Pathfinder Mural
Encyclopedia
The Pathfinder Mural is a work of art formerly located at 410 West Street in the New York City
neighborhood known as the West Village. It was conceived of by artist
Mike Alewitz in 1988 and painted as a collaboration among eighty artists from twenty nations, who painted it on the side of the Socialist Workers Party
(SWP) building housing the Pathfinder Press, the publishing arm of the Pathfinder tendency
, a left-wing organization.
in the center, out of which seemed to flow posters of revolutionary heroes, with crowds of people depicted above and below the press. Well-known activists and political figures included Martin Luther King, Jr.
, Sojourner Truth
, Malcolm X
, Fidel Castro
, Stephen Biko, and Harriet Tubman
. The press itself is printing Fidel Castro's words, "The truth must not be only the truth--it must also be told."
Participants in the project included artists such as Armand Vaillancourt
, Dumile Feni, Arnoldo Guillien and Carlos Montenegro. There were also other, anonymous contributors with revolutionary and/or working class backgrounds.
In an interview with the New York Times dated September 7, 1997, Alewitz said of the mural "I wanted to do this one because Pathfinder represents the tradition of publishing important revolutionary ideas. I'm critical of the New York art scene. I find that much of the art taught in the schools and produced through the gallery system reflects the values of the cynical and confused middle class. Basically, a stronger art is produced in those societies--like Cuba and Nicaragua--where there's a pulling together, an optimism about going forward."
Political conflicts, however, beset the project. From the right, Patrick Buchanan attacked it in the Washington Times as "a six-story shrine to communism, a Marxist Mount Rushmore in Greenwich Village." More disruptive to the project were criticisms from the SWP itself who criticized Alewitz' vision of a work that would depict revolutionary heroes as human beings and insisted on an homage to the party's heroes and attempted to micromanage the project by issuing directives on matters such as how large Leon Trotsky's head should be.
A quotation from Eugene Debs' famous anti-war speech made in Canton, Ohio
were replaced with words from Fidel Castro. Also removed were personal touches by Alewitz such as depictions of two students killed by the National Guard at Kent State University
in 1970, one of whom had been a close friend of Alewitz’s.
Alewitz was expelled from the SWP prior to the project's conclusion and was excluded from its opening ceremony.
In 1996, the mural was permanently removed in order to repair cracks in the exterior wall of the Pathfinder building.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
neighborhood known as the West Village. It was conceived of by artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Mike Alewitz in 1988 and painted as a collaboration among eighty artists from twenty nations, who painted it on the side of the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (United States)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba...
(SWP) building housing the Pathfinder Press, the publishing arm of the Pathfinder tendency
Pathfinder tendency
The Pathfinder tendency is the unofficial name of a group of historically Trotskyist organizations that are politically and organizationally allied with the Socialist Workers Party of the United States and its perspective of solidarity with the Cuban Revolution and the Cuban Communist Party.The...
, a left-wing organization.
Subject
The mural consisted of a red-colored printing pressPrinting press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
in the center, out of which seemed to flow posters of revolutionary heroes, with crowds of people depicted above and below the press. Well-known activists and political figures included Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth was the self-given name, from 1843 onward, of Isabella Baumfree, an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son, she...
, Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
, Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, Stephen Biko, and Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; (1820 – 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue more than 70 slaves...
. The press itself is printing Fidel Castro's words, "The truth must not be only the truth--it must also be told."
History
The SWP commissioned the mural at the suggestion of Alewitz, a long-time member of the party.Participants in the project included artists such as Armand Vaillancourt
Armand Vaillancourt
Armand Vaillancourt is a Québécois sculptor, painter and performance artist born on September 3, 1929, in the city of Black Lake, Quebec, Canada.- Major sculptures :...
, Dumile Feni, Arnoldo Guillien and Carlos Montenegro. There were also other, anonymous contributors with revolutionary and/or working class backgrounds.
In an interview with the New York Times dated September 7, 1997, Alewitz said of the mural "I wanted to do this one because Pathfinder represents the tradition of publishing important revolutionary ideas. I'm critical of the New York art scene. I find that much of the art taught in the schools and produced through the gallery system reflects the values of the cynical and confused middle class. Basically, a stronger art is produced in those societies--like Cuba and Nicaragua--where there's a pulling together, an optimism about going forward."
Political conflicts, however, beset the project. From the right, Patrick Buchanan attacked it in the Washington Times as "a six-story shrine to communism, a Marxist Mount Rushmore in Greenwich Village." More disruptive to the project were criticisms from the SWP itself who criticized Alewitz' vision of a work that would depict revolutionary heroes as human beings and insisted on an homage to the party's heroes and attempted to micromanage the project by issuing directives on matters such as how large Leon Trotsky's head should be.
A quotation from Eugene Debs' famous anti-war speech made in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
were replaced with words from Fidel Castro. Also removed were personal touches by Alewitz such as depictions of two students killed by the National Guard at Kent State University
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
in 1970, one of whom had been a close friend of Alewitz’s.
Alewitz was expelled from the SWP prior to the project's conclusion and was excluded from its opening ceremony.
In 1996, the mural was permanently removed in order to repair cracks in the exterior wall of the Pathfinder building.
Sources
- Insurgent Images: The Agitprop Murals of Mike Alewitz (introduction)
- "Insurgent Images: the Agitprop Murals of Mike Alewitz"
External links
- La Lutta NMC Image of complete mural
- Monthly Review Insurgent Images: The Agitprop Murals of Mike Alewitz
- "Female Muralists Dip Brushes in Women's History", Women's eNewsWomen's eNewsWomen's eNews is a nonprofit online news service based in New York City. It publishes international news articles specializing in coverage of women's lives.- History :...
(February 19, 2006) - Columbia University: "Insurgent Images: the Agitprop Murals of Mike Alewitz" (Sept. 15, 2002)
- The Militant: "Pathfinder Mural Stood As A Beacon Of Hope" (July 22, 1996)
- The Militant: "Pathfinder plans major repairs for cracked wall" (May 27, 1996)