OPEN LETTER ON THE RENAMING OF EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO'S SPOKEN WORD SERIES "SPEAK UP/SPEAK OUT"

12/9/2009

OPEN LETTER ON THE RENAMING OF EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO'S SPOKEN WORD
SERIES "SPEAK UP/SPEAK OUT"

El Museo Del Barrio has responded to the controversy surrounding their
spoken word series, formerly titled "Spic Up/Speak Out." The full
text of this response, entitled "You Spoke Out/We Listened," can be
read at their website: http://www.elmuseo.org/en/explore-online.

A publicly-funded, community-founded arts institution should know
better than to market to audiences, poets, or anyone else using the
word "spic."

In the last two weeks, this simple principle has led several diverse
communities of artists, writers, teachers, and community members to
gather, discuss, organize, and express their disappointment toward
this unfortunate word choice. In recognition of this fact, and in
response to the community's postings, letters, and emails to museum
staff (including its executive director), El Museo has chosen the
correct path and changed the name of the show to "Speak Up/Speak Out."

Unfortunately, El Museo has also chosen to continue concealing its
poor artistic custodianship and community engagement behind the false
fig leaves of free artistic expression and an ex post facto linguistic
"context" of reappropriation (i.e. the act of reclaiming the word
"spic") for the original naming of the series.

Among the items unaddressed in El Museo's three-page statement is that
from the spring of 2008 until the summer of 2009, El Museo never
claimed this context in its advertising, mailings, show flyers, or
show descriptions. In fact, the first noted dispute over the title
came from some of the very artists they sought to showcase, who in the
summer of 2009 engaged in an email debate about the word choice in
question. Then,
and only then, did El Museo and its defenders attempt to supply a context of
reappropriation to the series title. And only until an article
appeared in the New York Times did the institution seem interested in
entertaining a change in the name.

This alleged context for the naming of their series perpetuates the
false parallel between individual acts of expression and the
programming choices of a community-founded, publicly-funded
institution.

To be perfectly clear, we believe that no artist should be censored or
ostracized for their word choices, even those deemed offensive. We
have never called for this series' cancellation, nor have we pressured
individual artists to back out of the series. We reject any such
calls. Instead, we encourage all artists contracted to perform in
this newly-renamed series to use their considerable artistic talents
to voice their agreement or their displeasure with the Museo's word
choice as part of their performances.

We agree that the use of the word "spic" has a history in Latino
literature. However, contrary to El Museo's statement, the history is
not an altogether positive one. Not every creative use of a slur
implies a reclaiming or reappropriation of that slur.

We take particular issue with the interpretation of Pedro Pietri's
poem "Puerto Rican Obituary." Neither of the two instances of the
word's use within the poem can be construed as reappropriation.
Ironically, the one true instance of reappropriation in the poem is
found in the Spanish word "negrito," a word used by some Caribbean
Latinos as an expression of love and a backhanded slap at the racist
traditions our cultures have historically engendered. Notice,
however, that Mr. Pietri's line reads, "Aquí to be called negrito
means to be called LOVE." It does not read, "Aquí to be called spic
means to be called LOVE."

Regardless of the poetic interpretations offered or refuted, we reject
out of hand the notion that individual uses of an epithet by
themselves constitute an excuse for an institution to use an epithet
as a program name. Our intent here is to remind El Museo Del Barrio
of the difference between artistic expression and curatorial
responsibility, a responsibility that has clearly been abdicated by
means of El Museo's latest statement. We read it as neither a true
acknowledgment of the community's outrage, nor as an apology. The
fact is, nowhere in its missive does El Museo accept responsibility or
explicitly apologize for offending people to whom they refer as "those
for whom this term is offensive." They have instead attempted to
define a serious curatorial miscue, the use of an epithet by an arts
institution, as an act of free speech and artistic license. To say El
Museo misses the point is a gross understatement.

To date, we have yet to receive full disclosure as to how this series
name was conceived in the first place. We still do not know which
curator, intern, administrator, or
committee was responsible to putting the title to paper. No staff
member, senior manager, or board member of El Museo was willing to put
his or her name on the statement. El Museo's executive director,
Julian Zugazagoitia, has not responded to a single email sent to him.

We continue to be hopeful for a fruitful community dialogue with El
Museo and its management, given the activist history and community
roots of the institution itself. To that end, we would suggest a
community roundtable, one attended by the public and the Museo's Board
of Trustees and management, to give a public, face-to-face airing of
all points of view on this particular matter.

We also renew our call for Mr. Zugazagoitia, in his capacity as
executive director, to engage this community positively and take steps
to ensure that this incident and incidents like it do not recur. And
we call upon Mr. Zugazagoitia, the Board, and the public and private
funders of El Museo to examine their own statement of purpose and ask
themselves if the original choice of the word "spic" in its public
programming truly serves "to enhance the sense of identity,
self-esteem and self-knowledge of the Caribbean and Latin American
peoples by educating them in their artistic heritage and bringing art
and artists into their communities."

Signed,
Richard Villar
Sam Vargas Jr.
The Acentos Foundation

Carmen Pietri-Diaz
Sam Diaz
Jesus "Papoleto" Melendez
El Puerto Rican Embassy

Fernando Salicrup
Taller Boricua



Previous articles for context:

"Poetry Series Spurs Debate on the Use of an Old Slur Against
Latinos," by David Gonzalez. New York Times, November 20, 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/nyregion/21poets.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

"Leaping The Barricades," by Rich Villar. "El Literati Boricua"
(weblog), November 25, 2009.
http://literatiboricua.blogspot.com/2009/11/leaping-barricades-reaction-and-call-to.html

"El Museo Changes Word That Got in the Way of the Meaning," by David
Gonzalez. New York Times, December 4, 2009.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/at-el-museo-a-word-got-in-the-way-of-the-meaning/

"Museo Del Barrio Changes Spic Up/Speak Out Poetry Series," Village
Voice New York News Blog. December 5, 2009.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/12/museo_del_barri.php