Why I turned Chicago’s abandoned homes into art | Amanda Williams

Amanda Williams shares her lifelong fascination with the complexity of color: from her experiences with race and redlining to her discovery of color theory to her work as a visual artist. Journey with Williams to Chicago's South Side and explore "Color(ed) Theory," a two-year art project in which she painted soon-to-be-demolished houses bold, monochromatic colors infused with local meaning — catalyzing conversations and making the hidden visible.

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25 Comments on Why I turned Chicago’s abandoned homes into art | Amanda Williams

  1. take a look at what the rest of the western world does when the government spends more on ANYTHING other than the defence budget

  2. What a fascinating project and great talk! This reminded me of the teardrops painted around the windows of beautiful, old, wooden buildings which the city had let deteriorate to the point of ruin in a place I visited. Art is powerful.

  3. This is a great presentation, and I envy her passion. The project is a lot of fun and has untold non-monetary value (which many people do not understand). But stuff like this is not beneficial:
    @0:55 “hardly a day that goes by that somebody is not reminding you of your color”
    @1:50 “all these stuffy, old white guys, with their treaties and obscure terminology”

    These experiences are not unique to large urban centers or people of a certain color. I grew up in a poor, farming community a ways east of St Louis. My Grandma told stories of being so happy to have gravy with dinner that they’d drink it from a straw. The ghetto in my home town was a mess of junk cars on blocks in people’s front lawns and meth labs in their basements and garages.

    Even in our small town, we had zoned districts, and many people were automatically ruled out for loans. Some areas were policed heavier than others, and some people were targeted more than others. But we were white. We were all white. I remember when one Hispanic family moved into a house on Main street, the man still owns the hardware store there, great people. There was a black family that moved there when I was in high school, they had a few kids younger than I was.

    It’s not just color of skin that defines our experience, our oppression, and our privilege, and we will all get along much better once everyone realizes that. Then we can work together to collectively fight off the oppressive tyranny that affects us all.

  4. This wasn’t a grant so where did she come up with the time and money and work force ? Glad she pulled to off though and looks like a powerful message !

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