Tuesday, November 26, 1996
By Kathleen Rhames
Daily Bruin Contributor
People frequently complain about inaccuracies in newspaper
reports and sensationalized images on the evening news. What they
may not know is that the media has been influencing American
thought for more than 100 years.
A new art exhibit, appropriately named "The Media: Shaping the
Image of a People," is an eclectic and rare collection of
19th-century woodblock illustrations which portray the media’s
influence in creating many modern-day stereotypes of
African-Americans and other minority groups.
On display at the UCLA Extension Design Center until Jan. 11,
art enthusiast Bill Overton’s collection deals primarily with
pieces taken from issues of "Harper’s Weekly" during the period
from 1860 to 1890. Most of the illustrations from this time period
portray postwar images of African- and Irish-Americans in
stereotypical contexts, revealing the power of the early media in
molding society’s views.
"This collection is a sort of reminder to me and hopefully to
other people of how powerful the media really is and that they can
do and create anything they want." Overton says. "It will hopefully
be used as a healing tool and an inclusive way to make people
realize that this is where the imagery or the shaping of the
imagery began."
From slavery, to politics, to religion, the featured art pieces
exist as black-and-white prints embossed on original woodblock
carvings.
One illustration called "Ignorant Vote" displays a scale
balanced on either end by an African-American man and an Irish man.
The commentary explains the equal level of assumed inferiority of
both ethnicities at the time.
Yet it took artistic and technical skill to create the
controversial images. "The biggest thing that fascinates me is how
brilliant these guys were," Overton says. "I’d love to know who
these artists were and how the heck they got these images on
woodblocks. Someone was definitely extraordinary in his craft."
While most of the artwork featured in the exhibit portrays
African-Americans and the Irish in a negative way, the
illustrations stand as good examples of how society viewed
minorities in the past.
Art historian and curator of the exhibit Zena Pearlstone feels
this hindsight is a valuable asset.
"I think the exhibit gives people an historical view on the way
that African-Americans have been seen by a dominant society,"
Pearlstone says. "The interesting thing to me is that, with
hindsight, these artists really didn’t intend to depict them in
this way. It is only with time that we’re able to look back on
these pieces and say ‘Oh yes, that was condescending’ or ‘That was
very patronizing.’"
There are some pieces in the exhibit , however, that are
sympathetic to African-Americans and depict their plight to gain
freedom. One illustrates a Catholic priest beckoning with his index
finger to an African-American family while behind his back he is
holding shackles. The commentary surrounding the piece explains the
need for recently freed African-Americans to steer clear of
anything they found burdensome and confining, such as the Catholic
Church. Rather than giving the impression of an inferior race, this
illustration shows the integrity of African-Americans to maintain
control over their right to autonomy.
The history behind such pieces fascinates Overton. His desire to
learn more about the time period compelled him to turn collecting
from a hobby that filled time when he wasn’t modeling or acting to
an intense interest spanning 20 years.
Overton explains that his early work in modeling initially
sparked his interest in how the media portrays minorities.
"I was one of the first black male models to work for J.C. Penny
and Montgomery Ward and it bothered me that I was one of so few
working," he says. "Because I was working in front of cameras on a
daily basis, I guess I was aware of what was going on in newspaper
ads and magazines and on the TV."
Pearlstone agrees that in today’s society, African-Americans are
striving to make the mainstream media less segregated. The exhibit
itself will end with a discussion on a particular issue of The New
Yorker magazine that ran last year. It was an all African-American
edition, with articles written by and about African-Americans. The
response, Pearlstone says, was not enthusiastic.
"The outcry from the black intellectual community was enormous,"
Pearlstone says. "They saw this as continuing segregation. They
were asking, ‘Why are we singling out blacks? Why isn’t there a
Jewish issue or a Latino issue?’"
While Overton views the media as a powerful source that is not
necessarily negative, he says he is still offended when he sees an
all- African-American sitcom or an all-white or all- Latino show on
TV. He states that he’d love to mirror his work on the 19th-century
media with the role of the media today.
"Is the media showing America to the world as it really is?"
Overton asks. "I really think of America as a melting pot and I
know I’m naive, but until they put me in the ground, I’m going to
keep on believing. We’ve got a great country with a great history.
If we just try a little harder and be as inclusive as possible,
we’ll be a truly extraordinary nation."
ART: "The Media: Shaping the Image of an American People" will
be on display at the UCLA Extension Design Center through Jan. 11.
For more information, call 206-1464.
(below) A recent issue of The New Yorker magazine focused
entirely on African-Americans.
(bottom left:) A scale balanced at each end by an
African-American man and an Irish man shows their equal assumed
inferiority at the time.