It may may not be legal fraud, but it exposes the fraud that Ward Churchill is.
He sold this art as his original, as a Native American artist. Both lies.
But look what somebody found and Freepmailed me:
I’m not sure that I agree with Ophelia Benson about Ward Churchill. She quotes the following passage (I can’t tell where it was from):
David Bradley, a well-known Indian artist in Santa Fe, earned Churchill’s wrath by championing federal legislation that required those selling their work as Indian art to be able to prove their tribal ties. “In the 1980s, money was flying like confetti around here. You had dozens of people pretending they were Indian and selling their art,” Bradley said. “We had everything stolen from us for 500 years, and I wasn’t going to let them take our art as well.” Churchill, who is also a painter, took issue with the effort. “He wrote this slanderous attack about me. He tried to impugn my motives,” Bradley said. “He ought to be fired. Shame on CU [University of Colorado] for giving this con man a job.” Bradley believes Churchill opposed the law because it affected his ability to sell his paintings. Churchill attacked the 1990 Indian Arts and Crafts legislation, saying it gave rise to “witch hunts” among tribes looking for phony Indians and put undue importance on racial purity.
In things like this, I tend toward being a minimal government man. If you buy a painting, it’s something you hang on a wall. It you like it, it’s good; if not, not. If you pay a premium because of something about the artist other than talent, you’re an idiot in my book. Caveat emptor and all that. I don’t know what Churchill’s motives were, but any importance given to racial purity is too much for me. So i don’t follow Ophelia’s snark:
Oh yeah? Undue importance? Well what are you doing teaching ‘ethnic studies’ then?
Because one can teach ethnic studies without being ‘ethnic’ I’d have thought. For years universities have taught ancient Greek philosophy without employing any actual ancient Greeks.
Whatever, if there’s a market for ‘Indian’ art and you’re a painter struggling to see your daubs, help is at hand. I can make you talk like a Native American.
Boom! Tssch!
Move along now, nothing to see here.
These 172 words were hurriedly scribbled by Dave @ 1:08pm GMT
Credit to PRND21.