How can they see the Love in our eyes
\nAnd still they don’t believe us?
\nAnd after all this time
\nThey don’t want to believe us.
\nAnd if they don’t believe us now
\nWill they ever believe us?<\/p>\n
– “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” by The Smiths<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
“Manifest Equality” is an obvious play on “Manifest Destiny,” a term I remembered hearing\u00a0in high school\u00a0US History. However, its meaning\u00a0had long since been lost in the failed hopes\u00a0of unrequited crushes and extra strength benzoyl peroxide,\u00a0the blur we called tenth grade.\u00a0I had to look it up in Wikipedia. Thank g-d for Wikipedia. It describes the belief that the United States is destined to expand its borders across North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.postdiluvianphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_0970.jpg\" "\\"IMG_0970\\"")
<\/a>Eddie Colla, "Just Married" <\/p><\/div>\n
(BTW, according to Wikipedia<\/a>, “Journalist Manny Destiny, an influential advocate for the Democratic Party, wrote an article in 1839 which, while not using the term ‘Manifest Destiny’, did predict a ‘divine destiny’ for the United States….” Really?!? Manny Destiny<\/em>? I think someone’s trying to spawn their own urban legend.)<\/p>\n There were a half dozen\u00a0exceptional standouts: The passion and love captured in Eddie Colla’s mixed media “Just Married.” Molly Crabapple’s\u00a0burlesque “Portrait of Bambi Galore and her Wife Heidi.” The painstaking craftsmanship of Guillermo Bert’s laser-cut gold leaf\u00a0 “Double Justice.” Sarah Yate’s photo, “boys boys boys,” like a still from a gay “Good Fellas.”\u00a0Chris Anthony’s eerie print “Skam (Shame).” And the Maoist-inspired “Love Unites” by Shepard Fairey, the\u00a0embattled artist behind the Obama “HOPE” poster.<\/p>\n There weren’t exactly “hundreds” of artists, as written on the Manifest Equality website, but there was more than 150.\u00a0And as is usually the case in shows with more than a handful of artists, the work was uneven:\u00a0A small, sloppy oil painting asking $2K. Unremarkable, awkward photos. There were also highly skillful pieces which rehashed\u00a0every conceivable cliche for equality and justice: Justice not only blindfolded but bound and gagged. The preamble to the constitution cut to pieces and reassembled such that it appears\u00a0shattered.\u00a0That may be a natural consequence of the show being based upon a call for submissions rather than the art being sought out for curation, leading some artists to create work where the viewer is beaten over the head\u00a0with the message.<\/p>\n Chris Anthony, "Skam (Shame)"<\/p><\/div>\n The feeling of the exhibit being a hodgepodge cobbled together was also reflected in the pricing, which\u00a0was all over the place. While about a dozen of the approximately 200 pieces were $10,000+, twice that number were priced at $250 or below. Some work–such as Jesse LeDoux’\u00a0gouache and ink series–was bargain basement priced to sell at $250 a pop, and sell\u00a0they did.<\/p>\n I’m still not certain as to exactly what the Manifest Equality show is<\/em>.\u00a0It is designed to promote awareness and, according to their website, the gallery “issues an inspiring, visual call-to-action… motivating public energy toward true reform on a local, state and national level.” Note that this is not a fund raiser for a non-profit organization. Some proceeds are donated to the for-profit grassroots network Courage Campaign<\/a>, but not a whole lot.\u00a0As indicated on their pricelist: “The proceeds from the sales of Manifest Equality are divided as such: 50%\u00a0Artists, 30% Manifest Equality Productions, 20% to Courage Campaign. When the Manifest Equality Budget is met, 50% goes to the artists, 50% to the Courage Campaign.” Believe me, I am ALL for artists making money, and their only keeping 50% of a sale is on the low end commission wise, although becoming more common.\u00a0I know that “Manifest Equality Productions” (which reminds\u00a0\u00a0me a bit of\u00a0 “In God We Trust, Inc.”)\u00a0has their expenses.\u00a0But still, I was a bit shocked at only 20% of proceeds being donated.<\/p>\n<\/a>