Splicetoday

Pop Culture
Nov 23, 2014, 10:25AM

If You Don't Think That You're Black, Then Don’t Worry About It

A 1970 Black Collegian interview with author Nikki Giovanni vs. a 2014 Interview magazine interview with artist Frank Stella.

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Frank Stella: One of the advantages of being young is that you're quite flexible, you move around. That’s just a given.

Nikki Giovanni: That means you have to wipe five years of experience out of your life, and it can't be done.

Stella: You just go down to certain places where they need temporary help for painting. I met people.

Giovanni: Nobody wants to publish us.

***

Stella: It’s possible. The idea is to go beyond it, right?

Giovanni: [Laughs] You could say that.

Stella: You could say all of those things. [Laughs] Oh God.

Giovanni: I can just look at them and know.

***

Stella: So they got rid of the guys from the top; they skimmed us off. 

Giovanni: All they want to do is call you on the phone and talk to you or have lunch with you.

Stella: Yes. They have to have dimensionality.

***

Giovanni: I'm sorry I can’t stay longer, but I have a very busy schedule and have to get back to New York tomorrow. If you don't think that you're black, then don’t worry about it. I don’t know if you follow me. 

Stella: Not so much. No, I didn't notice the difference.

Giovanni: Am I right or wrong? I’m serious. 

Stella: So what? The prices just went up.

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