Port commissioner fears "no-bomb" symbol will scare tourists

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An Oakland artist's plan to create a "no-bomb" symbol on a shipping container that would be displayed at Jack London Square has run into hot water with a port commissioner who thinks the symbol could scare tourists and other passers-by.

Members of the Port of Oakland's Public Art Committee contacted artist Keba Konte in October to see whether he would paint a port shipping container to be displayed in Jack London Square and elsewhere in the city.

But after seeing his drawing of a shipping container -- which includes an image of a bomb with a fuse, surrounded by a circle with a diagonal line through it -- some members got nervous.

"I'd prefer to see something less controversial,'' said Port Commissioner Darlene Ayers-Johnson, who sits on the Public Art Committee. "I understand the artist would really like to be stimulating. That's great. But we really don't want to exhibit anything that would disturb people."

Konte specializes in mixed media using photography and other elements. Many of his works include social or political themes, such as his 2003 installation at Mills College Museum, titled "Exodus of Jah People," that touched on the homicide rate in Oakland and the flight of black families from the city.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/01/27/BAGS0B130V1.DTL

with avoiding art that may upset people.

How about a no oil spill painting?