Steven Stock’s Post

6/2: The Reclaimed Realm: From the Ashes of Subjugation The governance of the Reclaimed Realm was crafted to be as inclusive as possible, with a political system that emphasized participatory democracy and the decentralization of power. Decision-making was not confined to distant halls of governance but was a process in which every citizen was encouraged to partake. Technology, once a tool of surveillance, was repurposed to facilitate this inclusive governance, allowing for direct participation in legislative processes and transparent communication between the governed and their representatives. Life in the Reclaimed Realm was a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Public spaces, once arenas of surveillance and control, were transformed into vibrant hubs of culture and community. Art and music, suppressed under the old regime, flourished as powerful mediums of expression and healing. The streets, once silent and suspicious, buzzed with the sounds of debate, laughter, and the shared joy of newfound freedoms. Yet, the Reclaimed Realm was acutely aware of the fragility of its hard-won liberties. Vigilance became a civic duty, with the populace and their leaders alike committed to safeguarding their democracy against the encroachment of tyranny. Memorials and museums dedicated to the victims of the old regime served as solemn reminders of the cost of freedom and the peril of forgetting. In the Reclaimed Realm, the ashes of subjugation gave rise to a society that valued freedom, diversity, and the collective wellbeing of its citizens above all else. It was a realm that understood the darkness of its past but chose to move forward into the light, guided by the unwavering belief in the power of the human spirit to overcome the greatest of adversities.

Because of Houston’s size, global impact, and deep work that is being done, it is good to see writings focused on aspects in the public art sector.  Houston’s civic art program has achieved substantive results based on access, transparency and equity. The City’s civic art program has been centralized and over the last four years our first manager has focused the work, created and clarified policy and practice, and reframed our relationship with our primary contractor. Works entering the city’s Collection since 2022 have been hyperlocal in centering Houstonians and our stories. A focus on educational opportunities, feedback, and documentation presented by artists has broadened the understanding of process and structure. Seeking panelists with equity work as a part of their professional practice and restructuring commissioned artists payments have led to an increase in artworks by first-time civic art artists.   In Gulf Coast’s latest issue, Houston-based artists are lifted up and multiple challenges within the sector are detailed. I’d like to thank the writer for their work in the Houston civic art landscape, identifying challenges that we continue to face, and continued advocacy for the sector. I look forward to many more deep dives into the civic art sector and the “inspiring and exciting movement towards greater heterogeneity in (Houston) public art collection across various levels.” The article can be found here, https://lnkd.in/gQYQsjKv #houston #visithouston #civicart #publicart #equity

Today, we honor Juneteenth and celebrate freedom, resilience, and progress. Let us remember the past, acknowledge the journey, and continue to strive for equality and justice for all. Check out this article from NAR that shares meaningful ways for real estate pros to recognize Juneteenth: https://lnkd.in/gFRxnEdc

Hey Raleigh & Wake County friends! I need your help with something. Cultural master planning is essential for creating a unified and strategic approach to arts, culture, and heritage in a community. The Wake County Board of Commissioners has asked United Arts to lead this process for the County government. Such a plan acts as a comprehensive roadmap to preserve the County’s cultural assets, promote creativity, and enhance community well-being. By setting clear goals and strategies, it aligns the cultural sector with broader goals like tourism, economic growth, education, and social inclusion. A well-structured plan will ensure equitable access to cultural resources, includes diverse communities, and encourages collaboration between government, artists, and residents. Additionally, it can attract funding and partnerships, ensuring long-term support for cultural initiatives. By identifying gaps and opportunities, the masterplan helps to prioritize projects, ensuring that resources are efficiently allocated and that cultural programs contribute to the overall quality of life for residents. We can’t do this without your input! Your feedback is VITALLY IMPORTANT to the process, so please take 5 mins and complete the community feedback survey today! https://lnkd.in/eDz45j9Y

I invite you to read this Special Issue "Street Art and Political Aesthetics in the Contested Urban Contexts," where I participated. A nice collection of essays https://lnkd.in/gqphWGqh

Save the Date Artist Reception August 22nd 6-9PM BLOCK PARTY August 31st 12-6PM Nuestra Belleza Latina by Chris Cortez Letter from the Curator: La Gente is a representation of the people, its land and the collective memories and traumas of its children. Representative of a conversation that centers around belonging without borders and restrictions to fitting into a box in the census which doesn't give us one, a neuvo collectivity emerges with a connection to the ancestral, humanity and close regard to colonization of our peoples. With this in mind we invite you to fuse these notions into the future narrative of collectivity. One breaking borders , divides and separative narratives to create unified hope for the peoples of all diasporas. We begin that dialogue by highlighting La Gente where we try to include the diasporas in BIPOC to demonstrate the complexity to Latinidad. Through inclusivity to hybridity we may begin to mimic the model and conceptualize world citizenship across cities, municipalities and lands. This curation was made possible through the support of the City of Santa Monica Art of recovery grant.

