The Drug War is an art installation by artist/activist Anthony Papa. It is a multi-media presentation that visually portrays some
of the most compelling drug war issues in the news. The visual narratives
in the installation are powerful reminders of the raging war on drugs that
ravages many of our communities.
“The use of art as a political weapon is not new,” says Papa who
discovered his political awareness through his art and has used his art as a
vehicle to fight the drug war. “Through history, the role of the artist as
a social commentator has been invaluable. Art is a great vehicle for
expressing views to others in a way that is unmatched in any other media
outlet for its truthfulness”.
“Like Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ and Goya’s ‘Third of May,’ which both
powerfully portrayed the atrocities of war, my installation follows their
lead in revealing the impact of Americas drug war.
Papa spent 12 years in prison for a first time non-violent drug
offense. While imprisoned, he discovered his artistic talent. In
1995, after a showing of his art at the Whitney Museum, his case attracted
national attention. Two years later, New York Governor George Pataki
granted Papa executive clemency. Papa currently works for the Drug Policy
Alliance.
The installation highlights issues that affect all Americans, whether
they use drugs or not. It is steeped in a continuous motif of an upside
down American flag, which signifies the universal concept of the state of
distress in war.
“Justice in Black and White” shows the racial imbalance of the effects
of the New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws. Ninety-four percent of those
incarcerated under the laws are black and Latino. Ten crying babies dress
in prison garb dangle in front of their incarcerated mothers and ask “where
are our mothers?”
“Two Years in Jail for One Joint” shows the madness of the drug war.
Mitchell Lawrence, an 18-year-old was sentenced to two years in jail for one
joint by an over zealous prosecutor in Massachusetts. A single golden joint
sits in a silver jewelry box surrounded by dozens of candles
“Give Them All Dirty Needles and Let Them Die” - taken from the cruel
quote of TV’s “Judge Judy” - boldly illustrates how New Jersey is the only
U.S. state that lacks a needle exchange program. Dozens of bloodied
syringes penetrate a coffin draped with the New Jersey flag.
" In “Cops or Docs” a marijuana plant asks the question who should decide
what medicine we should put in our bodies.
Papa hopes the installation raises awareness for those in
mainstream society who rarely think about the drug war.
“I use my art as a means of visually translating the deep emotional
responses of the human condition. My life choices forced me to discover my
hidden artistic talent. In the same way I try to make that intuitive
connection with the viewer by living through my work, breaking down barriers
that separate us from truth.” ...Anthony Papa
________________
Venues that " The Drug War" were
shown
2002 Lunatarium Brooklyn NY (below)
2006 Oakland, CA - Noted artist, activist and author Anthony
Papa will highlight the casualties of the war on drugs at an art
installation during the Harm Reduction Coalition conference in Oakland
November 9-12. The Harm Reduction Coalition conference
brings together hundreds of drug policy reform advocates from across the
country to discuss effective public health approaches to dealing with drug
use and misuse. The conference will take place November 9-12 at the Marriot
Hotel, Oakland City Center, 10001 Broadway, Oakland ,CA 94607
2007 John Jay College
: On the Edge: Transgression
and the Dangerous Other
John Jay Security team ordering me to take down my upside down American
flags at John Jay College of Criminal Justice compelled me to write about
the experience on my Huffington Post blog.
August 9, 2007
I am an American. I used to be a proud one. This was before a
realization that hit me hard concerning the casualties of a dirty war. I
am not talking about the war in Iraq. I am talking about the other war
-- the war on drugs. Every day, we see news stories that expose the
realities of drug use in America. From celebrities to politicians to
athletes and even ordinary people purchasing cold medication, the drug
war looms large.
Recently, I was invited to show
my art at
John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. The venue was
right up my alley. The two-day conference brought together art, music,
film and spoken-word performances centered on the theme, "A New
Criminology for the 21st century." I decided to create an art
installation called, "The Drug War."
