Whether or not you're plugged in to pop culture, there are aspects of it that shape our society, and for that reason it concerns everyone. I'm speaking specifically to the bizarre and Illuminati-esque MPAA rating system that carves moral standards into the film industry. The most pertinent question is, "Whose moral standards?" Figuring out the "who" part of that question is what This Film is Not Yet Rated is all about.

It covers the unsavory reality of censorship, particularly of subject matter regarding typically marginalized people. Like women. And homosexuals. And people of color. Show any of those folks having an orgasm and you're just asking for an NC-17 rating. Sex acts are fiercely restricted, while violence is shrugged through. The cloaked MPAA consistently allots less restrictive ratings for imagery of brutalization, but sexual pleasure is a threat that, with an NC-17 rating, is safely relegated to independent or art-house theaters. And, I ain't talkin' porn here. It's weird.

The official This Film is Not Yet Rated site has more info, but you should probably just see it. It has caused a ripple that is making changes in the MPAA system, albeit microscopic.

I'm left with this thought: pay attention to visual culture.

These photos are from the Dread Scott lecture. (Thank you, David.)

Last night I had the pleasure of listening to Dread Scott give a lecture about the many volatile topics his work addresses. He is a great speaker, and despite some unfortunate technical troubles on the part of the Old Cap staff, it was the kind of lecture that made my heart race and my blood pressure rise several times. He is radical and subversive in his work, and he takes extremes that may or may not be necessary for lasting change. He at times advocates violence, which is not my philosophy, but he demonstrated open-mindedness with me and a few others that stayed after to ask some questions.

Go see his work or his lecture if you ever get the chance!

Last Wednesday I caught the last of this week's series of lectures by Rickie Solinger at the UI. It was entitled 9 Ways of Looking at a Poor Woman. What really stuck out for me was a point she made about visual culture and perception of people, especially women, in poverty.

In 1935 welfare was made available for the first time. This was the Depression, and the federal money was for white women only. When welfare became available to black women in the 1950s, the claim emerged that women were having babies in order to get "free" money. This sentiment is an easy step to claiming that black women were having sex for money. They weren't considered mothers, they were considered whores.

In the 1940s and 50s images of poor people as seen in Time, Look, and other such magazines were typically of "a well if shabbily dressed white woman holding hands of neatly if shabbily dressed children" going to church or other puritanical behavior. This changed shortly after welfare became available to black women, and those images of poverty found in white media became poorly dressed, messy black people, looking disheveled and defeated. These images came to shape white America's definition of poor people.

As more Americans were made aware of black women receiving welfare, those unwholesome images of blacks in poverty made a deep impression that lasts to this day. That sort of woven institutional racism can also be called white supremacy, which in our society tends to wear the noble label "meritocracy."

The image above was the first to appear in a Google image search for "poor woman."

Last night I went with a couple of my ladyfriends to listen to scholar/historian/curator Rickie Solinger speak about an upcoming exhibition at the UI Museum of Art. She deals with issues surrounding motherhood, asking the question, "Who gets to be a legitimate mother?", and this specific show, entitled Interrupted Life, deals with incarcerated mothers. It was a great lecture. I even took notes. Some of the points that stuck out for me:

•Making exhibitions results in the making of curriculum. As her art exhibitions move from one place to another, what follows is the formation of classes or other educational venues to deal with the issues she presents through the art.

•Her work demonstrates activism in nontraditional ways. She does not make the art that appears in her exhibitions. She is the curator, and in this way she is able to spread information and create momentum.

•Images in this particular exhibition stand against the iconography we are fed as Americans. Specifically, there are images of women in poverty and women of color who are strong and dignified in their motherhood, even though mainstream media tend toward images of the these women as defeated or overwhelmed.

•Motherhood is an economic state. As a society we tend to view mothers in poverty as somehow loving their children less.

•Mothers are bearers of culture. The transmission of culture to children is obviously impaired if the mother is incarcerated.

•The fastest growing prison population in the U.S. is women with children and most often for nonviolent crimes that are based more on need.

•Prisons are expensive and "profoundly corrosive."

There is so much more, and she will be speaking again tomorrow, Wednesday, March 21 from 4 until 6 at the Old Capitol Building on the Pentacrest. The UI online news service has a little blurb about her and the event at Old Cap.

The pickle & I have such good times riding together. Today was no exception. We went for a ss townie ride through the Water Park, City Park, and down the River Trail to one of our favorite coffee shops.

(Grounds for Dessert has great brewed coffee in our humble estimation.)






Areas of City Park were flooded, I suppose due to all the melting snow.












...action shot of pickle's mean del Ray 42/18.







At least our bikes had each other in this lonely rack outside Grounds for Dessert.

The eagle-eyed will have already noted the reappearance of the vile shorty rear fender on my fine Viner. This time I zip-tied it to the seat tube so it would at least reduce the rear spray. I just discovered, though, via Kent's blog, a handy trick to compensate for the gap. Check it!

Last October some regulars at the Bike Library Ladies' Night went for a ride. We rode from Iowa City to Holly's strawbale house, a pleasant two-hour trip. Holly rode out to meet us near the Cedar River, so we took a snack break by the water. We laughed so loud that we scared some locals. A pack of happy women is certainly something to fear!

Once we got to Holly's, she fed us, and we all laughed some more.






And, yes, the rear fender on my bike (above center) is ridiculously short. The previous owner of this machine trimmed it for some unfathomable reason. I have since put on a set of NOS white Bluemels that are full size and fabulous. Not as fabulous as that Wayne rolling on the sidewalk in the sun but close.

I just finished this book this morning. If you are unfamiliar with Kara Walker's work, it is well worth checking out. She is controversial as a black female artist yet is well received by the white dominated art world. Her most well-known work is the body of cut paper silhouettes that are installed in the style of 18th century cycloramas. In this format she reveals the cruelty and twisted desires that still resonate from the antebellum period of U.S. history. As a society we attempt to claim that racism is of the past, while we simultaneously deny the residue that surrounds us.

Seeing the Unspeakable addresses the issues of the history that haunts us as well as the criticisms fired at Walker. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw covers four specific pieces and sets them each in a context of U.S. history and visual culture. This is not just a history lesson, though. Implications that reach into contemporary life are the most striking aspect of Walker's work. DuBois Shaw clearly understands this, and she admits her own endeavor to examine Walker's work is just a beginning. "But despite the breadth with which I have attempted to address her artistic production, future directions for research still remain."

I learned last night that there is a large exhibition of her work at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis until May 13th. I recommend this book as well as a visit to the Walker.

A typical afternoon scene in our house...

The loft is done! This quaint little reading nook will soon be where we sleep.






The pickle did most of the work single-handedly. I helped where I could, and our friend the Weapon helped with the skylight installation. Otherwise, that boy pictured above is an attic-finishing master!

The mountain range Jessica & I made last October...

I used to carry a sketchbook with me everywhere I went. I lost that somehow. I guess there was a period of time when I carried blank books but never made time to draw or write or cut & paste. It was inevitable that I would stop lugging the extra weight.