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

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SANTA ANA, California (October 28 2004) - This public meeting was held in the Cal
State 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, the
acclaimed 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 kid
stood 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 arts
be 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 as
billed. He adhered to the notion that the arts can and must save the city because
according 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 national
deficient, and Orange County was bankrupt, seven arts organizations in the county
had 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 rang
crude, 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 benefited
the “poorest city.” Yet, his tone was very arrogant and elitist as if they had an exclusive
right to these city resources. Next, a photographer who has a studio in the East Village
cussed Cribb out for never returning his calls. He went on to demand to be told how
long did the East Village have left before it went under the bulldozer. The photographer
said, "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, stating
that the Main Street Studio lofts were way beyond their means. One person stated that
professional artists make only about $28,000 a year. Then a tubby middle aged white
guy in the audience stood up and said: "You might hate me for saying this because I
am 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. Crib
completely 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 got
one of the low-income lofts. This highlighted the fact that the only screening for these
lofts is for the long green.

During these discussions, Cribb flashed in frustration and anger volunteering that a
reporter from the L.A. Times, had called to ask about diversity and tolerance in the
Artist Village. Cribb said that he would never countenance such a question, and just
hung-up on the reporter. This infantile reaction belies that he is opposed to diversity
otherwise why not take the opportunity to accommodate any reporter with facts and
figures to the contrary? I will add that in this meeting he showed himself as not only
being against diversity but clearly of being a racist otherwise why would he refer to the
down town area as “a grease ball to hell”?
The Don Cribb show got even more amazing as he added that what the Artists Village
needed was another Ted Moreno!! A former council man who ardently opposed the
Artist Village project and consequence was venomously demonized by the proponents
of the project. The audience to their credit did not respond to his race baiting. They
instead pressed for a practical course of action. To these pleas he then exhorted them
to 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 offered
another 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 the
perimeter. 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 subsidies
the Artist Village would immediately collapse. I have always wondered how he can
make 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 "horrible
administrator." Adding with self-unctuous disdain and contempt that Mr. Gilliam was
a 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 on
doing all this "work" for all the art groups and individuals that are always making
demands on his time and energy. He stated that he wanted more time to have a sex life
because 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 the
audience and cried out that he hoped I didn't heckle him. Yet, when he started his
usual whimpering and swan song. I couldn't help but wish that I had taken a big over
rip tomato - short of that, I shook the spot needing some fresh clean air

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