You have to be an arr-teeest to be in the Glenwood Avenue Arts Festival (GAAF). Eeef you are not an arr-teeest, you will not be welcome. Unless, of course, you are a well-connected political playa in the 49th Ward.Last year, the Rogers Park Garden Group did not have a booth at the GAAF. They were relegated to a folding table underneath the CTA overpass on Morse Avenue.
This year, RPGG decided it would have a proper presence, and dutifully filled out the paperwork months ago, then sent it in along with a check for $150. Within the past two weeks, RPGG received an email telling them that they would not be included.
But let's clarify that a bit. I spoke with Dorothy Milne, a member of the GAAF planning committee. Milne is best known around here for her leadership of the Lifeline Theatre on Glenwood and was kind enough to speak with me on the phone. (GAAF is a community partnership with Lifeline Theatre, a 501c3 organization.)
Milne told me that the RPGG was discussed by the committee on several occasions ans struggled with their decision. Some folks said they should be included, but others wanted to avoid what Milne called a "slippery slope."
The Bench, however, hears from several sources that the main reason for the RPGG exclusion is the influence of Jim Ginderske, former aldermanic candidate. (Ginderske is currently being groomed as Joe Moore's successor in the event of an Obama victory in November.) Ginderske, I am told, is the de facto GAAF gruppenfuehrer this year.
"The Garden Group is a fine organization," she told The Bench today, "but there are other organizations that we exclude too. If we let them all have booths, there wouldn't be room on the street." She also said that GAAF "doesn't want booths where they're just handing out literature."
Participation is limited to artists and food vendors. I asked Milne why the photo calendars that the RPGG intended to sell did not count as art. I didn't get an answer to that question, but was told that RPGG is "welcome at the community booth." The community booth is a kind of catch-all for groups such as the RPGG that are not artists or food vendors.
According to the GAAF application form, "All types of fine arts & crafts are encouraged including: painting, photography, drawing, graphics, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, watercolor, wearable art, ceramics, glass, jewelry, weaving, wood, metal, leather, and other media. All work on display must be created by the exhibiting artists, locally produced, and/or community oriented."
Watch that requirement that art is "locally produced." Look closely for "Made in China" labels this year (I saw a few at last year's GAAF).
Apparently, GAAF does not consider the beautification of Rogers Park through the planting of flowers to be "art." Perhaps next year the RPGG will have a better chance of being considered for a booth if they start charging for their artistic landscaping services. That way, they can honestly say that they are commercial artists.
This year’s planning committee is Gregory Altman, Mary Bao, Diana Berek, Rene Camargo, Jim Ginderske, Alan J. Goldberg, Sharon Hyson, Britney Kawasaki, Neil Lifton, and Dorothy Milne.
