Cultural Affairs Department.
Read about
my crisis last week, if you don't know what I
am referring to.
It's like
this fight for art and culture in this city has become more than a fight
for my grant, or this department, but for my life. For anything that has
value. Sometimes I get teary just thinking about what will happen to me
if I don't have art.
I decided
on Saturday morning that gettting people to sign the online
petition and email their reps was not enough. So I started writing
this letter and printing out dozens of copies from my home printer. Then
I went to an art opening where I had people sign the letters. People were
so happy to be able to do something to speak their mind.
And I am
still faxing hundreds of these signed letters to every fax machine at
City Hall.
How completely
annoying and obnoxious, huh? I love it!
It was like
4am on Saturday night and I was faxing these letters and screaming at
my fax machine, "Take that Mayor Hahn!" and "District one,
you are going down!!!"
I'm insane.
I hope all
this madness of mine is encouraging others to think about the injustices
in their neck of the woods, and how to do annoying things like sending
hundreds of faxes at once or show up at a city council meeting dressed
as an alien (which I plan to do later this week.)
Man, I haven't
been this nuts since they shut down the California Arts Council... and
then there's the time we went to war with Iraq... and then.... oh man,
it never stops.
The point
is don't take this lying down! Fax your mind! You have the power to be
obnoxious and change the world!
I got two new toilets,
courtesy of the City of LA! Read on!
Anyway, check
out my letter that I sent to the editor of every local paper in town.
I sure hope they publish it or at least do more coverage on the Cultural
Affairs crisis. Since I am on such a roll here, I thought I would go nuts
with my activism. I've never written a letter like this to the editor.
This letter
has to do with my new toilets and the irony of how we have new toilets
from the city, but soon, we will have no art.
In case it
doesn't get published, please read it below!
SUBJECT:
New Toilets, No Art
Dear
Editor,
I
woke up this morning in my West LA apartment when two DWP workers came
to replace my toilets. Seems that there's a water shortage and the city
is paying to replace several thousand toilets in the city with low flush
toilets.
Good
to the city taking some initiative to conserve our natural resources.
The price tag according to one of the workers is something like several
million. This seemingly costly investment will apparently save the city
a ton of money down the road. Not to mention, help our environment.
Good move.
Every
time I get depressed about how Mayor Hahn is going to take what little
bit of live culture this town has to save an already pithy 3.5 million
for arts and culture for his 200 million dollar budget crisis, (and
indirectly create more destruction to our economy and cultural landscape),
I just flush my new toilets and think, "Ah, maybe Jim does love me deep
down inside."
I
am one of the artists affected my Mayor Hahn's recent recommendation
to eliminate the Cultural Affairs Department (CAD). The department allocates
3.5 million a year to community based arts organizations, festivals,
and individual artists which in turn impacts 3.9 million LA residents
and 25.1 million visitors. The CAD also operates 22 neighborhood arts
and cultural centers across the city.
I
recently was awarded a grant that would have allowed me to teach free
performance workshops for women of color in District 6 and do a final
free public showing. Now, I along with hundreds of other organizations
and artists are scrambling because our CAD grants will vanish. Already,
with the near demolition of the California Arts Council this year($37
million slashed to $1 million--barely enough to keep their Sacramento
office open), artists in this city are finding it increasingly difficult
to survive. I myself have seen the artistic directors of non-profit
arts organizations forced to survive on full time jobs somewhere else,
as their own organizations slowly fall apart. I've seen arts administrators
put their own salaries back into the non-profits they work for to keep
their organizations afloat.
I
am astounded at the ignorance from some LA residents regarding the issue
of arts funding. Some people have no idea how difficult it will be for
arts organizations to run a program or festival without funds from Cultural
Affairs. One person said to me, "Maybe you can do a fundraiser to make
up for the grant you will lose. Or maybe you can ask people to donate
money."
Hmmmm....
unless I sell crack, I won't make near ten grand at a yard sale (lo-end
cost of many arts education programs). And unfortunately, I don't know
anyone who will write me a check for anywhere near the amount it costs
to keep an arts organization alive. (It's hard enough for non-profits
to maintain their current donor base, let alone expand it.) People don't
realize that behind the artists you see are administrators, organizers,
arts educators who are already underpaid as is.
Art
is education. Art has value. Art is what gives this city vitality.
I
moved to this city for what I saw as a thriving art and culture scene.
And now that that's on its way out, I only have smog, traffic, and a
skyrocketing cost of living left to keep me living in LA. Without arts
and culture in Los Angeles (like there was much to start with), we'll
soon find increases in crime; decreases in property value, tourism,
jobs; the decline of surrounding businesses, and a less animated city.
Not very tempting for new or current residents is it?
Well.
I am trying to look on the bright side. There won't be much art left,
but hey! At least I have the gift of two new toilets from the city.
Who wouldn't want to move to LA for that?
They
are gorgeous toilets by the way. Porceline. White. Immaculate. I've
named them "Jim and Monica" after Mayor Hahn and his former wife. (As
both are separated within my apartment.)
Thanks
for the new toilets Jim! The only thing LA has to offer its residents!
Kristina
Sheryl Wong
Artist, Writer, Filmmaker, Teacher, Activist
www.kristinawong.com
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