8/8/2019 "Can the Art Save Santa Ana?" Meeting

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Public Meeting At The Grand Central Titled: "Can The Arts Save Santa Ana?"

SANTA ANA, California (October 28 2004) - This public meeting was held in the CalState Fullerton Grand Central building at the Artist Village. It was presented by Mr.Michael McGee a full time professor at Cal State Fullerton, and Mr. Don Crib, theacclaimed founder of the Artist Village. No sooner had Mr. Mc Gee and Mr. Cribb walk

into the small theater and sit down, before the audience, that a blond curly hair kidstood up and asked what was the arts supposed to save Santa Ana from?

Mr. McGee addressed the question first, although reversing the premise to can the artsbe saved in Santa Ana. His answer was mainly rhetorical and a verbal game of semantic dodge ball and not notable. Mr. Crab, however, addressed the question asbilled. He adhered to the notion that the arts can and must save the city becauseaccording to him the city was “derelict” and the down town area “a grease ball to hell.”

 Than he stated in a bragging manner that while the country had a massive nationaldeficient, and Orange County was bankrupt, seven arts organizations in the countyhad managed to obtain $50 million from the "poorest city in the county." (if this is true

it would be half of the Federal Redevelopment funds.) All the same , his statement rangcrude, vulgar and offensive as if they had done the city a big favor.

And he gave no cue how this diverting of Federal Redevelopment funds had benefitedthe “poorest city.” Yet, his tone was very arrogant and elitist as if they had an exclusiveright to these city resources. Next, a photographer who has a studio in the East Villagecussed Cribb out for never returning his calls. He went on to demand to be told howlong did the East Village have left before it went under the bulldozer. The photographersaid, "A year? Two? How long? Tell me!" No answer from either speaker.

Most of the artists in the audience wanted to know about affordable spaces, statingthat the Main Street Studio lofts were way beyond their means. One person stated thatprofessional artists make only about $28,000 a year. Then a tubby middle aged whiteguy in the audience stood up and said: "You might hate me for saying this because Iam not an artist, but I sold my house for $200,000, and bought a loft that's now worth$400,000." Mr. Cribb just reassured him he wasn't mad at him. Indeed, Mr. Cribcompletely avoided the issue about these lofts being speculation driven. The audience

 went on to discussed that buyers are not screened to determine if they are artist,artisans or craftsman. Someone else said that the six low-income lofts were way to few.About this, I had spoken to the first individual who has moved into one of the low-income lofts, and he is not an artist. His father provided him the finances and he gotone of the low-income lofts. This highlighted the fact that the only screening for theselofts is for the long green.

During these discussions, Cribb flashed in frustration and anger volunteering that areporter from the L.A. Times, had called to ask about diversity and tolerance in theArtist Village. Cribb said that he would never countenance such a question, and justhung-up on the reporter. This infantile reaction belies that he is opposed to diversityotherwise why not take the opportunity to accommodate any reporter with facts andfigures to the contrary? I will add that in this meeting he showed himself as not onlybeing against diversity but clearly of being a racist otherwise why would he refer to thedown town area as “a grease ball to hell”?

8/8/2019 "Can the Art Save Santa Ana?" Meeting

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 The Don Cribb show got even more amazing as he added that what the Artists Villageneeded was another Ted Moreno!! A former council man who ardently opposed theArtist Village project and consequence was venomously demonized by the proponentsof the project. The audience to their credit did not respond to his race baiting. Theyinstead pressed for a practical course of action. To these pleas he then exhorted themto approach their city officials with their concerns and complains.

 They said that they've already done that over the years to no avail. To this he offeredanother unbelievable idiocy; saying that the village needed to "succeed" from the city.Who knows maybe he has some minute men pals that could post up around theperimeter. The poor audience, their spirits just slumped and their interest started to

 wane after that absurd and crazy notion. They knew that without the city subsidiesthe Artist Village would immediately collapse. I have always wondered how he canmake such outlandish public statements and still be taken seriously by some people.

Afterward, he was asked what had happened to the City's Arts Administrator, Mr. James Gilliam. Cribb snapped that he was fired because he was a "horribleadministrator." Adding with self-unctuous disdain and contempt that Mr. Gilliam wasa person who thought that en plein air painting was art! Well, if it isn't art, someone

better let the Barbizon school and the Impressionist know. Still what would Mr.Gilliam opinions about art genres have to do with his abilities as an art administrator?He was hired for his administrative abilities not for his art opinions.

Finally, the meeting ended with Cribb's usual belly aching that he couldn't keep ondoing all this "work" for all the art groups and individuals that are always makingdemands on his time and energy. He stated that he wanted more time to have a sex lifebecause he still enjoys it (who asked?) And that he wanted to spend more of his life's“time-sharing it with his lovers.” On his way into the meeting, he spotted me in theaudience and cried out that he hoped I didn't heckle him. Yet, when he started hisusual whimpering and swan song. I couldn't help but wish that I had taken a big overrip tomato - short of that, I shook the spot needing some fresh clean air

Contact:Gil Vasquezgil@gilbertvasquez.com(714) 794-9180