Decolonize Dallas
Artist: Angela Faz
Year: 2017
Date of Action: April 6, 2017
Region: North America
Location: Dallas, Texas
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Public Art
Confronting Bodies: West Dallas Multipurpose Center,
Description of Artwork: Six banners by artist Angela Faz were installed at the West Dallas Multipurpose Center as part of an initiative to decolonize Dallas. The banners were woodcut prints which explored and depicted migration and displacement in West Dallas. Three of the banners portrayed house silhouettes with text written inside such as, "This house has a lot of value to me." Faz collected statements from interviews with West Dallas residents to incorporate into her art. As someone with local ties to the West Dallas community, she drew upon her own history and experiences of being at risk of losing her home and the struggles of housing insecurity.
The Incident: On April 5th, the Dallas Multipurpose Center received critical and disparaging emails regarding the content of the art. Unbeknownst to many of the members of the organization, The West Dallas Multipurpose Center has a policy preventing them from showing political art. Faz's work was taken down on April 6th as it was deemed too political for the space and because the organization did not want the provocative art to disturb the elder citizens who regularly used the center.
Results of Incident: After much dissent from the public as well as an opinion piece written by artists Carol Zou and Darryl Ratcliff for D Magazine, the city announced that the work could be reinstalled, but the Faz ultimately decided not to rehang it. Now, Faz plans to use the banners to help raise money for her aunt who is at risk of losing her West Dallas rental home.
Source:
Artist Declines To Rehang Work In West Dallas
Exploring Art, Censorship, and Decolonization Through the Lens of Dallas
[http://www.angelafaz.com/decolonize-dallas/ Decolonize Dallas: West Dallas Stories of displacement, migration and resilience.]