“Proper Listening”

Gregory Michael Carter tackles racism — on his own timeline

A A A Comments By Dusti Rhodes Thursday, Dec 28 2006

Gregory Michael Carter likes to procrastinate. “I love deadlines,” says Carter, the artist behind the exhibition “Proper Listening.” “It gives you something tangible to work with.” One of the pieces for his show at the Tipping Point is still untitled and unfinished. It features a drawing of the iconic civil rights photo of a black protestor who remains still as he is attacked by police dogs. Next to him is a large drawing of Lady Justice and behind him is a large tree, much like the one at the center of the Jena 6 controversy.

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Carter’s works deal with racism and discrimination, and many of his mixed-media pieces feature black civil rights activists, sports icons or musicians. “We gotta revisit that stuff or else we’re in serious trouble,” Carter says. He points to incidents like the Jena 6 and Michael Vick cases as evidence that blacks often aren’t given equal treatment or are used as scapegoats. “Supposedly we’ve solved a lot of those problems, but we’re still dealing with them right now.”

Another common trait in Carter’s work is maps and mazes. Ripped pieces of the ocean portion of a map make up the sky in the piece Carter’s currently finishing. In another, a maze zigzags in the background of a drawing of Martin Luther King Jr.’s arrest photo. Carter says one reason he uses maps is his interest in historic explorers’ audacious sense of entitlement. “How do you [decide] like, this is Florida, and this is Utah; it’s just always been an interesting concept to me.” 1212 Main Street. The show runs from noon to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays. Through mid-January. For information, call 713-655-0443 or visit www.thetippingpointstore.com. Free
Mondays-Saturdays. Starts: Oct. 27. Continues through Jan. 15, 2007

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