The art installation was a
multimedia presentation of the most compelling drug war issues in the
news. Its use of visual narratives reminds us of the war on drugs that
ravages our communities. The installation began to take form, steeped in
a motif of an upside down American flag, which signifies the universal
concept of the state of distress during war. Several irate people
stopped me to ask if I had permission from the administration to
"disgrace" the American flag. I told them all I had a constitutional
right to voice my opinion.
About two hours later a security
team approached me. The leader of the team said "Mr. Papa, you must
immediately take down the upside-down flags. I have been getting
complaints from faculty and students saying that you are disgracing the
flag." I looked at her and pointed out that I was doing nothing wrong.
My art was not disrespecting "old glory" because I displayed the
upside-down flag for the right reasons. According to the flag code
section 36, U.S.C. chapter 10, I was correct in my intentions of stating
a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to
life or property. She looked at me with indifference while the four
men stood behind her standing in a military stance meant to intimidate
me.
I immediately explained my
position. I told her about the 500,000 Americans who were behind bars
because of the war on drugs, and how this war ravages communities and
destroys lives, all in the name of a drug-free society. I explained how
billions of dollars are spent by the government to stop someone from
putting substances in their bodies.
I looked at her and then the
guards while pointing at the flags and said "I will not take the flags
down."
The head of security huddled
with her crew while several sympathetic professors came to my aid. A
meeting took place and it was agreed that they had to take this to a
higher authority. I was asked to stop building my art installation while
we waited for a verdict from the president of the university. During
that time, I had a flash back to 12 years ago when something similar
occurred in a maximum security prison in New York when I was doing a
15-years-to-life sentence for passing an envelope containing four ounces
of cocaine in return for $500. My art was confiscated by the prison
guards, who told me I could not send out paintings to the free world
that depicted the atrocity of imprisonment.
My mind snapped back to the
present moment when one of the security guards tapped me on the
shoulder. He said that a decision was made and I was allowed to display
the upside down flags. I shook his hand and turned to the American flags
and thought about the greatness of our Constitution, which guarantees
the freedom to express our opinions, even if it meant turning the flag
on its head to make a point.
------------------
“Give Them All Dirty Needles and Let Them Die”
“Two Years in Jail for One Joint”
[Let us hope that reform of the draconian Rockefeller drug laws which were
widely emulated by other states will not be forgotten in Albany. One of
the reasons for resistance to reform is that while most of those
incarcerated are from 7 poor communities in NYC, the great bulk of the
prisons are in upstate NY where jobs are scarce and prison guarding has
filled that gap. The Republican controlled Senate has also allowed the
districts where these prisons sit to count prisoners (who cannot vote) as
residents in voting population figures.
The most cruel feature of this
geographical separation is that families (children of prisoners) cannot
reach them. Lest we forget, drug use is for too many depressed people a
form of self medication to be treated not punished. Also the prosecution
of drug users is focused on minorities — 9/10 of those imprisoned — while
non minorities out there who use drugs in greater numbers are largely spared
arrest and imprisonment. The U.S. vastly leads the rest of the world with
prisoners (1/4 of the total while we have 1/20 the global population). And
diseases are compounded in our prisons also by such things rapes that
transfer diseases such as AIDS. A young father with two children so
afflicted committed suicide two days after being released from prison
several years ago. Contact Tony Papa for more details. Ed Kent]
……………………………………..
Ed, I just finished putting up this installation. I had a major
confrontation with security which ordered me to take down two
upside down American flags after numerous complaints by faculty and
students.  After much debate the president of the college said I had a
constitutional right to express myself and I was allowed to show my art.
Please pass this around. Thanks, Tony
Immediate Release
Contact: Tony Newman 646-335-5385
August 7, 2007
Artist, Activist Tony Papa to Highlight Cruel Drug War with Art
Installation at Criminal Justice Conference at John Jay College in NYC
on August 9-10
Show Visually Depicts Major Tragedies of Drug War: “Two Years for One
Joint”; “HIV Due to Dirty Syringes”; “Racial Disparity of Drug War”
Papa Discovered Art in Prison and Painted His Way to Freedom after 12
Years Behind Bars Under Draconian Drug Laws
Noted artist, activist and author Anthony Papa will highlight the
casualties of the war on drugs in an art installation during a
conference titled “On the Edge: Transgression and the Dangerous Other on
August 9 and 10 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice located at 899
10th Ave. in New York City. The conference will involve presentations,
art and photographic exhibits, music, spoken word performances and film
screenings centered around the concept of a new criminology for the 21st
century.
