Blasphemy or bold expression? Artwork displayed at JWA causes stir
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It wasn’t the artwork itself that upset at least a few travelers passing through an exhibit at John Wayne Airport last fall. At least, it’s hard to imagine anyone would be offended by a mixed-media portrait of a Black woman with a colorful cluster of five pineapples atop her head.
No, it was the work’s title, which I’m not repeating here just in case there are readers who will be left aghast by it. Yes, I agree with you — I am being a wimp.
The image, part of a group exhibition at the airport themed “Perceiving the Divine,” curated by Heather Bowling, was created by artist and art professor April Bey. It was hung alongside other works of art from Aug. 8 to Dec. 5, so if you passed through JWA’s Terminal C during that period you may well have seen it yourself.
It was more than a month after the show concluded that we learned Bey’s work had caused a stir, and we learned of it from this story the Daily Pilot picked up from City News Service reporter Paul Anderson.
Anderson was covering last week’s meeting of the Orange County Board of Supervisors when people offended by the title of that portrait spoke up to convey their dismay.
One woman told the supervisors she was “really appalled by the title,” adding that it “not only degrades faith, but offends the African race.”
A member of the Santa Ana Unified School District Governing Board said, according to Anderson’s article, “I anticipated the exhibit would honor faith traditions and shared values that uplift and inspire, especially during the holiday. Unfortunately, what I encountered was just the opposite. Culture should never be used as a vehicle to disguise blasphemy.”
They were not alone objecting to the artwork in question, Anderson reports.
“Bishop Gale Oliver Jr., pastor of the Greater Light Family Church, said, ‘Members of the Black faith community were shocked and deeply offended’ by Bey’s artwork.” Further, the pastor told the board his faith community felt betrayed by the portrait.
The upshot? A least a couple of the supervisors called for more oversight of such public exhibits.
“I believe it was never approved by the [Orange County Arts] Commission, which is part of the problem,” Supervisor Don Wagner said. “There needs to be more oversight. How it got up remains to be seen.”
If you are curious, more of Bey’s bold works of art can be found here.
MORE NEWS
• Surprising no one who keeps tabs on Michael Gates, the Republican former Huntington Beach city attorney who signed on last year with the U.S. Dept. of Justice for a short-lived stint, has announced he’s running against Democrat incumbent state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta.
• Habitat for Humanity of Orange County in 2024 submitted a proposal to build up to 40 affordable townhouses in Santa Ana and the city signaled it would earmark $9.8 million in federal grant funds to help the cause. But last September, city staff clawed back its recommendation to support the project and Habitat OC has been left wondering why.
• The O.C. Human Relations Commission recently released its “2024 Orange County Hate Crime Report,” which indicates hate crimes in the county may have spiked to the highest level in a decade.
• The Laguna Beach City Council approved a $5.5 million contract with Superb Engineering for a project that will permanently convert Lower Forest Avenue into a pedestrian plaza. It’s hoped the work will be completed by June.
• A two-year, $610,000 agreement was approved by the Newport Beach City Council with consulting firm Kimley-Horn and Associates to help develop a specific plan to guide development on land near John Wayne Airport.
• A number of Orange County residents reported to the USGS they’d felt the 4.9 earthquake that was recorded near Indio shortly before 6 p.m. Monday.
• Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties is offering a new, less intrusive method for HPV testing. The virus is one of the most common causes of cervical cancer.
• More than 40 years after her body was found in Laguna Beach following a hit-and-run incident, DNA tests led to the name of the victim: Virginia Irene Nelson. She had last been known to have been living in Fresno.
• In business news, GameStop, which had locations in Irvine, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Cypress, has shuttered all of its California stores.
COURTS
• Dr. Jeffrey Olsen of Newport Beach, who was convicted April 10 on a single felony charge of making a false statement to the Drug Enforcement Agency has been sentenced to six months in federal prison. Jurors acquitted him of four felony counts related to drug distribution charges.
• Former USC linebacker Abdul-Malik McClain, recently of Coto de Caza, was sentenced Tuesday to time already served and ordered to pay $228,995 in restitution for his role in a scheme that fraudulently sought more than $1 million in COVID-related unemployment benefits, City News Service reported.
• An Anaheim man who in July allegedly made a social media post claiming pipe bombs had been planted in Disneyland after he learned Vice President J.D. Vance would be there is in custody and under federal indictment.
SPORTS
• Ducks’ leading scorer Leo Carlsson is expected to be off the ice for up to five weeks, following a surgical procedure Friday to treat a lesion in his left thigh, according to a team spokesman.
• Outfielder Josh Lowe was sent from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Angels on Friday. The move was part of a trade in which reliever Brock Burke left the Halos for Cincinnati and minor league right-hander Chris Clark moved from the Angels to the Rays.
• We’ve watched girls’ flag football become a CIF sport over the past few years. Now, Newport Beach entrepreneur Roy Englebrecht has come up with a new women’s pro league, comprising teams from eight Southern California counties that’s expected to debut with games this summer.
LIFE & LEISURE
• Max Daffron, 35 is settling into his new job as chief executive of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce. Daily Pilot reporter Matt Szabo caught up with Daffron during an interview last week.
CALENDAR
• The Tony-nominated Broadway musical “The Notebook” is on stage Jan. 27 to Feb. 8 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets, which start at $39, are available at scfta.org.
• The SoCal World Guitar Show takes place this weekend at OC Fair & Event Center’s Hangar concert venue. Visitors may bring up to eight musical instruments for sale or appraisal. There will be displays of amps, banjos, mandolins, drums, violins, memorabilia, parts, records, books, clothing, accessories and more. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $25.
• Newport Beach Restaurant Week is underway and runs through this Sunday. For a full list of participating restaurants visit RestaurantWeekNB.com.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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