Neighborhood Artists Gather To Eat at Pisticci for Change

Art+Wine=Barack Obama? Who could have predicted it? Obama’s campaign was certainly having a classy moment Saturday afternoon at Pisticci’s Art for Obama event, where artists and appreciators alike came together for drinks and donations.

Portions of the proceeds from art sold at the event went toward the Democratic candidate’s campaign, along with $5 donations taken at the door. Live jazz, played by Columbia’s own Kevin Hsieh, CC ’11 as well as JJ Kirkpatrick and Niels Weinhold (both from the Manhattan School of Music), accompanied one’s entrance into the restaurant—a free drink and hors d’oeuvres were waiting within.

The demographic at Pisticci mirrored the diversity of the crowd at the Democratic National Convention—people of all ages and nationalities came together in support of the man they believed could represent a true break from recent politics.

Similarly, the art offered at the event was incredibly incongruous: no major theme appeared to unify the pieces selected to be sold, and paintings and photographs alike were displayed. The local artist community had banded together to essentially donate its artwork for the cause at hand. And yet it manages not to compromise its heterogeneity in favor of an overtly patriotic focus.

There were a few exceptions, however: Christine Ness, a photographer from Brooklyn, explained her choice to sell photographs of a pre-Sept. 11 skyline emotionally, as a decision with “personal meaning” that extended into her support for Obama’s campaign. Among her photographs were American flag motifs, juxtaposed against urban and industrial backgrounds.
The beauty of the city, Ness explained, is the overarching theme of her work. Although many of her photographs had international themes, she was firm on her choice of American- and New York-based photography as appropriate for the Art for Obama event.

For many local artists like Ness, Art for Obama at Pisticci represents a first-time involvement in political activity. Pisticci itself, despite the signed letter from a certain William Jefferson Clinton proudly displayed at the bar, is described by its employees and owners as notoriously apolitical.

Vivian Forte, who helped put together the event, believed Art for Obama at Pisticci to be a one-time affair—her personal dissatisfaction with the Bush administration convinced her that even Pisticci should come down from its metaphorical high horse in order to aid Obama’s campaign.

“Extreme times call for extreme measures,” Forte explained, abetting this with her understanding that “there are large pockets of this country who don’t share our values,” and who would not, presumably, vote for Obama as readily as many New Yorkers.

Art for Obama, in her opinion, was an outlet for artists and the local community in general. Forte outlined that, at this point, there is little point campaigning in New York and in most other Northeastern states—rather, fundraisers are the most advantageous ways for the local community to benefit Obama’s campaign and, by proxy, make a difference in swing states.

Artist Hendrika Ter Elst, whose works consisted of oils on found wood, echoed many of Forte’s ideas. “Artists have a very big stake in the community,” she began. “Art for Obama is a good example of this.” Ter Elst described her impression that, unlike in her native country of Holland, the government here does not currently do enough to support the artists’ community.

She pointed out that economic issues play a significant role in struggling artists’ decisions to support the Democrats in the upcoming election. It was her ardent hope that Nov. 4 would herald a change for the artist community, and, of course, for the rest of the United States.