Friday night I had the privilege of attending Hammer Museum’s Breath(e) Art opening to see a piece I painted for artist and activist Ron Finley, LA’s beloved Gangster Gardener.
“Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice” is an exhibition that’s part of Getty's initiative PST ART: “Art & Science Collide". Featuring works by hundreds of contemporary artists, scientists, and activists with topics ranging from climate change and environmental justice to the future of AI and alternative medicine, you can find PST art in museums & institutions across the region.
Gardening“ is my graffiti. I grow my art. -Ron Finley
A few years ago Finley reached out on Instagram asking if I could contribute a piece to his ‘Urban Weaponry, Weapons of Mass Creation’; a collaborative exhibition that consisted of mailing out garden shovels to artists around LA to paint. I panicked. I hadn’t physically painted in years due to my progressive & debilitating muscle-wasting condition that had taken my legs and was now taking my arms.
When I looked into Finley’s story, I learned he had received a citation that turned into a warrant for his arrest just for planting carrots and vegetables in the parkways…ya know, that drop of grass on sidewalks that serves as a waste of space when it could be nourishing food for a community. Finley remembers going to a grocery store in South central LA and seeing “Coated with Shellac” stickers all over the tomatoes. He’d have to drive an hour just to get his kids fresh fruit and vegetables. People don’t know, but areas like South Central LA across the country are known as “food deserts”, meaning you can’t access affordable and fresh fruits and vegetables because fast food chains replace grocery stores. You can’t find grocery stores, but fast food is cheaper than fruits and vegetables, anyways. Finley was sick and tired of seeing his community not having access to real food, so he began digging up his parkway in front of house to plant vegetables and fruit for the community. This all really began when his son planted a tangerine tree as a child.
The drive-throughs are killing more people than the drive-bys. - Ron Finley
Finley challenged the city and thus a former fashion designer turned activist & artist. Finley empowers others to grow their own food void of chemicals and repellents-educating how food affects our bodies and health. He teaches that you can’t fight and be empowered if you aren’t healthy, so take control because what we eat doesn’t only affect our bodies and health but our minds, because so much of what we consume can be connected to depression or the growing chronic illness scene. Food progress is also killing and making us sick. As a disabled advocate, it’s good to give awareness to chronic illnesses, but there also has to be an equal force on the origin of why, especially in a country that gives healthcare through corporate employment which means if you become sick and can no longer work then you no longer have healthcare. Finley also teaches the importance of passion as a weapon of choice-choosing creativity over violence.
After researching Finley’s story, I couldn’t not say yes to his shovel art request. This shovel for Finley is the last thing I ever physically painted. I painstakingly did it over Christmas of 2018. Finley’s project birthed my ‘Wheel Girl’; a representative of me in the most sacred place of all—nature, the ruler of the kingdoms no matter how humanity tries to out progress it.
I'm typically a line artist but lines are difficult to paint when you don’t have much arm or hand control, so I went with a graphic approach so it’d be easier to paint for my disabled hands. It was still a mind-numbingly slow, long & painful paint-by-number process, but I did it. For this piece, I wanted to give disability visibility like all my art that is inspired by my progressive disease-telling my intimate tale, but also with a plea to see us (disabled) as part of human culture. You don’t see us in art, so I draw disability for you. The girl is me, as all my pieces are. Wheel Girl has since made it into different drawings since this original piece I did for Finley in 2018, and I’d like to turn her into a series as I now learn to draw with my finger.
I’m grateful to Finley for including me. I feel like I got into the Hammer through a loophole, but regardless, it’s still cool. When he asked for an art contribution I had no idea what it was going to become, I just wanted to contribute to someone I felt cared.
Finley and I have been following each other since his art request, but have only really met in person a handful of times, and yet he checks in with me, follows all my posts, and sends me things he finds inspirational online or provoking questions even though I’m terrible at reciprocating the same and instead offer bad dad jokes. I’ve appreciated his friendship, and I love our socio political and philosophical discussions in his backyard urban garden.
When I left the Hammer opening on Friday night and said goodbye to Finley, he grabbed my head, kissed it and said “I love you”. This made me tear a little, because I knew he meant it. Finley probably wouldn’t like me sharing this story, but I’ve become a believer that we often wait to tell somebody what’s good about them when they’re already gone or unable to hear it, so at times I think it’s important to express these stories and what someone means to you.
A few years ago, I shared online that my Mac desktop took a dive. I lost all my files. A couple years prior my mother had died, so the worst part of this tech loss was losing the only 2 audio voice messages I had of my mother’s voice. Two minutes after posting this, I got an Instagram ping from Ron Finley saying, “Kam. Here’s my number. Call me.”
“Oh, shit.” I wondered, “Did I do something wrong?” I called him and he answered with a simple, “Kam. Do you need a new computer? I’ll send you one.”
I was flabbergasted that somebody who technically only knows me from online was offering such a thing. Of course I refused his kind offer, stating there’s so many more people who need help over me, but it solidified my position on Finely.
Integrity is a motherfucker, people have very little of it right now. -Ron Finley
Something people should know about Finley, beyond the activist and artist, is that he really cares, and that is the kind of people I’m looking for in life—people who truly care beyond the limelight and give something beyond themselves, beyond the big houses, fancy cars and boxes full of stuff: To live, create and love. Finely could’ve been a sell-out, but he’s remained true to his message and mission.
With all the division and rage pushed upon us we have not allowed ourselves to step back and say, “Yes there are problems and bad in the world, but there is also good”. The 24 hour news stream only highlighting the worst of humanity doesn’t allow us to see that not every corner is filled with anger, greed and selfishness, and that there’s a great many good people who care, but are never the ones elevated to power structures, for a reason. We cry into the night for change to no listening ears from the powerful, and yet we wonder why people become so discouraged as they witness their loved ones dying from lack of healthcare or their children bombed and disintegrated by war profiteering. Listen. To the powerful: Please, listen to us and give a shit. To the average angry citizen caught in the middle of power: Please, know there are people that care, and most of the time your neighbor is not your enemy like you think they are, but potentially just as powerless and struggling like you. There are people who are kind and are good to each other, so never forget this when you’re thinking is boxed into one narrative while you endlessly scroll Twitter (sorry, X) or Instagram. There is goodness, and using division anger and bad people to excuse you not giving a shit isn’t the way either. As Finley and I most furiously believe: Giving a shit matters. So give a shit. Plant some shit. Do some shit.
At the Hammer opening, I also got to finally meet talented sculpture, installation and mixed media artist, Melissa Meier (swipe left)!! I’ve been following her work for awhile. In the spring, we connected and have been mind scraping for a creative project since. One of Melissa’s themes is living sculptures where wearable and beautiful sculptures are made entirely out of natural elements like seeds, grass, flowers, hay, eggs, seashells and more. I can’t tell you how lucky I am that Melissa created a piece for me. I finally got to see it last night when we archived it in a little photoshoot at her place. I had so much fun. The piece is just beautiful. I can’t wait to share what Melissa built with you all, so stay tuned! In the meantime, check out her stellar work @ https://instagram.com/mellissameierart
A bunch of followers were asking to come meet me at the exhibit, so I will be setting up an “Art with Kam” meet up at the Hammer museum for Breath(e) in the very near future for any friends who want to come or followers who would like to attend and meet me. Stay tuned for the date to be posted on my IG @ https://instagram.com/kamredlawsk
