Logo Exhibit in Buffalo

[htd]

Interesting exhibit happening right now in Buffalo at the Hallwalls Arts Center

www.hallwalls.org

ABORIGINAL SKETCH CLUB:

PIMUP TOON KITCHI ANIMOOSH (THE GREAT DOG RACE)

Organized by Aboriginal curators Leanne L?Hirondelle and Louis Ogemah, PIMUP TOON KITCHI ANIMOOSH brings together six Native-Canadian artists in a series of works that address racial stereotypes and cultural appropriation through the use of indigenous peoples as the central icons in sports? team logos, mascots, and nicknames.

The exhibition will be presented as an authentic sports store?featuring all the requisite accoutrements of contemporary sports culture: hats, jerseys, towelettes, and bobblehead dolls?with the distinguishing feature of a redirected point of view. The shop of the Aboriginal Sketch Club will feature the official products of notable teams such as the North American Stealers, the Premium Crackers, Cleveland Honkies, and the Vatican City Pope ?n? Pedophiles alongside products of other teams such as the Cleveland Indians and Edmonton Eskimos.

Collapsing real and fictional sports teams into the same retail arena, the exhibition brings to light the less-than-honorable qualities often incorporated into such logos?such as their emphasis on savagery and combativeness?and calls attention to the way Aboriginal peoples are displayed, commodified, and essentially owned by non-Aboriginals.

[BRM_PTX]

Wow with names such as the Atlanta White Devils,North American Stealers, the Premium Crackers, Cleveland Honkies, and the Vatican City Pope ?n? Pedophiles this really is going to go well.I don't see how a simple drawing of a native american can cause uproar with native americans.I mean c'mon guys it's just a drawing.And a name like redskins isn't offensive while names like Atlanta White Devils,North American Stealers, the Premium Crackers, Cleveland Honkies, and the Vatican City Pope ?n? Pedophiles are very offensive.Stupid fools.

[Sterling84]

Proof that I am a Creamerite:

The relative merits (if any) or social commentary of this exhibit is completely lost on me because of how half-a**ed his merchandise looks.

You wanna make a statement like this? Hire designers and spend $50K on having real merchandise made as well as a real storefront. I know it's picky and maybe irrelevant but I don't think sticking crap cartoons on crappier T-shirts (that Cafe Press would turn down) and putting them in crates really pushes home his message. To really put "us" in our place would require the neon, larger than life, awesome looking assault on the senses that is a Prime Sports or Fan Fair etc.

He isn't going the extra mile, filling the merch with constant layer of brand reinforcing, big as life signage and "officialness" that makes this "racism"s sanctioning and celebrating seem so awful to him.

It's another Big Ideas 101 not followed through on just to try and gain some quick outrage-laden attention.

Frederick: Logos and Brands, whether they bother you or not, are HARD. Welcome to the club. Keep practicing.

Artists in general: Having an idea, is step 1. That alone, doesn't make you brilliant...you jag. Somebody thought of the airplane and the refrigerator a LONG time before somebody actually made one. Next time, gear up and follow through.

[ltravisjr]

Seriously, "Pope "n" Pedophiles"? I can understand them trying to turn the tables, but this seems disproportionate. If they want to paint Christians with a savage name I would think the term "Crusader" would be a more logical comparison. Wait though, we already have teams using that name...

LT

[MrAsterisk]

How about the "Mayors" with a picture of a white guy in a goofy hat, because that's about all the offensiveness of the nickname "Chiefs" (read: not very much).

"Indians" seems about on par with "Honkies", but not quite "Crackers". "Redskins" is the one that gets me. It's like conquering some largely black area, forcing its inhabitants to move to undesirable land, and then building a stadium on the original land where the "Birmingham N******" play.

Other than that, some of the logos (Chief Wahoo, I'm looking at you) and mascots (Illini halftime dance, and I'm from C-U.) might be considered offensive, but there's nothing on par with "Popes 'n' Pedophiles."

I consider myself an objective observer because I'm neither Christian nor Native American. Personally, I'm only slighty put off by "Redskins". The others I have no strong feelings towards.