Stay classy, Arizona

**guy incognito** · 06-06-2010, 01:27 AM

Altered mural fuels racial debate in Prescott

**guy incognito** · 06-06-2010, 01:29 AM

Altered mural fuels racial debate in Prescott

**billms** · 06-06-2010, 11:42 PM

The guy wanted to whiten the faces of actual - not imagined but actual - kids at the school. At least the ****tard (hope the filters catch that one...) lost his radio job.

**Melody** · 06-07-2010, 01:04 AM

Isn't it possible that the principal was asking these artists to change the shading so that the mural conveyed the desired image of entering into light?

I hang with a bunch of artists. I'm related to a few, and gave birth to one. They don't take constructive criticism of their creations very well ...

Should the fact that a few jerks who missed the point and complained publicly make the principal settle for a work that doesn't convey the message that she had in mind for the project?

**RedRamage** · 06-07-2010, 10:41 AM

City Councilman Steve Blair spearheaded a public campaign on his talk show at Prescott radio station KYCA-AM (1490) to remove the mural.

In a broadcast last month, according to the Daily Courier in Prescott, Blair mistakenly complained that the most prominent child in the painting is African-American, saying: "To depict the biggest picture on the building as a Black person, I would have to ask the question: Why?"

And I have to ask the question: Why not? Why does the primary figure have to be white?

**Auburndale Ray** · 06-07-2010, 02:35 PM

**diamondhead** · 06-08-2010, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by RedRamage

And I have to ask the question: Why not? Why does the primary figure have to be white?

Maybe because the city has an over 90% white population (less than 1% is black). Would it not be approriate to have a mural accurately reflect the demographics of your city's children?

**qsilvr2531** · 06-08-2010, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by diamondhead

Maybe because the city has an over 90% white population (less than 1% is black). Would it not be approriate to have a mural accurately reflect the demographics of your city's children?

"The "Go on Green" mural, which covers two walls outside Miller Valley Elementary School, was designed to advertise a campaign for environmentally friendly transportation. It features portraits of four children, with a Hispanic boy as the dominant figure."

"Faces in the mural were drawn from photographs of children enrolled at Miller Valley, a K-5 school with 380 students and the highest ethnic mix of any school in Prescott."

Would it not be appropriate to have a mural accurately reflect the demographics of the school children in the school where the mural is present?

It's also worth noting that the final mural design was chosen by the students and teachers at the elementary school.

**Oblong** · 06-08-2010, 09:11 AM

I'm not following this very well.

They were making the faces brighter, that I can understand. Nothing racial, I can accept that.

But where I get confused is that the motorists got mad and thought it was racist so they yelled those words for blacks and Mexicans? Wouldn't the motorists be happy due to the misguided belief that the artists were "fixing" the mural so that it didn't have the blacks and mexicans anymore?

**diamondhead** · 06-08-2010, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by qsilvr2531

"The "Go on Green" mural, which covers two walls outside Miller Valley Elementary School, was designed to advertise a campaign for environmentally friendly transportation. It features portraits of four children, with a Hispanic boy as the dominant figure."

"Faces in the mural were drawn from photographs of children enrolled at Miller Valley, a K-5 school with 380 students and the highest ethnic mix of any school in Prescott."

Would it not be appropriate to have a mural accurately reflect the demographics of the school children in the school where the mural is present?

It's also worth noting that the final mural design was chosen by the students and teachers at the elementary school.

That's all fine and good, and have no issue with the mural that the teachers and children ultimately decided on, but my answer still stands.

**qsilvr2531** · 06-08-2010, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by Oblong

I'm not following this very well.

They were making the faces brighter, that I can understand. Nothing racial, I can accept that.

But where I get confused is that the motorists got mad and thought it was racist so they yelled those words for blacks and Mexicans? Wouldn't the motorists be happy due to the misguided belief that the artists were "fixing" the mural so that it didn't have the blacks and mexicans anymore?

The yelling took place while the mural was originally being painted. Though I think assuming people who yell racial slurs out their window are good at rational thought is probably a bit much.

**mtutiger** · 06-08-2010, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by Auburndale Ray

I-8 takes you to San Diego... your photoshop guy's lacking geography skills.

**Buddha** · 06-08-2010, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by mtutiger

I-8 takes you to San Diego... your photoshop guy's lacking geography skills.

I'm willing to bet that "geography skills" aren't the only thing they lack.

**mtutiger** · 06-08-2010, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by Buddha

I'm willing to bet that "geography skills" aren't the only thing they lack.

No shock there... but yeah, I mean, if he's going to make a half-assed attempt to be pithy, he should at least get his facts straight.

**Lousluggage** · 06-08-2010, 05:59 PM

mtutiger is my new hero.

**VegasTiger** · 06-08-2010, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by mtutiger

No shock there... but yeah, I mean, if he's going to make a half-assed attempt to be pithy, he should at least get his facts straight.

Seems to me that having it in English would be counter-productive as well.

**billms** · 06-08-2010, 06:11 PM

its so fake - the flag in the background is blowing to the right while the flag on the state is blowing to the left - duh

**VegasTiger** · 06-09-2010, 07:03 AM

In case anyone needs more confirmation.

snopes.com: Arizona Billboard

**RedRamage** · 06-09-2010, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by diamondhead

Maybe because the city has an over 90% white population (less than 1% is black). Would it not be approriate to have a mural accurately reflect the demographics of your city's children?

If the point of mural is to reflect the demographics of the children, then yeah, sure. I doubt that that was the point of the mural though. It was art.

**ewsieg** · 06-09-2010, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by RedRamage

If the point of mural is to reflect the demographics of the children, then yeah, sure. I doubt that that was the point of the mural though. It was art.

art no longer reflects society?

**billms** · 06-09-2010, 10:51 AM

"Art" has never "reflected society". Art is personal.

But more to the point on this issue - the specific intent of the mural was to illustate actual kids from that actual school. Not the city. Not society. That school. Thats why it was particularly nasty when the *** wanted to lighten up faces that were from real kids - the message literally being those kids are too dark for him.