Art History and Law Enforcement

Containment
22" x 30"
mixed media



October issue ofSmithsonian Magazinehad a very interesting article about an art historian
"Teaching Cops to See". This might be an insulting title to law enforcement professionals, but artist's know how skilled art historians can illuminate the human condition by the rigorous study of art. Some participants found that by closely examining art, they strengthened their observational skills.

The Charter for Compassion

Tools of the Trade: Proposal Packages

So many things are coming together for me as this project proceeds. I feel so fortunate to have my family's support and blessing for the work.(Thank you Craig, Kelsey, Derek and Maria!!) And I'm most grateful to Chief Tanksley for his continued support and the support of the Oak Park Police Department. It has taken me so long to figure out how to work creatively and I finally feel like I'm doing the work I was born to do. I LOVE working with this group of people and I love my independance. Command structure would feel very confining to me and yet, working in partnership with the Chief feels perfectly natural. I've yoked my art skills to a project that feels worthy and beneficial to our community, and that also feels large enough to engage me for some time. I feel like I "belong" to this work in a meaningful way. My hope for the project now, is that it will do it's intended job: help the public understand what these everyday Hero's do for our community.

Having this sort of centering feels critical for the success of this project. Over the last 15 years, I have tried many times to launch myself professionally and have flopped miserably. Either I did not have the time (working mother duties) or was sunk by my marketing ignorance. Feeling so passionate about the project has also helped me feel less fearful about applying for grant money and sending out these proposal packages to venues.

Another thing that has made the project feel "mine" is that I'm using any opportunity I can to help others with their own creative work. Creating good will generates more good will and fights that mid-20Th century view of the narcissistic artist. It's also the same kind of loyalty law enforcement shows for each other. We artist's can learn a lot from them.

For those of you who are interested in sending out proposal packages of your own work, here's a list of what I'm sending:

It's a good idea to put your name, phone number and email on individual piece in the package.

A letter of request that outlines the project, it's inspiration and project statement
A CDROM of 15 images
A guide sheet for the above with numbers, media, dimensions
A sample of the drawing narratives
A budget estimate or form required by grant organizations
Business cards tucked into the pocket of the folder
Press for the project
Letter of recommendation

Daniel Smith- On the Job: Behind the Stars of the Chicago Police Department

Night Vision
22" x 30"
Gesso, watercolor and ink on paper

Earlier this year, I happened to learn about Daniel Smith, an award winning journalist and author of On the Job:Behind the Stars of the Chicago Police Department He comes from a family steeped in the traditions of the Chicago Police Department."Two of my three great uncles were (members of the force).Two of my three uncles are. My estranged father was. My only brother is. A Chicago Cop". He writes compellingly about the real lives of Chicago's finest and helps us, his readers, see past the fictitious stories in popular media. I could not put the book down once I started it and felt very moved by acts of heroism, dedication and hard work. This book really helped me to understand all the forces pulling on an officer of the law; the monotony of paper work, the adrenalin rush of getting the bad guy and the satisfaction of helping a citizen in need. He also describes movingly the private daemons officers wrestle with as they rub elbows with the underbelly of society. I highly recommend this book for it's bracing look at real life police work and it's the perfect antidote to the fantasy of CSI.

Mr.Smith has graciously allowed me to use the text on page 11 for a series of drawings based on 911 calls for service in Chicago's busy 11Th district. The calls were logged on June 3, 2006 between 4PM - 11PM. What amazed me was not only the volume of calls but the mind numbing repetition. To make these drawings I tried to imagine myself responding hour after hour,day after day to these calls. They are about animal abuse, narcotic sales, prostitution, auto accidents,assaults, well being checks,shots fired and reports of burglary. As I hand printed the text on to my drawings, I began to appreciate how often an officer must shift mental and emotional gears within even a short period of time on a shift in order to take care of business.


Daniel Smith also lectures locally and I'm looking forward to hearing him speak in the new year. You can read more about his work creating empathy for officers on his blog,On The Job

Thanks very much Danny for allowing me to use your work in my own.

Crime Stats and Visual Expression

18" x 24"
Mixed media on graph paper
Sketches for ideas on statistics

Since beginning the Tools Project, I've become much more sensitive to statistical information and it's transmission to the community.

Crime Stats
are useful on many levels. They help citizens stay alert to patterns of crime in their neighborhood and remind them to lock windows, doors, garages, and bikes. Law enforcement uses the information to track crime patterns, justify staffing levels and function more transparently to the citizens they serve.

As an artist, what interests me is how to make data more personal and more human. The purpose of statistical data is to create order out of chaos: understanding from confusion. It's possible in the process of organizing this information, that the human dimension is lost. My big question is how can I express the personal human side of the data from the multiple perspectives of law enforcement, citizens/victims and the people who commit crimes?

One way to begin to get at this problem is to make sure that the hand of the artist, my hand speaks in the creation of the work. I'm deliberately avoiding using computer generated images or manipulation in this body of work. I also enjoy what happens to my thinking when the hands are engaged in the act of drawing.

The other way is to simply allow myself to play with pie charts, bar graphs, maps and such. Play helps me to span the huge gap between concept and drawing. It also quells the "demon doubt" that can freeze my creativity. I have no clear idea of how to convey what I'm after. But when confronted with the UNKNOWN, I'm using studio play to shake something loose.

Chief Rick Tanksley to Speak on Crime: Fiction and Fact

It's Edgar Allan Poe month at the Oak Park Public Library and as part of the celebration of this author's work, Police Chief Rick Tanksley will lead a discussion of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". Chief Tanksley will speak from years of law enforcement expertise about the relationship between the detective work Poe describes in the story and real life detective work done today.


Event Location: Oak Park Village Hall, Madison & Lombard, Room 101, Oak Park, IL 60304
Date: Tue, Oct 27, 2009
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Book: The Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

For more information about other Big Read events, click here.

Messing Around With Media

Through some really nice contacts with the Police Department art gallery, I have been offered this top notch flat file for a really great price and some sweat equity. (Thanks to DH and the other team members for shoe-horning these babies into our modestly sized car!) All my paper is now safely stored and not cluttering up the corners of my studio. It makes me feel so professional.

I've been appreciating this fallow time in the studio. I'm drifting, dreaming, collaging and of course, playing in my favorite way: mixing media. Here are a few pages from my sketch book. The safest place I know to experiment is between it's black, inexpensive covers.


Tools of the Trade Sketchbook #1

Here are a few of the ideas I've been absorbing this fall. All of these ideas are fermenting away and I'm beginning to get inklings of a new direction for my work.

This show by Robert Motherwell in the Block Museum at Northwestern University was absolutely wonderful and well worth the trip.


Tools of the Trade sketchbook page #2




I've been listening to a program calledRadio Lab and their most recent episode is about death and the after life. I know this sounds like a morbid subject but actually, the show was very interesting. Given that no one has come back to tell us what life is like on the other side, RL has found many interesting takes on the subject; eleven to be exact.

Tools of the Trade Sketchbook page #3

I love this art show and for a limited time you can see this show on line: Art 21

This is an interesting series too:Craft In America



Tools of the Trade sketchbook page 4

More later......