Totally Biased: Anything to say to a White Guy?

Via Colorlines:  W. Kamau Bell hits the streets of NY to ask folks, “Is there anything you have to say to a white guy?”

Watch Kamau on his new second season of “Totally Biased” on FX, Thu 11pm.

Mission Geisha

Geisha and other ladies of the world, for sale on 16th St near Adobe Books

East Coast live streams: DC and NY

Streaming Now

OccupyWashDC

OccupyDC Medics: #occupydc housers being arrested a few at a time.. Fate of those on roof TBD pic.twitter.com/rGS0BALU

NY: The Other 99

More on Citizen Journalism:

Citizen Media Guild:

“Citizen journalists’ ethics of covering #ows: ‘Are you with us or agin’ us?’“

“Press passes? We don’t need no steenkeeeng press passes- or do we?“

boingboing.net: “The dronecam revolution will be webcast: Interview with Tim Pool of “The Other 99“

Gigaom: “Occupy my TV: The birth of the citizen video reporter“

Village Voice: “Occupy the Airspace: Surveillance Drones for the 99 Percent“

Ustream: “Become a Citizen Journalist with Ustream Mobile Broadcasting Applications“

Wesleyan Argus: “Occupy Movement Inspires New Generation of Journalists

CNN: “CNN Lays Off Photojournalists, Citing the Accessibility of Quality Cameras“

Censorship, Decline, Protest, Bailout

There have been a lot of museum headlines in the news over the past month.  Here’s a sampling.

Censorship at the Smithsonian

Between a Cross and a Hard Place, by Robin Cembalest, ARTNews
Critic’s Notebook: Smithsonian chief digging a deeper hole , Christopher Knight, LA Times

In the former, Cembalest puts the current controversy into historical context:

“Clough’s move has been widely compared to the Corcoran Gallery’s cancellation, in 1989, of a traveling Robert Mapplethorpe show, in order to sidestep a debate over federal funding. In that case, the attempt to avoid controversy only generated more; the then director, Christina Orr-Cahall, later apologized, and the institution’s reputation, as many point out, continues to suffer.”

Change in the face of decline

Coincidentally the Washington Post reported on how the Corcoran, “beset by years of financial troubles” and a decline in visitors, has turned “to a team of consultants in attempt to chart its destiny”:

The Corcoran, re-imagined

Long-term karmic implications of censorship notwithstanding, props to the Corcoran for opening itself up for constructive transformation and revitalization.  Perhaps the Corcoran can be a role model for others to proactively re-envision what a museum can be, in the face of adversity.

Censorship or incompetence?

In case you missed the brouhaha in December at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the original story is here:

Museum of Contemporary Art commissions, then paints over, artwork

Italian street artist Blu calls MOCA's removal of his mural censorship

In a nutshell, the MOCA Geffen commissioned Italian artist Blu to paint a mural the full width of one side of the museum, and the recently-hired MOCA director and former NY mega-art dealer Jeffrey Deitch was too busy at Art Basel in Miami to pre-approve or keep tabs on it, so the mural was nearly completed before Deitch returned and promptly ordered it destroyed.

Financial Turmoil at “The Asian”

Only five days shy of the one-year anniversary of the de Young Museum’s banning of our art, the San Francisco Chronicle reports today that the Asian Art Museum

“could be forced into bankruptcy if it can’t work out a new deal with its lender by Friday, according to knowledgeable sources.”

Full story from J’Town: Hokubei online

While we are still mourning the recent closure of Japantown daily newspaper, Hokubei Mainichi, the online English version stays alive, thanks to the tireless commitment of English editor and veritable community institution, JK Yamamoto.

In the most comprehensive coverage of our work to date, JK gives voice to a wide range of perspectives, including museum staff and, of course, Japanese Americans.  Read it here.

Wait, what is this all about?

It’s all blogged eloquently into nuanced and pitch-perfect context here:

That’s Not My Name: Lord, It’s The Samurai! intervention