When Seattle artist Deborah Lawrence was asked to create an ornament for a holiday tree at the White House, nobody familiar with her work could have imagined she'd stick to snowmen, Santa Claus or Mount Rainier bathed in festive red, white and blue.
That Lawrence submitted an ornament with the words "Impeach Bush" on its surface is also no surprise, except to the people responsible for picking her.
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Photo courtesy Deborah Lawrence | |
| Artist Deborah Lawrence holds the ornament that will not hang on the White House Christmas tree. | ||
The 9-inch ball Lawrence created is covered with swirly red and white stripes and features a picture of Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott of Seattle, who signed a House resolution to consider the impeachment of President George W. Bush. Tiny glued-on text on the ornament hails the impeachment resolution.
"I think it really is a shame and, quite frankly, not very much in the holiday spirit," first lady Laura Bush's spokeswoman, Sally McDonough, told The Associated Press.
McDonough said Tuesday that Lawrence's ornament was the only one of about 370 submitted for the White House tree that was rejected. Laura Bush had asked members of Congress to pick artists to decorate ornaments for the White House tree to showcase all 435 congressional districts.
Lawrence, 55, is pointedly political. She's anti-Iraq war, anti-torture, pro-peace, pro-environment, pro-feminism, pro-diversity and pro-spreading-the-wealth. Those aren't just her personal opinions; those are the issues that fuel the paintings she collages with printed messages.
"Her work is all about social justice," said Catherine Person, who exhibits Lawrence's work at Person Gallery in Seattle. "She's the most political artist I know and the most political artist I represent by 100 miles. She's a firebrand. Her last show in September was completely devoted to anti-Bush statements."McDermott, whose office was responsible for the selection of Lawrence, said the ornament's content came as a surprise.
The 370 artists who submitted ornaments were invited to a party Tuesday to see their ornaments sparkling on a cluster of trees on the White House lawn.
Speaking from the reception on Tuesday, Lawrence said she was happy to be admitted.
"I was afraid I'd be blocked at the door," she said, "but here I am. ... There are platters of roast beef, soft drinks and white wine, with a duet of pianists playing Christmas music. Even if my ornament were still here, I wouldn't be able to find it. There are too many. I'd like to get it back, but that's probably not going to happen. I've never seen so many Christmas trees, and I don't like Christmas."
What about the idea that a holiday tree ornament might not be the best way to address political issues?
"When else would I get a chance to do it at the White House?" she asked. "I'm happy (Barack) Obama is going to be president, but we have to hold Bush and (Vice President Dick) Cheney responsible for heinous crimes. If Bush shows up to this event, I'll tell him that. If Laura Bush comes, I'll say, 'I bet you're glad the last eight years are almost over.' "
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| Artist Deborah Lawrence's ornament, which will not hang on the White House Christmas tree. Lawrence said that in creating the bulb, she wanted to salute Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott of Seattle, a longtime President Bush foe who backs impeachment. The nine-inch ball Lawrence created features a picture of McDermott, and glued-on text hails the impeachment resolution. (Photo courtesy Deborah Lawrence) | ||
Lawrence was chosen after McDermott asked Jim Kelly, executive director of the King County Arts Commission, known as 4Culture, to pick an artist. Kelly asked his staff. Heather Dwyer, 4Culture program manager, suggested Lawrence.
Mike DeCesare, McDermott's communications director, said his boss had nothing to do with Lawrence's political message.
"We didn't have a role in this," DeCesare said. "We saw the ornament for the first time Tuesday morning. We agree with the first lady's decision to remove it. The holiday is meant for peace and understanding. We support artistic freedom, but we wake up in the morning like anybody else and say, 'Not today.' "
Lawrence's political views dovetail with McDermott's. He voted to initiate impeachment proceedings against Bush. Plus, the artist sees the ornament as a tribute to McDermott.
Kelly also said 4Culture had no oversight in the creation of the ornament.
"The White House specifically stated that the artists were to have the freedom to produce what they wanted within the theme of red, white and blue, and couldn't show it to anybody before it was shown at the White House.
"If you're asking me if I wished (the artist) had painted a superb view of the Puget Sound, yes, in retrospect I wish that," Kelly said. "But she didn't. In the spirit of the holidays, I support Laura Bush's decision not to hang it. Had the first lady decided to leave it on the tree, I would have supported that, too. This is a big country with a lot of different views. It isn't a bad thing to see some of that diversity reflected in this event."
Dwyer, who picked Lawrence, said she wasn't looking for somebody who would blandly decorate an ornament. She was thinking about artists, not illustrators.
"I suggested her because of her social engagement -- feminism, anti-war, anti-poverty -- and knew she'd think of it as an opportunity."
How about "Impeach Bush"?
"It surprised me," Dwyer said. "I wouldn't have done that if I'd been the artist. Her choice doesn't make things easy for us, but art isn't easy. We select artists based on their accomplishments, and we never tell them what their art should say."