“The Drug War” is an art installation by artist/activist Anthony Papa.
The installation is a multi-media presentation that visually portrays
some of the most compelling drug war issues in the news. The visual
narratives in the installation are powerful reminders of the raging war
on drugs that ravages many of our communities. “The use of art as a
political weapon is not new,” says Papa who discovered his political
awareness through his art and has used his art as a vehicle to fight the
drug war. “Through history, the role of the artist as a social
commentator has been invaluable.”
“Like Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ and Goya’s ‘Third of May,’ which both
powerfully portrayed the atrocities of war, my installation follows
their lead in revealing the impact of America’s drug war.
Papa spent 12 years in prison for a first time non-violent drug offense.
While imprisoned, he discovered his artistic talent. In 1995, after a
showing of his art at the Whitney Museum, his case attracted national
attention. Two years later, New York Governor George Pataki granted
Papa executive clemency. Papa currently works for the Drug Policy
Alliance.
The installation highlights issues that affect all Americans, whether
they use drugs or not. It is steeped in a continuous motif of an upside
down American flag, which signifies the universal concept of the state
of distress in war.
“Justice in Black and White” shows the racial imbalance of the effects
of the New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws. Ninety-four percent of those
incarcerated under the laws are black and Latino. Ten crying babies
dress in prison garb dangle in front of their incarcerated mothers and
ask “where are our mothers?”
“Two Years in Jail for One Joint” shows the madness of the drug war.
Mitchell Lawrence, an 18-year-old was sentenced to two years in jail for
one joint by an over zealous prosecutor in Massachusetts. A single
golden joint sits in a silver jewelry box surrounded by dozens of
candles
“Give Them All Dirty Needles and Let Them Die” – taken from the cruel
quote of TV’s “Judge Judy” – boldly illustrates how New Jersey is the
only U.S. state that lacks a needle exchange program. Dozens of bloodied
syringes penetrate a coffin draped with the New Jersey flag.
In “Cops or Docs” a marijuana plant asks the question who should decide
what medicine we should put in our bodies.
“Got a Cold? Prove it and Sign the Log” portrays the hoops Americans
must now jump through to buy cold medicine due to the federal
government’s desire to monitor our everyday actions in the name of the
curbing the methamphetamine “epidemic.” Papa hopes the installation
raises awareness for those in mainstream society who rarely think about
the drug war.
“I use my art as a means of visually translating the deep emotional
responses of the human condition,” Papa said. “My life choices forced me
to discover my hidden artistic talent.”
For more conference info: www.jjay.cuny.edu/ontheedge/
Drug-laws foe’s fete
THE Rockefeller Drug Laws will be repealed if Anthony Papa can reach
enough people. Papa, who had a radio repair business in The Bronx and a
young daughter, did 12 years in Sing Sing after one of his bowling
teammates asked him in 1985 if he wanted to make $500 delivering an
envelope. It turned out the package was cocaine. Papa wrote “15 to
Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom,” about becoming an artist while
in prison. He co-founded Mothers of the N.Y. Disappeared in 1998 to
bring attention to the unfairness of the 1973 laws which send low-level
drug dealers to jail for longer sentences than rapists or murderers. On
Monday night, after an opening at the Whitney, Papa was feted at the
Waldorf Towers by hedge fund wizard Lawrence Goldfarb and such guests as
Andrew Cuomo, art dealer Donald Rosenfeld, Vanity Fair writer Frank
DiGiacomo and groom-to-be Al Reynolds, looking relaxed as his Nov. 12
wedding to Star Jones approaches.
—
“A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is
legitimate if they represent your last hope.” (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
—
Ed Kent 212-665-8535 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