 "The representation of historical and contemporary relationships between settlers and the local Indigenous community is inherently embedded within power relationships and is strategically re-framed as characterized by a reciprocal relationship between two consenting parties. The construction of this narrative of reciprocity is inherently racialized; it is enforced through space and legitimized by the law. Despite the apparent objectives, the CMHR and the tourist development of The Forks remain contemporary colonizing forces through the illusion that this geographical location is somehow “shared land” and their collective projects of unequivocally representing a specific settler history while downplaying the centuries of Indigenous struggle, resistance and systematic removal of Indigenous bodies in this space. This can be demonstrated by the failure of the CMHR to take seriously the concerns regarding the preservation of the Indigenous history and instead literally built a museum atop of historical artifacts with only symbolic consultation with the local Indigenous community. Rather, this land has been taken as if it naturally belongs to settlers and displays one historical narrative: one supposedly representing of human rights and a distinct “Canadianness” literally lies atop of hundreds of years of Indigenous history. Such actions are justified and legitimized through property law that assumes and takes for granted that settlers found and developed the land and still have the authority to do so. . . Ownership and control of the lands that were to become Canada was what grounded colonial hierarchies of class, race, and gender. The creation of the Red River colony at the Forks, like other settlements, did not allow the land to remain a “meeting space” (as Parks Canada claims), nor did it allow for the customary uses of the land continue. Rather, “colonies entailed settlers, and settlers required land, which could only be got by dispossessing native people. A relationship based on trade was replaced by one based on land” (Harris 2004: 169). Indigenous geographies were made invisible and the land was re-placed with colonial hierarchies became entrenched within the land to allow for a nation-building project to unfold. Today, this is witnessed in the CMHR’s vague commitment to ‘preserve and promote our heritage at home and abroad’ and ‘contribut[e] to the collective memory and sense of identity of all Canadians’ (CMHR n.d.). Mandi Gray and Karl Gardner, (In)Visisble Histories: Colonialism, Space and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights" Annual Review of Interdisciplinary Justice Research, 324; 326.

Thank you MLive Media Group for coverage of the Historical Museum of Bay County's Oral History program! The story is subscriber-only, so I will post some of it here: "BAY CITY, MI — Honest history — that’s what Sam Fitzpatrick set out to record and share when he launched the Bay County Historical Society’s oral history project last fall. 'The stories we’re being told versus what’s been written is just vastly different,' said Fitzpatrick, the historical society’s education coordinator. 'There’s that white-washed history, and then there’s the real history. And the real history should be recorded, documented and preserved for people to know.' Since October, Fitzpatrick has been interviewing people with connections to Bay County and working to preserve their diverse lived experiences, memories and reflections. Recordings of these interviews are available to the public for free on the the Historical Museum of Bay County’s website and Bay County Historical Society’s YouTube channel. Some interviewees have lived in Bay County for decades, while others are recent transplants. Some have recognizable names — they’re elected officials or have ties to long-standing local businesses. Others have experienced significant adversity, including racism, discrimination and incarceration. All of them have a story to tell. 'I want everyone to be included. When people think of history, they think of museums and books, documentaries and stuff, which are all great, but I think the oral history is very important from the people themselves,' Fitzpatrick said. 'You could read about something in The Bay City Times, you could read a book, but what about an interview when you talk to someone who experienced it, who was there? Everyone’s going to have a different perspective depending on their age, race, gender, and we’re just trying to increase that diversity as much as we can.'" #baycitymi #baycountymi #oralhistory #michiganhistory #michigan #oralhistorymatters #blackhistory #asianamericanhistory #herstory

A fabulous art installation and concept (in the brilliant MONA), illuminating a pressing current conundrum. Can contemporary exclusion address (and meaningfully illuminate) past inequality without perpetuating further undue discrimination? You could say yes, it’s a temporary fix to balance the scales. Or you could argue it’s just more of the same old problem, in a new package. Maybe the sweet spot? A little exclusion, done right, and with an expiration date. Meanwhile, Mona - Museum of Old and New Art gets more (and deserved) attention. A fabulous place to go. (And while you're in Hobart, just take the time and go over to Bruny Island, sit down at Get Shucked, and have the freshest and best oysters you'll eat in your life.) #equalityforall #ethicalquestions #artandjustice #balancingthepast #socialjusticeconversation #thoughtfuldiscourse #inclusionmatters #openhearteddebate #artwithmeaning #genderequality https://lnkd.in/etkqMkki

In case you missed my book with Erwin Dekker on the values of art and cultural civil society, here is a little refresher!