2/17/98
by Robert Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists' Response To Illegal State Tactics).
provided through OPENAIR-MARKET NET
Mayor Giuliani and the Parks Department have turned Central Park over to an elite group of millionaires, the Central Park Conservancy. The Conservancy thinks Central Park is their private club and the Metropolitan Museum is their private clubhouse. They want to get rid of the artists who have peacefully and equitably created, displayed and sold their art in front of the Metropolitan Museum, based on First Amendment freedom, for many years.
The street artist issue, in case you are not familiar with it, is as follows:
From 1993 until 1997 New York City illegally arrested more than 500 artists, confiscated their art (paintings, photographs, limited edition prints and sculptures) and either destroyed the art or sold it at a Police Department auction. All of the artists were charged with not having a vending license, which the City admitted in court it never issued to artists. Not one artists' case was ever brought to trial.
We've obtained internal memos from the D.A.'s office that prove that the City never intended to prosecute these cases due to the fact that visual art and artists are protected by the First Amendment. In 1994 we filed a Federal lawsuit against the City, Mayor Giuliani and the Parks Department. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was the only major N.Y.C. art museum that refused to support artists' First Amendment rights in this lawsuit. We won the suit in 1997 after Mayor Giuliani's cert petiton was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court. The result is that now, based on First Amendment freedom, artists are not required to have a vending license or permit anywhere in the City.
Parks Department violates its agreement launches new attack on artists' rights
During the course of the lawsuit we negotiated with Commissioner Stern, Thomas Rozinski (Parks legal counsel) and the Metropolitan Museum resulting in them allowing artists to continue setting up in front of the Met, without police harassment. The agreement we had was that, if we won the case, they'd respect our First Amendment rights.
Now, just as the Central Park Conservancy officially takes over the park [see "Management of Central Park Going Private" N.Y. Times 2/12/98; "Central Park's Going Private", Daily News 2/12/98], a new plan is begun requiring these artists to compete in an unconstitutional lottery for one of twenty four permits. Anyone who does not get the permit will face summonses, arrest and confiscation of their art. This policy is blatantly in contempt of the 2nd circuit's ruling and First Amendment freedom.
The real agenda of Mayor Giuliani, The Parks Department and The Central Park Conservancy is to get rid of the street artists and set up a system of very high priced souvenir, Nike, Disney etc. concessions in front of the Met and throughout the park. That artists can set up there now for free, based on First Amendment freedom, makes implementing such a plan difficult.
Show your support for street artists, for the First Amendment and for keeping this park public by joining the ONE CENT PROTEST:
The real admission price at the Metropolitan Museum is not $8.00. Because the Museum receives funds from the City, you can go in for as little as a one cent donation. We ask that you only give the Museum one cent as a protest against their policy of violating artists' First Amendment rights.
To express your protest against their anti-street artist policy call: The Department of Parks, (212) 360-1305; The Metropolitan Museum (212) 570-3900; The Central Park Conservancy (212) 315-0385.
"Freedom of Speech must be the most important of freedoms, for if I were stripped of all others, I could use this one to win them back." Daniel Webster
*Demonstration and press conference to protest the anti-artist policy 2/24/98 Tuesday, Feb. 24th at 9:30 A.M. at the Arsenal, Fifth Ave. and 64th St. (near the zoo) [rain, snow or sunshine, take #6 train to 68th St.]
Read the 2nd circuit ruling at our web site: http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html
For more info, contact: A.R.T.I.S.T. Ph: (718) 369-2111 or (212) 561-0877; Email <ARTISTpres@aol.com>; Web site http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html