Urban Newsletter Art Piece (unknown page number, 2 of 3)

Dana C. Chandler's Urban Newsletter Art Piece is not only a collection and archive of African American Master Artists-in Residency Program (AAMARP) history but also a curated act of resistance and activism. He created the document (totaling twenty-five double-sided pages) in 1993, in direct response to Northeastern University provost Michael Baer's announcement of an extreme 75% cut to the AAMARP program budget, as well as Chandler's dismissal as AAMARP director. Each page is a photocopied collage of various AAMARP documents, Chandler's personal annotations, and/or news clippings that function as evidence of contradicting establishment statements. In addition to Northeastern-specific content, he includes coverage of police brutality and protests to highlight historic and widespread institutional oppression. By juxtaposing such excerpts against AAMARP ephemera exemplifying perseverance through collective labor and activism, Chandler critiques both local and systemic institutional narratives, oppression, and neglect, and calls on viewers to do the same. Taking the work a step beyond conceptual critique, he amplified his message and raised awareness by personally distributing copies throughout the community.

With the inclusion of a full publication heading from the Jamaica Plain Citizen at the top of this page, it more closely resembles one belonging to a standard newspaper, which signals its function as detailed background on the situation. Chandler fulfills this expectation by subsequently positioning extended excerpts of news articles and portions of a letter that feature dated claims from both parties as well as exact figures and quotations. However, he continues to direct viewers' attention and demonstrate that dominant narratives must be questioned through handwritten and collaged annotations: deliberately-positioned clippings of the printed words “wrong” and “lie” or the handwritten word “TRUTH!” alongside relevant underlined or circled text. The choice of different formats for the antonyms suggests another layer: the print serves as a formal condemnation while the handwriting evokes a feeling of earnest, human, and community-based correction.